Inside Versailles

It took weeks to get the letter--special permission to sketch inside the château of Versailles! In August, I battled the massive crowds and made my way up to...that's right, you guessed it...the Hall of Mirrors...straight to the most difficult but most iconic space to draw.

I showed my letter to the guard, who read it many times and made several phone calls until finally, her boss arrived.  She granted me permission to set up my sketching stool INSIDE the cordoned off area at the end of the hall.  So feeling very self-conscious, I climbed over the barrier, sat down, looked up, and felt totally overwhelmed.

It took a long time to do these sketches, and it was so fatiguing, my brain was mush by the end of the day.  There was just so much visual information, not to mention the hundreds of people passing by my right ear.  Of course I couldn't pull out my paints (can't get watercolor on the silk!), so the sketches were painted later.

I'll post one today and the next one tomorrow...

Special permission to sketch inside Versailles, the Hall of Mirrors!