Paris Cafe George V Painting

-- I have always loved to walk to places. I would find as many ways as I could to stroll from one place to another even if I had to just move to the opposite sidewalk, just for a different and exciting new perspective. Later on, I majored in architecture and thought a lot about our cities, buildings and spaces and the way they induce us into using and interacting in certain ways. And that, in its hand, dictates - or at least hints - our perception and feelings. That fascinates me. Through my paintings I explore the memories and feelings connected to these spaces and the people that were a part of that unique moment in time, sharing and interacting, like co-creators of my own life. This painting was born after a client asked me to paint a view of the Champs-Elysees with the Triumphal Arc. His memories were also connected with the George V Hotel and his daughters and he had a special collection of paintings depicting a similar view of Paris and its cafes. I created the special painting for him and his memories and after he took his painting, I was left with this almost imaginary place in my mind that was created for this commission but that I also fell in love with and it wanted to keep going. There was more to tell. So it happened.