Drawing at the Musee D' Orsay

When Bruce gets to have coffee and then draw, everybody is happy.  This was one of the happiest days of my life- really.  I'm pretty easy-going anyway, and so many days are fun for me.  I don't really need much.  That being said, this day will go down as one of the best.  The day started with breakfast at St. John's.  I packed my stuff up in my swiss bag (cappicola, chunk of cheese and a blood orange I had split into sections. I also have a new favorite gum- Orbits' "Mint Mohito".  My friend promises to make me one, but who knows if I'll ever see it. :) In the meantime this will have to suffice) and head out on the Rue de Bac (the street I favor going to the Louvre and D'Orsay).  I stop at a different cafe every day just to see as many as I can and order a double espresso.

When I arrive at the Musee D' Orsay, the line is light for a change- a nice change actually.  In my limited french I greet and ask for a ticket. As I go through the gate I am greeted with the huge Gerome self portrait bronze of him sculpting before going down the stairs. Once downstairs, I go right to the sculpture that I've been wanting to draw.  I've thinking of what angle would be best and settled at least for this first drawing from the front..  No one was there yet and so I took out my camera and shot a picture of Alexandre Clesinger's "Femme piquee par un serpent".

I got comfy and started drawing.  It was great no one was there yet. I was about the 30th person in line outside, but those people must have gone to the Impressionist sections.  In my new Sennelier sketchbook started mapping out the first drawing in my book- the first documenting of my stay here.
 As I built up the drawing, fixed the proportions, built the volume with value with my $1 mechanical pencil from Kroger's (the one cheap art supply I couldn't live without), people would stop in front of the sculpture unaware that I was trying to see it and others, particularly lots of german, french, and dutch kids would come over really close and be saying things in their respective languages and look at me all excited, smile and say in english, "You're really good!" It was really funny, and, in part, because I had my coffee and was drawing, you see. lol.
  Several girls sat right beside me and were making all sorts of comments. I was trying to work on the torso, but there were a group of people right in front of what I was trying to see. I worked on shading some other areas to occupy my time.  The people moved away, clearing my view, and as I worked on the breasts of the sculpture the Belgian girls continued talking in french and, in the midst of their conversation,  the english word, "nipple" came out and they all giggled.  I looked up and chuckled and they looked over and saw it was okay to talk to me. They started talking in english and were quick to tell me how beautiful it was.  We started talking and they told me they were Belgian and on a high school trip to Paris for the first time.  They asked me where I was from and I told them.  They said, "America?" and asked where.  I told them I was a professor and they asked, "High school or university?"  They really talked a lot.  We got on to cycling and I said I was a huge Andy Schleck fan and one girl said, "Fabian is cuter."
  They asked if they could take a pic and then they offered to take a pic of me working, which I had never thought to ask, but wanted some for this post.

Just then a security guard came over and said,"No pictures" and the girls promptly handed my camera back to me. We talked some more and became Facebook friends (as if that was ever in question) and they left.  I worked on it some more before a couple came over and they too, were from Belgium.  The man asked me if I would take 100 EURO for the drawing.  I was shocked.  That was pretty cool, I thanked them, but declined saying it was my first one, I wasn't done even, plus, it was in my brand new sketchbook.  We talked for several minutes and they too left.  I worked up the drawing some more and realized my butt was asleep from sitting for two hours.  The security guard commented on my drawing saying how much it looked like some of the artist drawings in the room. Here's where I stopped.

After several minutes, I got up and went into the room of Bouguereau's and pulled out my camera to see the pics the Belgian girls had taken of me.  He walked into the room and I'm holding my camera.  I think, great now I'm busted. He thinks I'm trying to take a picture.  He came closer and said, "If you wanna take a couple of quick pics in here for your work go ahead, but no flash, and only a few. " This guy is my favorite security guard ever. Here are some updates from the room.......

So I walked through and looked at the work again for the third time, staying in front of some paintings longer than before and moving quickly past (or avoiding altogether) other paintings.  I went to get some lunch.  I went outside and got a second double espresso. (Do I really need a pic of that one?) and went over to the cafe, Les Deux Musees, beside the D'Orsay and grabbed a ham and cheese panini.

I bought a book at the D' Orsay bookshop called, "Reconsidering Gerome".  I was just flipping through it, not reading it.  It was so bright outside I could barely see the words.  I put in my bag and took some bites of my sandwich.  I've been listening to Paul Dean's amazing clarinet works by Mozart.  I have nearly worn it out.  So it was great, when, sitting on the D' Orsay stairs listened to this guy playing while I ate.