About a month ago a Paris-based blogger by the name of
Heather Stimmler-Hall published a post about a historic boutique selling
hand-made pastels in the heart of the Marais district. It’s called La Maison du Pastel, and rather
than repeat everything that Heather said, I’ll just give you the link! Secrets of Paris Blog
Despite the fact that I couldn’t draw a straight line
with a pastel (if, indeed, I could avoid dropping it on the floor), I just had to
visit this place. And I’m glad I
did! The colors were so deeply intense
and almost luminous that they took my breath away. I could almost hear them singing. Here, for example, is their range of
blues.
These pastels were first developed in 1720, and one Henri Roché built the business in the 1860s.
On the wall was a 75% reproduction of a painting (the
original is in New York) by one of their customers depicting a “standoff” with
another customer in the shop. Must see
if I can find more info about it!
And I found a very interesting 14-minute video about the
shop: "The Feel of Color" Please watch it for terrific insights into
the product, its history, its creation and its use. You will thank me! I loved this line “I would like each of my
paintings to carry good news, like the appearance of the dove announcing the
end of the flood.”
Of course, after seeing such beautiful craftsmanship,
one must come back down to earth - it helps to stop for a drink at the café right outside the door! Here’s the view from my table.
20, rue Rambuteau. Open only Thursday afternoons, 2-6. The proprietors, one of whom is a descendant
of founder Henri Roché and the other who was originally from the U.S., speak very fine English, so browsing and buying is very easy!
I might just have to become a pastelist in my old age.
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