Tag #landscape

Marmots are coming out

Agnès McLaughlin Leave a comment

MarmotsMarmots painted in watercolour and pen brush in my watercolour sketchbook.

Marmots can be seen in our region in the Mercantour National Park, North of the French Riviera running along the border with Italy. Marmots typically live in burrows, and hibernate there through the winter. Burrows can be as deep as 7 meters (22 feet).

They generally begin hibernating in late September and survive entirely on their fat reserves accumulated during the Summer.

They emerge through the snow in April and early May (now), during which time there may be nothing to eat, and when they are especially vulnerable to predators..

Cagnes-sur-Mer : along the cycle track

Agnès McLaughlin 1 Comment

Cyclists Cagnes sur Mer

This is one of our favourite cycle tracks along la Côte d’Azur, from Antibes to Nice “Promenade des Anglais”. Here are cyclists stopped at Cagnes-sur-Mer in front of the boat which is permanently anchored on the beach . I changed its name and colour to make it more sunny as the weather was particularly beautiful and clear that day. Yes even in late Winter you can enjoy a great outdoor life. All you need is to wrap up well!

Oyster with pearl

Agnès McLaughlin Leave a comment

1516807748263This oyster was created from a painting of an old piece of wood. I was invited by an  artist friend to a painting class which took place in a very beautiful Hampshire (UK) village in the countryside.

The theme of the morning was to paint a piece of wood placed on a table in the middle of the room and every artist present could choose in which medium to paint the proposed still life. I chose watercolours.At the end of the session, I had a good look at the result and liked the colours but not the overall painting.I turned it upside down and suddenly I could see the shape of an oyster appearing… That was it …several hours later the oyster and its pearl were replacing the not so inspiring chunk of wood !

Wedding at a fairytale castle

Agnès McLaughlin 6 Comments

Mariage TJ

I had such fun painting this wedding portrait as the whole picture is like a fairytale.

I used 3 different pictures to obtain this landscape and put a lot of details in the middle ground to balance out the quiet foreground. I hope that this picture will be a great present to keep as a good memory of a fabulous day and most excitingly … I was there to witness the magic !

Brittany, the Odet River

Agnès McLaughlin Leave a comment

Riviere Odet

I was invited to a wedding last weekend in Brittany and the reception was taking place near the Odet River with its wonderful views. The weather was perfect and this gate between stone walls caught my eye as it created a beautiful contrast in shape and texture.

From a touristic point of view, the river runs past, or through, the towns of Bénodet, Combrit, Plomelin, Quimper, Ergué-Gabéric, Briec-de-l’Odet, Langolen, Coray,Trégourez, Leuhan and Saint-Goazec.

Seagull in Antibes

Agnès McLaughlin Leave a comment

seagull

A huge seagull looking at passers by at Antibes old town ramparts. The light was particularly warm giving this pinkish tone to the sea. I got a very close look and it did not seem to mind thankfully ! I know in general that seagulls can be quite aggressive specially if you happen to eat something..; All I had in hand was my mobile phone… not so appetizing!

Picnic with a view

Agnès McLaughlin Leave a comment

Saignon view2

Last night before sunset, we decided to have a picnic at the top of a hill near Gourdon village . The 3 little white triangles on the left next to the sea are the buildings shaped as boat sails, in Villeneuve-Loubet. As it was a particularly clear evening, we could see the coast of Corsica ! This sketch was done with a wash first and then I added some lines.