Two good friends - both painters from Puerto Rico - visited Vicky and me in Paris during August of 2003. Our apartment, like most other apartments in Paris, had no air conditioning. That August was also the date of a record blistering heat wave that hit all of France. Though I grew up in Florida and have lived in the Caribbean, I have never experienced heat like that. Our guests agreed. The nights were miserable and sleepless. Before going to bed, we filled up the bathtubs with cold water for that inevitable 3 a.m. hour when it just got too unbearable. Every dayI went to BHV, the Parisian department store equivalent to Sears, in search of an electric fan. And every day they told me they were sold out and to come back tomorrow (they would not accept reserved, advanced payments.)
That heat wave killed thousands of people - most of whom were elderly people living alone. It was a sad event.
Of course, we did our best to entertain our house guests and the majority of the time they were with us we were on the road in other parts of France where the heat didn't seem to be as stifling. One day in Paris, while visiting the Jardin du Luxembourg during the heat wave, we took shelter in the cool shade and I painted some of the people retreating from the strong, midday sun.
- Subject Matter: Landscape
- Inventory Number: WC-2003-001
- Current Location: Artist's Residence
- Collections: Landscapes