Eye Prefer Paris is an ex-New Yorker's insider's guide to Paris. Richard Nahem writes his blog from his fabulous 18th century apartment in the fashionable Marais district of Paris
I am taking a blogging break this week and have asked friends to write guest posts for Eye Prefer Paris during my absence. Today Meredith Mullins is writing about a very special show of her photos.
Welcome back to “In A Paris Moment,” a photography exhibit by Meredith Mullins, where Eye Prefer Paris readers are being given an exclusive preview of the images.
Today, we look at the two remaining themes of the show—the graceful and gravity defying artistry of Paris circuses and the magic of free-spirited children at the Atelier des Lumières as they dance with their shadowed selves and discover creative ways to enter magical dimensions.
Meredith’s exhibit, “In A Paris Moment,” will be at the Pacific Grove Art Center in Pacific Grove, California from July 2 through August 26. The exhibit will also be online beginning July 9, so that lovers of Paris everywhere can enjoy the photographs. To see more of Meredith’s work, visit www.meredithmullins.artspan.com and, for purchase information, contact her directly at meredithmullins@earthlink.net.
I am taking a blogging break this week and have asked friends to write guest posts for Eye Prefer Paris during my absence. Today and this coming Thursday, Meredith Mullins is writing about a very special show of her photos.
How do you choose the most powerful images from the past eight years of your visual life? How do you tell a story so that people can see and feel what seized your senses and made you stop to capture that moment in time?
It is not an easy task.
I have been given the honor of a solo exhibit in California in July and August. After deciding the show would center on my Paris life, I faced the challenge of choosing 70 images from the thousands of photographs I have taken over the past years.
Since we were still in a pandemically confined rhythm in Paris throughout the spring (no cafés, no museums, no nonessential travel), I had endless time to take a visual journey through this world of “decisive moments.” It was rewarding to reminisce. And without planning or intent, four themes emerged.
During Richard’s vacation this week, he has given me the opportunity to provide Eye Prefer Paris readers with an exclusive preview of some of the work.
Today, you’ll see two of the themes. Paris snow—rare, silent, and fleeting—and the secrets of the streets, with unending unfolding stories. Stay tuned for the next post to view the remaining two themes.
Meredith’s exhibit, “In A Paris Moment,” will be at the Pacific Grove Art Center in Pacific Grove, California from July 2 through August 26. The exhibit will also be online beginning July 9, so that lovers of Paris everywhere can enjoy the photographs. To see more of Meredith’s work, visit www.meredithmullins.artspan.com and, for purchase information, contact her directly at meredithmullins@earthlink.net.
Right about now, I would —in a perfect world—be getting ready for my favorite Paris circus. The Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain is a popular juried show of young international performers who entertain a wildly energetic crowd for four days in late January/early February.
Sadly, we know that today’s world is anything but perfect. This year’s festival, like so many others, has been COVID cancelled.
I will miss the acrobats, jugglers, rope climbers, aerialists, diabolo artists, cyr and hoop whirlers—all moving their bodies in mind-bending feats of grace and strength and making leaps of faith that take our breath away.
To remind myself of the elegance of these fit and fearless performers, I spent some time with my photos from the 2020 festival. Their talent lingers in memory.
I will hope for a more perfect world next year . . . and am putting January 27–30, 2022 on my calendar for the next Cirque de Demain.
(You can also see some of the 2020 performances on Arte.)
Étretat has long been home to artists who are seeking the beauty of the sea as it meets the rugged coast of weather-etched cliffs.Monet, Delacroix, Courbet, Boudin, Manet, Polenov, and Corot all found a voice here.
For me, too, the sea calls. As do the sunsets, the natural rock formations, and the large-pebbled beach, where your feet sink into the clinking stones and make you sound like you’re on a chain gang.
I am not normally a landscape/seascape photographer, but Étretat’s power is magnetic. The sunsets seem to last forever. The sky expands. The cliffs glow.
I still managed a bit of street photography, since there was a playground right below my apartment window, but on this visit, as always, the land and sea stole my heart.
Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and Bonjour Paris. Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com, in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment, or in this issue of DESTIG magazine. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net.
I am happy to have the prolific author John Baxter as my guest on A Bite of Paris. John has written many books about Paris including The Most Beautiful Walk in World, We’ll Always Have Paris, and books about the neighborhoods of Paris. Montmartre, Saint Germain des Pres, and Montmartre. John has also written two books about food in France, The Perfect Meal and Eating Eternity.
John and I had coffee outdoors at the pastry shop and café, Gerard Mulot, in Saint Germain des Pres.
The spring nights during corona confinement and the first precious days of deconfinement offered a rare view of Paris—one of silence and solitude.
We were limited in our wandering, so the universe was a new adventure . . . inevitably more beautiful than our memories of the past. Every moment a treasure.
Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer forOIC Moments and Bonjour Paris. Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com, in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment, or in this month’s issue of DESTIG magazine. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net.
When you live in Paris—in the world of croissants, baguettes, Berthillon ice cream, wine, macarons, and fois gras (I could go on)—a cleanse every now and then is a good idea.
For this, I go to Lake Constance in Germany (also called Lake Bodensee). The Buchinger-Wilhelmi clinic is a place to restore the body, as well as the mind. The fasting experience changes all perspectives, especially after Day 5 (the day of enlightenment, as some say). For me, this happens. An incredible lightness of being. And the expansive views of clouds and lake, as well as the intimate connection to nature take on a whole new meaning.
