My wife and I made our first trip to Paris December of ’03. On our first day in Paris, we practically devoured the city – walking from one end to the other in our attempt to make sure we didn’t miss anything. It was cold and bone-chillingly damp – we froze our butts off. The Eiffel Tower was more awe-inspiring than I realized it would be. The upper platform of the tower was barely visible through the low-ceiling – it seemed to be reminding us of how tall it really was – the low ceiling that day emphasized it’s height. It was both beautiful and humbling. Cruising past the tower, we stumbled upon an antique carousel, it’s warm lights a seeming oasis in the cold. The contrasts of the image – the carousel against the Eiffel Tower struck me. Warmth and cold, light and dark, familiar and unfamiliar. There were people all around us – on the street, near the carousel – yet we felt like we were the only people in the world taking it all in. I knew I needed to capture those contrasts on canvas.