Paris Cafe at Night

The first night we got to Paris, we left our hotel and went walking to find dinner. Immediately I was overwhelmed with the beauty of where I was standing. As an art major, I studied soooo many European paintings and suddenly, standing in Paris, I understood where the inspiration came from. I felt like I was IN all those famous paintings. Most of all, I was struck with the street cafes on every corner and how charming they all were. I’d seen a few during the day, but it transformed at night. Each cafe was bathed in golden, warm light and it contrasted so beautifully with the bright cobalt blue of the sky fading into night. We came around a corner and there was a cafe with a yellow awning and I stopped in my tracks. I was IN my favorite Van Gogh painting, “Cafe Terrace at Night.” I’d waited my whole life to come stand in this city with my own two feet and FEEL it all in my own heart and it was exactly what I dreamed.

“Paris Cafe at Night” 8x10 will be available at @artatthepark on September 8-9! The show is free and I’ll have a whole booth of originals, prints, drawings and more! Mark your calendars and come say hi to me! @heritageparkgiftshop