Colmar is in the eastern part of France, south of Strasbourg near the German and Swiss borders.

My daughter, who lives in Paris, visited Colmar. She was impressed with the beautiful scenery, especially the architecture of the half-timbered houses, and thought there was potential for one or more paintings.

As soon as I saw her photos, I knew I had to capture the images on canvas, and that the paintings would have to be large enough to do justice to the location. To me, the area was that of a storybook village. While working on the painting, I found myself wandering through the community, along the canal, smelling the flowers, observing the reflections in the canal, imagining myself in the rowboat, wondering what it would be like inside the homes, sitting on the tile rooftops watching life pass by and on and on. I had to regularly remind myself that this
place actually exits.

The setting is incredible…Franco-German residential architecture with a canal lined with trees and bushes, flowers, red tile-roofed buildings, etc. The beauty and serenity took over my imagination.

The painting style used is between impressionistic and representational. I wanted to create a personal sense of intimacy for the viewer, a feeling of belonging to the community, yet with enough detail to illustrate the unique architecture of Colmar.

View from the bridge on Rue Turenne over the river Lauch in the quarter called “La Petite Venise” in Colmar.