THE STORY BEHIND IT - PLACE DE TETRE, Montmartre - Evening Restaurants

This is one of those quick study paintings completed while in Paris. On the hill in Montmartre is the Artists' Square where during the day, artists display and sell their craft. Ringing the square are a series of cafes and restaurants which provide food and sometimes entertainment. Evenings pass with pleasure at a street side table as friends and families talk and laugh and sip and taste the good life. In this painting detail and accuracy were not my goals but rather conveying the impression of the mood of the evening ambiance.

Here is the story of the painting. When Christine and I moved from our large home to our downsized carriage home, I crated my remaining paintings that I wanted to keep and others I gave away. Several were taken to Penny Pinchers where proceeds from sales help the local hospital. One day I received a call asking about this painting, an 8 1/2 X 11 acrylic and oil. I told the inquirer that while I no longer had it, she might find it at Penny Pinchers. A day or so later when I was driving near the shop, I popped in and found my painting among many others, so I placed it so it could be easily seen. Then I called her to tell her it was there and the priced tag was $20. She emailed me later to tell me she had it and was thrilled. Then one day when I dropped into Brenda and Kurt Albert's Fort Langley Birthplace of BC Gallery, she told me she had one of my paintings in her framing section. The new owner of my piece had brought it to Brenda to be framed and it looked very nice. That was a pleasing conclusion, although I myself missed out on a couple of hundred dollars. Oh well, something I created is giving someone pleasure. That's gratifying.