Rewind: Marielle Durand on drawing inside the French Parliament and around her Paris 13 neighborhood

The guest of my January Live Zoom was Marielle Durand, an artist, author and urban sketcher based in Paris.

Durand belongs to a very small group of artists who holds a special pass to draw inside the French Parliament, where she has been documenting political debates since October of 2022.

We talked about many things during our 75-minute conversation, from her red-and-blue sketches at the National Assembly, to how she juggles illustration commissions with self-initiated projects; how she pushes herself by experimenting with new tools or techniques; the pros and cons of working with publishers and her participation in the women’s art collective Le Cercle de L’Art.

A highlight of the Live Zoom was getting an exclusive sneak preview of Durand’s new book, "1 hour, 1 kilometer, 1 drawing: An escape in Paris 13", which will be released by Elytis Editions in March. It is a bilingual French and English edition that I can’t wait to add to my collection.

If you missed the Live Zoom or just upgraded your subscription to become a member, I hope you’ll make time to watch the recording.