"Rain in Montmartre" 26" X 20" acrylic

Rain in Montmartre by April M Rimpo

Rain in Montmartre

Fluid Acrylic, gallery wrapped and varnished

26" X 20"

SOLD by HorseSpirit Arts Gallery
info@horsespiritartsgallery.com 

410-461-3505 

Rain in Montmartre was inspired by our visit to Paris included three days of rain, so on the last full day my husband and I decided to take a morning stroll up to the top of Montmartre. Our hotel was in the 18^th Arrondissement.  The walk was not a great distance, but it was a bit vertically challenging. Umbrellas in hand we wove our way up the cobblestone streets to the top where we explored The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica, and attempted to locate landmarks across Paris. However since the clouds were quite low and thick our views were limited and we could barely make out the Eiffel Tower.

This rain did not stop me from taking many photographs of Montmartre, including the images that inspired Rain in Montmartre. The lights from the shops and a bit of sunlight created great reflected color on the wet cobblestones. Several others were exploring Montmartre from under their umbrellas. Shopkeepers were setting out artwork and other wares for the day as we strolled through the streets. All and all a wonderful memory and we enjoyed our exploration. 

I started the painting with a little bit of soft acrylic intended to capture the lightest reflections in the cobblestones and add a little bit of texture. The balance of the painting was done with fluid acrylic so I could layer washes of color and build up to the dark values. Using a lot of sprayed water to create rivulets and allowing the water and paint to run vertically I captured the look of rain, while letting them run horizontally I created more texture in the cobble stoned street and brick sidewalks. Retaining the colors shining from inside the shops at the same time communicating the rainy outside was the greatest challenge of this painting.

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Copyright April M Rimpo 2016 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.