December 1, 2014.

Back in 2002, I had the privilege of spending a semester abroad in France, where my days consisted of plein air drawing, watercolor painting and copious amounts of sketching, interspersed with art museums, castles and narrow cobblestone streets, and an endless supply of baguettes, fromage and pain chocolats. (Tough life, I know.) During the trip, I had the opportunity to draw and paint my fair share of French churches (or, les églises as they are called in French.) I was captivated by the monumental and imposing Chartres Cathedral and Notre Dame de Paris, but equally enchanted by the petite, humble chapels that stood at the center of each village. In fact, one of my favorites was a very modest yet strikingly simple l’église that stood at the top of a hill overlooking a tiny hamlet. I ended up completing a detailed drawing and painting of that church back in the studio, exaggerating the scale of the hill to emphasize the power this quaint church seemed to hold over the sleepy village below. I wish these images were larger, but alas, they were taken during the early days of digital photography. In any case, viewing these drawings rekindles in me the awe and reverence I once felt inside those ancient, stone sanctuaries.