Meet: Aquarelliste-Reporter Noelle Herrenschmidt

Last week I met brilliant watercolorist/reporter Noelle Herrenschmidt by chance. Find her on Facebook here. And at the French Sénat.

I discovered this morning her wonderful interview on Youtube at the Boston French Cultural Center. Coincidentally I had my first watercolor exhibit there in 2009.

Good things happen when you take the bus in Paris. As #89 rounded the bend at jardin du Luxembourg I couldn't believe my eyes.

I jumped off to see rows and rows of watercolors from the French Senat plus other stunning architectural renderings all from her book, DANS LES COULISSES DE LA LOI.

I love Herrenschmidt's loose, casual sketchie quality. Don't you?

Leaving areas unfinished, unpainted, you feel you are looking over the artist's shoulder. These are painted onsite not from photographs later in the studio, Noelle reveals in the Youtube interview.

"What gets done onsite is the finished artwork." She does not rework later.

So they have a 'fresh' intuitive feel to them - characteristic of the best watercolors IMO.

Here the Palais du luxembourg and the actual building below caught through the grills.

Noelle Herrenschmidt's watercolors are up on the Luxembourg grills till January 14, 2018 Do go look.

I was delighted to see Noelle would be having a book signing Saturday.

I ran over in the pouring rain.

Hollington is a très chic mens clothing store 9, rue Racine 75006. I wish they did women's clothing.

You can pick up Noelle's illustrated catalog there and she has many wonderful books on Amazon US, FR.

I bought her 'In the halls of the Law' (in French only) Over 200 pages of her watercolor illustrations.

Of course I was fascinated by her art materials. Look at her super mini seche cheveau (hairdryer)! A very rare find she said...we talked shop in my broken French.

Her paintbox! Heaven.

While others got lengthy, written messages in their books

I got dabs of fresh color straight from her paintbox. 

Visit Noelle's site and like her on facebook. The French Cultural Center video offers a good French leçon too. I brazenly showed Noelle a few of my watercolors. She approved. 

Merci Noelle pour tous!

Thanks for reading PB.

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Cheers PBers!