(For more info on the clinic, click here(and mention Meredith’s name if you reserve).
Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer forOIC Momentsand Bonjour Paris. Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com, in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment, or in this month’s issue ofDESTIGmagazine. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. A newCreative Photographycourse begins November 4. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net.
In my latest A Bite of Paris video, I've taken a break from food tasting to visit my friend Jessica at La Vaissellerie, my favorite tabletop, dish ware, and kitchen shop, located in the Marais.
Please remember to hit the LIKE button if you like it and SUBSCRIBE button to subscribe to my channel.
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
While Parisians are in their summer country homes or on the Riviera and Normandy/Brittany coasts living impressionism in real life or in Paris enjoying the relatively empty August streets, I find myself on the Monterey Peninsula in California (of Big Little Lies fame). It was my home before Paris and a place where I breathe in the fresh cool air during the summer months to get away from the Paris heat and tourist crowds.
I am, of course, drawn to the sea . . . particularly the strange creatures of this “other” world. I spend hours with these creatures at the Monterey aquarium, where the jellies, especially, are mesmerizing. Their bodies can be umbrellas, pulsating gooseberries, Japanese lanterns, UFOs, exploding fireworks, gyrating plants, or lacy eruptions. They dangle graceful ribbons or threads of tentacles that look like minimalist paintings or Christian Lacroix dance costumes.
Everyone sees them differently, and, if you listen to the comments of the multi-national onlookers, it is clear that these free floaters inspire the imagination in wonderful ways.
Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer forOIC Momentsand Bonjour Paris. Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com, in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment, or in this month’s issue of DESTIGmagazine. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. A new Exploring Paris Through the Lens course begins September 17. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net
If you love salted butter caramels, please watch my newest A Bite of Parisvideo about Henri Le Roux, the man who actually invented the salted butter caramel.
Please remember to hit the LIKE button if you like it and SUBSCRIBE button to subscribe to my channel.
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
It’s June in Paris. And, as they say, “If you don’t like the Paris weather, wait five minutes.”
We’ve had rain delays at Roland Garros, gusty winds that blow our umbrellas outside in, and surprise downpours that drench our clothes to the core (or send us to huddle under the closest café awning in the hope that’s it’s just a quick passing cloud).
Is there a silver lining to this month of unpredictable weather? Mais oui. The amazing clouds that are floating above us.
Ever since I became a member of the Cloud Appreciation Society (literally and metaphorically), I stop on a bridge every time I cross the Seine to look up at the clouds (or in an open space in any country for that matter).
The sky is an endless canvas. The shapes, the light, the color—all inspire flights of imagination, just as they did when we were kids.
As the founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society says, “Cloudwatching legitimizes doing nothing.”
And that, combined with imaginative daydreaming, is good for the soul.
For more on cloud watching, take a look at Meredith’s story at OIC Moments.
Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer forOIC Momentsand Bonjour Paris. Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net
August in Paris- My Marais Apartment for Rent August 16 to August 29
I am renting my Marais loft from August 16 to August 29 (Dates are flexible). Contrary to popular myth that Paris is closed in August, most shops, restaurants, and attractions are open in Paris, especially in the Marais. The weather is usually beautiful, temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s Fahrenheit during the day, dropping into the mid 60s at night. In case in gets warmer, I have an air conditioner in the bedroom and a large fan in the living area.
Minimum rental period is 7 days/one week, price 1500€ for 7 days/one week, 2900€ for 14 days/2 weeks.
Conveniently located by the Saint Paul metro, in the heart of the Marais, the apartment is a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loftwith 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S. The apartment is located on the second floor with a large elevator
If you love salted butter caramels, please watch my newest A Bite of Parisvideo about Henri Le Roux, the man who actually invented the salted butter caramel.
Children seem to easily find their free spirit. They are quick to fall under the spell of music, color, and light. And there’s no place quite like the Ateliers des Lumières to see first-hand these moments of unrestrained soul.
In this darkened space, immersed in sound and images, children show their true colors. They dance. They jump through the moving lights on the floor. They meet their shadowed selves on the walls. They touch the walls as if they can’t wait to find a path into the projected world.
They let the magic surround them . . . and make us all want to set our spirits free.
A selection from Meredith's In Play series will be featured at the upcoming Paris Alumni Network Exhibit at the Galerie Maître Albert (along with dramatic new work from her Le Cirque series). The PAN show also includes work from 14 other artists working in a variety of media. Gallery hours are from 11 am to 7 pm tous les jours from April 30 until May 11. The gallery is at 6 rue Maître Albert near Notre Dame.
Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and Bonjour Paris. Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you, my insiders, Paris.
Sometimes a travel adventure in sun and warmth calls out during the long Paris winter (although we must admit that the past few weeks in Paris have been surprisingly spring-like).
For me, India answers this travel adventure call with a full force of color and chaos—life on display in every street, river, and alley shadow. But amidst this sensory bombardment, I am always amazed to find a quiet-hearted, generous, patient people—with a joy, and often wisdom, in their eyes under the most challenging of circumstance.
What is their secret? We should all want to know.
For more of Meredith’s India Adventures, see her story on the Kumbh Mela.
Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and Bonjour Paris. Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net
Link Eye Like
Checkout this interesting story in the New York Times about transforming the Champs Elysees
If you haven't already seen my Eye Prefer Paris exhibit, it's on until March 31. Please note the exhibition is in two rooms in the lobby of the hotel, the bar and the library. Sometimes the library room doors are closed. Please open them to see entire exhibit.
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with 
