HOMAGE TO NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL, PARIS 

A hidden treasure in Paris, this park is located just behind Notre Dame cathedral.   The charming park is ignored by most tourists, who cluster around the front entrance, with its famous 2-tower facade --- but it's a favorite Paris spot of mine. The view from the park shows the rear part of the cathedral, the portion most damaged during the fire of April, 2019, still being repaired.  The cathedral dates mostly from 1100s and 1200s.  The garden was established 1837-44 after riot-related destruction of some buildings.  The garden was later named Square Jean XXIII in honor of Pope John 23, pontiff 1958-63.  I had thought about painting there for some years but got serious during a TV interview-related visit in 2014.  I scoped out the site on Saturday July 24th, returned on a sunny Sunday to sketch the scene with the bench in chalk on an 11x14 inch board, then painted on-site Tuesday, 10:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m. I liked the effect of the pale, ethereal building looming over the shady park. I returned to the park, while passing through Paris, for a second on-site 11x14 painting on a cloudy day in 2017.  Both paintings are acrylic, with local soil from the site.