Cat Seto - Impressions of Paris: An Artist’s Sketchbook

FOR THE CITY OF LIGHT,
AND FOR NOLAN,
THE LIGHT OF MY CENTER

Portrait of Mom in
the botanical gardens
by Nolan Chu

CONTENTS

Ive seen you, beauty, and you belong to me now, whoever you are waiting for, and if I never see you again, I thought. You belong to me and all Paris belongs to me and I belong to this notebook and this pencil.ERNEST HEMINGWAY

My first visit to Paris happened late in life when I was feeling a bit creatively burned-out and thought a trip might provide some stress relief. I fell asleep with my head against the window of the taxi on the way into the city and awoke to an intimacy of color, architecture, and detail I had never known before. Little did I know when the taxi suddenly turned onto the Place de la Concorde, with my hands pressed against the glass, that I was beginning a transformative journey of curiosities and visual delights. And that I would be forever changed and connected to the city as an artist and designer.

PARIS

Four qualities define the essential properties of color: hue, intensity, value, and tint. Hue names the color, while intensity or saturation defines the depth of vividness. Value defines light and darkness, and tint is a calibration of how much value is attributed to a color.

Visiting Paris changed my color palette for life. Color resonates here in the only way it can in a city with such vast history and cultureit is not found on the surface but lifts up from within its surroundings. I had never experienced pockets of color in such a way as through the lacquered doors and storefronts framed by stone walls, glimmering lip colors of chic Parisiennes, or through the endless confections found through the citys patisseries and chocolatiers.

29-31 Rue Saint-Louis en Lle | 75004

Color is my day-long obsession, joy, and torment.

CLAUDE MONET

I am in vehement agreement, Mr. Monet, but with one addition... so is ice cream. Berthillon dominates the le Saint-Louis, where even city natives queue down the street for the ceremonious glaces. It was in this queue that I had many moments to spy the bins filled with their daily offerings. I tasted the pistache and poire. I can only explain that when you lay down a good oil or watercolor tint you can literally feel the purity of the color wash onto canvas. The artful glaces did just that to my mouth.

deconstructed ice cream bits:

pistache

citron vert

mandarine

cassis

melon

fraise

ananas

vanille

chocolat mendiant

caramel

chocolat noir

caramel

praline

pignons

moka caf

noix de coco

Boulevard Richard-Lenoir | 75011

This pop of turquoise brought such joy to my sketchbooks as I spent an afternoon wandering down Canal Saint-Martin. The many splendors and beautiful surprising bursts of color found in the city are so remarkable to methis could be any corner shop in the city.

Jardin du Luxembourg | 75006

Here is the most verdant and intimate fountain within the Luxembourg Gardens. It is dense and intimate, inspiring an interplay of green-dappled colors.

1 Rue de Furstemberg | 75006

Parisian storefronts are wonderful examples of contrast, as they are often painted in deep or bold layers of color. Some of my favorite types are simply black-and-white, but this combination can take on a dramatic effect, especially at night, when the shop glows from within.

The shops on Rue Caulaincourt | 75018

21 Rue Bonaparte | 75006

Perfumed. Pastel. Perfection. The Ladure macaron is always my last memory of Paris when I depart, as I hoard boxes of them in my suitcase. The macarons are displayed in chalky tones: bright like the citron and chocolate cherry and the more muted pistachio and spice.

111 Boulevard Beaumarchais | 75003

This bright little red Mini was the first thing that caught my eye when I visited Merci. It sits at the entrance and has become the loving mascot of this brilliant design concept shop. If you are a design and color nerd like I am, then you are sure to find delight in the bubblegum notebooks, rainbow-hued washi tape, and other paper goods.

I am always reminded of all the virtues of a Frenchwomans style, with these in particular: let your hair be au naturel, and the less product the better, EXCEPT for lipstick. The brighter the better.