Yesterday, Rain, the bus, Picasso - Paul Smith, Redon

Yesterday it rained like hell all night

And most of the morning. We had tons of rain all week. It’s raining right now…If it was the Olympics…uh oh 😱

Yesterday I was determined to get to the pool 🏊 For once I left on time. Bus 67 was coming! I ran across/traversé the street, waving my Navigo card heading to the bus stop. But bus 67 did not stop 🛑 & instead headed into traffic😖 This is unusual. Most Paris bus drivers are terrifically nice 👍 There was tons of traffic so I kept running 🏃‍♂️ (Fortunately I ate a hamburger for breakfast). I caught up with the bus and made rude gestures…like how come you didn’t stop? The driver saw me & shrugged 🤷‍♀️ Somehow I managed to cross 3 streets and get to the next bus stop just as the bus was closing its doors. I banged on the door & he let me onboard. I did not say ‘bonjour’. One of the passengers said to me, it wasn’t very nice he didn’t stop’. Obviously everyone saw the mini drama 😂 

Of course when I got to the pool on time - a rarity, IT WAS CLOSED ‘because of an incident’ (which usually means the workers want a day off). If I’d checked the schedule I would have seen it said FERMÉ ☹️ What to do?

In Tansy’s Little Book of Thumbnails class one of our assignments was to do tiny sketches of book jackets 📕 (I am not supposed to show you this…shh).

I didn’t do the assignment but I noticed the Paul Smith stripy, colorful book jacket. 

Paul Smith is king 👑 of stripes. I’m pretty crazy for anything striped 

I thought better get to the Picasso exhibit Paul Smith just curated before it closes August 29 - a 10-minute walk from Saint-Meri pool 👍

I wasn’t disappointed.

What an interesting way to view Picasso.

Sir Paul even used Picasso’s famous striped Breton marinière shirt (Picasso was crazy for stripes).

To decorate a room. *You can buy Picasso’s blue & white marinière striped shirt in the museum gift shop.

I liked the blood red room full of Picasso’s black ink silhouette drawings of the bullfight/Corrida.

In the basement, near the vestiaire, is a children’s drawing room with some darn good kid ‘Picassos’ on the walls.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up”, Picasso said. 

Picasso’s Paris hôtel particular is quite the mansion.

I’m sure Sir Paul would have loved ❤️ these attendees

Thank you for your fabulous responses to ‘ Do You Love ❤️ French  Butter’!! I’m hard at work picking & choosing which French products to include in the Paris Letter.

I got a bit sidetracked yesterday painting seashells 🐚 (bulots /whelks (which no one mentioned they wanted to bring back).

Inspired by Redon’s fabulous seashell pastel. It hung over his fireplace. A friend brought him the conch from the Seychelles islands. The picture is much bigger than you’d expect.

Mine are much smaller 6” x 8”

After Redon… on Etsy now..

Please share with a friend & visit my shop for Paris gifts 🎁 

☔️ Bon Thursday BPers ☔️