This post is about Paris, my favorite city in the world—and yes, I’m fully aware I’m in a long-term relationship with a place. I’ve gathered some of my paintings from over a decade to prove my obsession, complete with dramatic descriptions. It’s all about fantasy, mysterious love, and, naturally, its overly famous but still irresistible Eiffel Tower. What’s your favorite place? And if you’re an artist, do you paint it from pure imagination, or do you secretly rely on references and then pretend it was all in your head? Please share your experience so I know I’m not the only one hopelessly in love with a city.

Paris fantasy. Flying above the clouds

Fantasy, soaring above the clouds in impressionist style—because apparently, we can’t wait for airplanes that actually work yet! 😄 Why bother with gravity-defying metal tubes when your dreams come with a free upgrades package? I fly a lot (yes, I enjoy the mediocre airline pretzels), and I absolutely love staring at clouds from below—whether I’m grounded or awkwardly pressed against a tiny window at 35,000 feet.

Paris, pink sunset near the Eiffel tower

#Paris on a summer evening. A gentle pink sunset and lanterns.
An interesting fact about the #EiffelTower is that most marriage proposals by lovers are made on or near the Eiffel Tower.

Paris. Bridge

I painted this from my summer photos, but mostly from memory (because apparently my brain has better graphic design software than Photoshop). In the evening, when the contrast hits just right—the water’s gone all moody and dark, the city’s basically invisible on my end, but the sky’s still showing off in hot pink—add some dramatic storm clouds above the city, and boom! You’ve got visual drama that even soap operas can’t compete with.

Paris. Door between Worlds. Surrealism

This is one of my favorite paintings Paris. Door between Worlds. Surrealism

“The most beautiful things we can experience are the mysterious.” —Albert Einstein (who clearly never saw Twitter comment sections).

Ten years ago in Paris, I spotted a group of people dressed in full 19th-century cosplay—sorry, I meant “authentic period clothing”—for a fancy party. What absolutely floored me wasn’t just their fancy getups, but the fact that they actually talked to each other without checking their phones every 2.3 seconds! Revolutionary concept, right? They gave each other their undivided attention like civilization hadn’t completely collapsed. It hit me then: in our hyper-speed modern life, we’ve basically become professional phone-checkers who occasionally remember how to have actual conversations.

The painting features an imaginary door adorned with a fabulous floral plume of daisy petals (very extra, I know) that opens into another world—a parallel reality of times gone by. Because curious minds are stubborn that way; they’ll always find the door, the window, or the slightly ajar trapdoor to peek into alternative universes.

So here’s the existential menu: How did people actually live in previous centuries? What’s our future going to look like? And most importantly, where’s that door we can sneak through to glimpse other realities? These are the burning questions that keep artists awake at 3 AM instead of sleeping like normal people.

Eiffel Tower in Red

Here’s a fun fact about the Eiffel Tower: it’s basically the world’s fanciest engagement prop. Most lovers end up popping the question on it (or at least within selfie distance). So now you know exactly where to take your boyfriend or girlfriend on vacation if you want to gently nudge them toward daydreams of a shared future, overflowing with love! Just be warned: it can be windy, freezing, and absolutely packed with tourists—so your big romantic moment may come with chattering teeth, photobombers, and a lot of “Excuse me, can you move a little to the left?”

Rainy Paris Eiffel tower

Rainy Paris and its romantic streets with the Eiffel Tower patiently waiting in the distance (possibly hoping someone remembered they existed).

Rainy Paris—where the drizzle is basically a character in its own right.

When I was painting this painting, I was simultaneously reading Ernest Hemingway’s ‘Moveable Feast’ (multitasking at its finest!). We lived through our one-week Christmas-New Year vacation near the Eiffel Tower—you know, that modest little structure that basically announces “You’re definitely in Paris!” from literally every street corner. Every café, every crossroad, every suspicious alleyway screams Eiffel tower It was cold and slushy (Paris in winter: beautiful but absolutely freezing!), yet somehow the city was stunning anyway. Who knew misery could be so photogenic?

Christmas window in Paris

Christmas window in Paris featuring the star of the show: a very judgmental cat.

We attended a Dali exhibition at the Pompidou Centre while standing in what felt like an eternal line to enter the museum. But the wait was worth it! The view of Paris was absolutely spellbinding. For a magical moment, I just wanted to be that little cat sitting in a warm room, surrounded by the sweet smell of a chocolate Christmas tree, admiring the Parisian winter from a cozy windowsill. Paris, you are officially my dream destination!

Romantic Paris Notre Dame on the island de la Cite 

5 in 1—because one painting is never enough when you’re having this much fun!

Our magnificent Seine River boat cruise revealed a completely different Paris—the one you’ll never discover by just walking around like a confused tourist! We hit all the greatest hits: Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower (again!), the d’Orsay Museum, and the Louvre. Then there’s Pont de l’Archevêché (Archbishop’s Bridge), connecting Notre-Dame’s backside (Île de la Cité) to the Latin Quarter. Plot twist: This is actually the “real” lovers’ bridge, covered in thousands of locks—way more romantic than you’d think for a bridge that’s literally about locks!

I painted this as Modular Art (fancy term for “polyptych”), which is basically one image split into five fabulous sections. Fun historical fact: Ancient Greece and Rome were doing this modular thing in their homes way back when—so we’re basically time-traveling with art here! The brilliant part? All five sections share one cohesive storyline, color scheme, and painting method, creating this trippy effect where the image feels alive and three-dimensional. This creates visual movement that makes your brain do backflips! It’s basically interior design’s way of saying, “Hey, I’m modern and exclusive!” You can display all five sections together as one epic masterpiece, or separate them for five different mini-stories about the City of Love. Flexibility? We’ve got it!

Did you know the Eiffel Tower is one of the most popular spots on Earth for marriage proposals—and it’s all about the atmosphere and romance? We’re curious: what’s *your* favorite place in the world, and what made it such an unforgettable, artistic vacation for you—was it the architecture, the museums, the street art, the local crafts, or something totally unexpected?

Bon voyage! Until our next adventure (hopefully with better airport pretzels!) 😊

Artist’s toolkit for this magnificent creation: Watercolour (Charvin and Van Gogh brands—only the best!), Pastel GrayPas Expressionist, Derwent watercolour pencils, and Faber Castell artist pens. Paper: Strathmore Watercolour and Mixed Media albums. Size: 25×30 cm (because bigger is always better, but not always practical!).