Sheep and Village Perché

Today is Bastile Day here in France, or called La Fete Nationale, The National Celebration, so much celebration and fireworks tonight!

Sheep and Village Perché. Oil. £99. SOLD

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Sunset over the Luberon

Fields beneath the Luberon Hills

Unusual for these English eyes to see such a patchwork of fields; vinyards, lavender, olives. About 2 miles west of Apt. 

The painting today is evening time sitting outside the tent.

Sunset over the Luberon. Oil. £99. Purchase details click here
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Old Citroen Van

Old Citroen van. Oil. £99. SOLD

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I found this lovely old van while out cycling the lanes around where I live, the farmer was quite happy for me to sit and sketch it, it combines the sheddy and the old car thing which for some reason I quite like.   I could imagine one similar parked up outside my house!  

For those who are interested...

The Citroën H-series van was introduced in 1947, replacing the TUB model which had been in production since 1939. The success of the new design revolved around several revolutionary ideas. The vehicle was designed around the concept of le cube utile (the useful cube), and the combination of traction avant (front wheel drive) and monocoque (chassis-less) construction enabled the provision of a remarkably low floor line, something not even bettered by the modern Ford Transit.

Once ubiquitous, the numbers to be found active are now dwindling.

Wheatfield and Lavender

As I sit at the computer and organise to post this painting Jemma is sitting in the window waiting patiently for the morning 'Rush Hour'  to begin. We have heard the farmer lady down the lane opening the barn doors and getting her cows ready to walk past out house on their way to the fields, so it will soon begin. They are beautiful beasts.  When Jemima first discovered that we had this event happening every morning and evening in front of her house she was abit freaked by it and made a lot of noise, but now she accepts it as part of life in this new place and carefully watches them as they wander past.

Today's painting made in Provence again:

Wheatfield and Lavender. Oil. £99. Purchase details click here

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Vines Beneath the Luberon

Vines Beneath the Luberon. Oil. £99. Purchase Details click here
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Just down from the campsite I spent a couple of hours reading and sketching amongst the vinyards.

Old Citroën and Renault

While driving to find a suitable place to paint last week I came across these two old cars, such a shame to see them rotting away in the farmers yard, but they had finished their working life and were obviously beyond repair. So now they provide a worthy subject for any passing artist who has a fondness for old motors.

Old Citroen and Renault. Oil. £99, SOLD
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Lavender Lane

Lavender Lane. Oil. £99. Purchase details click here
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Back to painting the small paintings every day now, today's, made in the studio, is a typical view amongst the fields in Provence, quite a windy day too, perhaps the Mistral?  Just when I finished this Jemima began to pester me, think she realised I had finished and reckoned it was about time I showed her some attention. So we are back now from a long bike ride, well I rode she ran and she must be content now as she has collapsed on the floor and hasn't stopped panting yet!  Back to work for me then...

Lavender in the Luberon hills

Lavender in the Luberon Hills, Oil. £99. SOLD

Back now in the Limousin and getting sorted and unpacked and back to serious work!  The ten days camping on a farm in Provence was really good and I managed to get a lot of work done, although at times working was only possible if I got two things right; first I had to find something I wanted to paint and second, but equally as important, it had to be somewhere that Jemima and I could be in the shade for at least few hours!  

A typical day was; breakfast and a walk for Jemima, which included a wander around the campsite and 'good morning and have you anything I can scrounge to eat, cuz 'he' doesn't feed me enough'. Then off in the car to search out a suitable place to paint/shelter. Have lunch, either a picnic or something in a cafe/bar, and afterwards repeat the mornings programme, which following the latter lunch option was perhaps not as serious as it might have been. At the end of the afternoon it was fairly important to find somewhere for Jemima to cool off, fortunately there was a stream near the campsite and we usually ended up there, under the bridge where there was a small pool....

Market Day

So good that the markets still have that vibrancy and hustle and bustle, and people watching is so much more entertaining! There is an older lady in St Junien market who's there every week with a small table selling a few bits of her own produce, just torn bits of paper as price labels; a man selling rabbits beside his stall out of a cardboard box, the rabbits are loose but his old labrador does an excellent job of keeping them in order.

'Market Day' oil, 5"x7". SOLD

Next to the studio I have had a balcony built which looks out over the garden and lane which this lady walks her cows along on their way to the fields in the morning and back again in the evening, I love it.

Buttercups in 5 Acres

'Buttercups in 5 Acres'. Oil. 5"x7". Purchase details click here

This painting is made from a one of our favourite places to wander back in Sibford, the field has been planted with a wide variety of trees and shrubs and enjoys a stunning view over the valley between the Sibfords. There is also a good collection of wild flowers growing including Snakeshead Fratilleries, Irises, and many others including of course Buttercups (although it might be hard to stop them) But it has provided me with beautiful subject matter over the past few years. 

Back to France

So now we're back in France, I'm sorry for the long absence, over a month away...far too long!  But the exhibition in Sibford was a great success, slow to get going but in the end I was very pleased with the result. I even managed to finish 4 commissions while sitting there. So Jemima and I can continue to live the decadent life we have become accustomed to here in Petit Meynieux!

We noticed nothing much had changed, although the veg patch was full and had produced some lovely veggies thanks to Steffan over the road who I'd asked to splash some water about during hot weather, he must have done a good job, I have too many so will offer some to the neighbours, and along our morning walks there are several cherry trees just randomly growing on the side of the lane so I gather as many as I can carry to put with my cereal, not many make it home.

Yesterday Jemina had a special treat, we met up with Joy Ward who runs a dog training school nearby and is dog sitting 4 dogs plus her own. We arranged to meet up by the lake at Rochechouart and wander through the woodland behind it.  When Joy opened up the back of her van 5 dogs of all shapes and sizes came leaping out towards us, Jemima didn't know what to do, to wag her tail or scarper. She stood her ground and allowed herself to be checked out by each one before they all wandered off happily towards the woods. It was really good to see her with so many other dogs and to see how they all behaved with each other, I felt a little sorry for her when they all had to climb back van again, maybe I should get a friend for her??


Finally I managed to get some work done and this from an image back in Sibford, there seemed to be so many of the large oriental poppies around this year, fortunately they hung around for a while and weren't blown away this time.

'Summer Cottage' Oil on Board. 7"x5" £99. to purchase click here

Exhibition in Sibford

We returned to Sibford last Friday to get organised for the forthcoming exhibition in the Mission room in Sibford Gower.  We left at 5am Friday and drove for about 5 hours to Caen, stopping along the way a couple of times to stretch our legs. Jemima doesn't like car travel all that much and curls up in the corner of the seat almost hiding until it's all over. Kind of makes me feel a little cruel putting her through it all, I just hope its all worth it to her when she meets up with all her old friends and walks again along old familiar paths.

So lots to do and we'll be in the UK until the 3rd June. The Exhibition starts on the 14th May and runs for two weeks, open every day from 12 until 6pm. If you'd like to come to the Preview evening on the Friday 13th from 6pm, it would be great to see you...

Beside the Stream, Watercolour

until then...