On day 2 of our plein-air painting and photography workshop in Paris, we led our group to Notre Dame Cathedral, known for its flying buttress and gargoyles overlooking the city. Since our group had never been before, they visited inside the church and hiked up to the clock tower for amazing views of the city, while I kept everyone’s gear down below. I found a nice, quiet bench and had enough time to paint this view of the backside of the cathedral until everyone finished touring. The church is so complex, I focused in on this view of the nave with it’s stained glass windows and the tops of a couple of the flying buttress to simplify the scene for an 8×10 canvas.

If you would like to come along on one of our upcoming Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshops to

Santa Fe, NM Aug. 12 – 18 (see nikigulley.com/art-classes) or

 Tuscany, Italy Aug. 31 – Sept. 8 (visit nikigulley.com/artreks),