sunflowers come home

Well we are back here at last. Spent most of the journey home thinking about my next painting. can't wait to get some available time. Meanwhile the sunflowers are sitting in the kitchen in their packing. I can't bring myself to unpack it yet, just in case it looks all wrong here.

a perfect day

Difused sunlight through the skylight. Jonathan developing in his dark room to the sound of english songs playing on french radio. I am thinking of all the knowledge that Gary shared with me during my painting lessons. We went to Bezier and bought a tube of his secret colour which I am putting to good use as I push and pull the paint around the canvas, large paint brush in one hand, turpsy cloth in the other.
Found the time to get my paperwork together and have applied for the christmas exhibition.

Tending my picture garden

Each morning I go down to the studio to work on my paintings. Some need a little bit more light, some a bit more shade. The placement of colour within the frame needs to be considered with care. Balance and form must be continually reviewed. Sometimes I find a really delightful patch when viewed in isolation but it is growing in completely the wrong place and needs to be ruthlessly removed. Time and patience are sometimes all that is needed. Sometimes is all seems a bit disjointed and I wonder if all is lost. They suddenly that ilusive moment arrives when it turns from a project into a work of art. Nothing left to do but sign it, sit back and enjoy.

In search of the magic colour.

No time for painting today as too busy expanding my every growing studio stuff. I have been introduced to a really magic colour by Gary while having my art lessons. Just couldn't move on with the painting without it so we have driven to the amazing art shop in Bezier just to buy a tube of it. While we were there Jonathan decided that I should have a wooden box for my tubes of paint, another easel, and some more paint brushes.( you can never have enough paint brushes. The weather is so hot today that we ate lunch outside at a Guingette, (cafe by the side of the canal)then walked along the canal enjoying the sunshine.
Four paintings on the go now; three oil paintings and one Acrylic. what fun I am having here practising all of my new painting skills. I am missing my arty Friend Cherry and look forward to the summer exhibitions in England. It seems that Cherry will have some interesting skills to teach me as she has advise coming on how to display her work effectively. Very practical.

The magic of oil

At last I have taken the plunge and started to paint with oil paint. Spent two days this week with Gary learning some tricks:Amazing.

Now I find that I need a few more easels as you need to let the painting cure for a few days so you start another one and then while this is resting you start another one. Thank goodness that I have the space to expand. No paintings to show yet as they are all "work in progress". I can say though that I am quite amazed at the results so far. Key words: large-abstract-yellow. Can't explain the yellow as I didn't think that I liked yellow.

The magic of oil

Bring on the light

Arrived here to find ourselves without electricity. Nobody to blame but ourselves as we had failed to notice that we had not been paying SNF for electricity.
they had failed to register us on the system so eighteen months later they decided to pull the plug. Took five days before the could reconnect us. The lovely thing was we really enjoyed sitting around the log fire,candle light and hot water bottles. Not so good was the cold showers and no internet. All back to normal now.