Ink and wash portrait study of Shirley MacLaine from my sketchbook; I tried to keep my pen onto the paper without lifting to keep the line going as in contour drawing, a fun exercise to do and very relaxing….
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The Hangar party (25th anniversary)
I went to the Summer party for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Hangar art centre in Chateauneuf de Grasse. It was a great party with friends and family . There was a very well organised buffet dinner as well as live music with Jo Bens Duo. The music was great and gave a very relaxed and festive atmosphere to the whole celebration. I hope to translate this warm evening with the special light effects done with watercolour.
As I won a beret as a Tombola prize…..I take my hat off to all the organizers !!!
Playing with texture.
I used a traditional watercolour paper and put on top some gesso. Once dried, I made the wood effect scratching the gesso and glazed over with watercolour.
The cauldron got the veined effect of the gesso too. It was a fun exercise to do and gesso as a base can be imprinted with any design to obtain a more textured painting.
From my sketchbook an unusual house in Québec
A unusual house in Tadoussac, Québec caught my attention. I had to paint it in my sketchbook. Normally Tadoussac is known as a tourist destination because of the rugged beauty of the Saguenay fjord and its facilities for whale watching. I was lucky enough to spot several whales in fact they were white ones called belugas. I could see their tummy coming out of the water just like white clouds popping over the waves. Very exciting but not easy to paint so I opted for a house instead…
Quebec City, Château Frontenac
During my recent holidays in Quebec, I visited the glorious Quebec city which is a real jewel with wonderful architecture and grand views and parks. Although several of Quebec City’s buildings are taller, the landmark hotel “château Frontenac” is perched atop a tall cape overlooking the Saint Laurent River affording a spectacular view for several kilometers. The building is the most prominent feature of the Quebec City skyline as seen from across the Saint Laurent. I took a picture of the whole building without too many people crossing the park. I just left 2 tourists on the right to invite you into the scene…
Juice box
This “Juice box” is a small business run by a young woman selling fresh fruit juice around Cannes and Nice. This picture is a commission from one of her relatives as a present. I hope I captured the joyful energy of this young lady offering a fruit juice to a cute little girl ! I am known to do paintings of old vintage car so this commission was very much in my comfort zone. I was very keen to paint such a beautifully renovated vintage French van !
Mary Poppins’ bag
Mary Poppins left her bag in the Hangar art centre during a watercolour class for the greatest pleasure of the students ! The bag and umbrella were put in the middle of a table with a white background. I added a bit of colour and texture to the foreground to contrast with the sleek and shiny leather effect of this vintage bag.
Cuppa at the hairdresser’s
From my sketchbook : The other day, at the hairdresser’s , while waiting for my hair to be done, I was given a nice cup of tea served in an interesting tea set : The teapot and the mug were catching my attention because of their colourful texture as well as the reflection of the handle in the wooden framed mirror. I took a picture for reference as I did not have my sketchbook with me.
Classic car the MG and its romantic story
This MG has a particular personal story for me as I was driven in it to the Town Hall first then to the church in a hilly Provençal village on my wedding day ! I did a painting of that particular church in my blog last year if you want to get the feeling of the place … At the time, the MG had a warm yellow ochre coat and later, after having been sold to a member of the family, was transformed with this beautiful British Racing Green colour which makes it even more appealing. I took a picture of it in the sunshine and you can see the reflection of the sun in the changing green tones. I like the effect of watercolour in its shadow still imbued with light. Doing that painting was a real travel in time for me and reminded me of a very happy event indeed…
Coffee grinder
I love the smell of fresh coffee beans being ground in an old coffee grinder like this one which reminds me of my childhood.
The appeal for this subject was to have different textures made with watercolour techniques like stipling for the ground coffee and the effect of old metal with its reflective characteristic.
Hobby Sketcher 