Montmartre

We let our kids sleep in one morning and took our sketchbooks to this spot, a brief landing spot on an otherwise steep hill. Max and Amira joined a bit later, and everyone felt like a tourist attraction as people stopped to see what was being drawn.

This print is based on the watercolor Sammia did in her sketchbook that morning. What Sam loved about the buildings and the street is the modeling of the surface, worn down and repaired so many times over. The precise location is the corner of 9 Rue Ravignan in Paris. Four block woodcut, 18”x24” Printed on Rives BFK. Edition of 40.

The watercolor sketch: The print pulls the blues seen all over Paris, the brightness of the red lacquered wood, the cream of the stucco, and the texture of the cobblestone.

Tired Tourist

Let’s look fabulous, and see everything! A sweaty 20,000 steps later, maybe we understand why those other tourists are in sneakers and leggings. Sammia wanted to make it to the African market but instead we got lost on our hill, walking up and down the same many steps too many times. Then Adrian saw her, sitting with shoes that matched the door behind her, stole her picture and created this image. “Tue me vas pas en faire tout un forage” “Don’t make a big deal of it”. See the cat? He keeps adding those into his work! 16” x20” Linocut on Rives lightweight paper. Edition of 50.

Moulin Noir

Two windmills remain in Montmartre, the famous Moulin Rouge and another toward the top of the hill, the Blute-Fin. This is an imagined rendition of the the blute-fin, which was behind a high wall. The man is a professor of Adrian’s from his days at SMFA Tufts, and all the little Easter eggs are things we saw written along the streets in Paris.

Giverny

We took the train to Giverny to see Monet’s gardens per our daughter’s design (We spare you the story of the train ticket disaster). The gardens were as beautiful as the paintings inspired from them. Behind the Monet grounds are even more gardens and an Impressionist museum. French gardens feel far more ordered than the gardens I tend. This image tries to capture some of that order. In drawing this tree, Sammia found her marks for leaves taking the form of little hearts, and went with it, adding to the romance of an impressionist garden. 11'“x14” four layer woodblock print on Rives BFK white paper edition of 50.

Recette de Crepe

We knew we’d battle picky eaters while dining in Paris, but really the challenge was picking a spot while hangry after walking 10 miles. Creperies saved us on several occasions and put us back into happy spirits. We are honoring this simple pleasure with a beautiful bouquet of the ingredients for a chocolate and strawberry crepe.“Crepe Recipe Bouquet” consists of sugar cane, wheat grass, salt marsh grass, cocoa plant, strawberries, in a pitcher called milk and butter. 16” x 20” two layer woodblock print printed tan Rives BFK paper edition of 50.

Paris Cherry Blossoms

This piece is all fiction. We have yet to travel to a city with abundant cherry blossoms while they are in bloom. Street lamps, on the other hand were a sight we took in on repeat. Cherry blossoms are so beautifully connected to Japanese woodblock printmaking, pulling this piece together was irresistible. 8”x10” four layer woodblock print on Rives lightweight paper. Edition of 100.

We hope you enjoy the work we made inspired by this historic city. To encourage your own creative pursuits in new locations, we have created a small travel journal gift set with a few professional items:

• 120gsm Hahnemule sketchpad with a custom printed cover

• Red & Blue Caran d’Ache pencil

• Copic nib pen filled with sepia ink

• Black Sennelier ink filled brush pen

We handprinted the blue/green notebook with four Notre Dame gargoyles and three Parisian street lamps are handprinted on the cotton pouch to hold all your items.

With love, Sammia and Adrian