A bit of fun to be in the pre-Xmas mood… I used the wet on wet technique(wetting the paper first before applying the paint)to get the fluffy look and the soft fur effect.
Tag #watercolour
Classic red car.
Although I am not a car specialist, I love the look of classic old cars and they make a particularly interesting subject to paint because of their rounded shapes created by the light reflection.
I see these old cars really as big toys or art objects great to look at. They are related to a nostalgic distant past. This red one is inspired by one of the photos I took at the annual vintage car fair in Valbonne village. I chose to make a colourful shadow to match the striking aspect of this car and left the white background not to over-do the visual impact.
Cros de Cagnes,catamaran launching
Cycling along the coastal path, we stopped at Cros de Cagnes for a coffee just next to the sailing club. I love the small port there with its very friendly atmosphere. Sipping my cup of coffee and enjoying the warm autumnal sun rays… I watched two men launching their catamaran in the water. They both were wearing a bulky yellow life jacket and I was particularly attracted by the bright sunshine going through the sails making the overall scene vibrant with colours.
Mandelieu castle on the French Riviera
Can you see the wee man ?
I was walking along the beach in Mandelieu last week and the weather was amazingly bright. The Castle lies next to the water and there is a beautiful walk to do just underneath it.When the sea is rough you are most likely to be wet but last week was a perfect day. I saw a wee man sitting on the rocks listening to his mobile phone. I thought he was the perfect character to lead the eyes towards the middle and background. The rocks wind your gaze towards this point of focus.
The seductress…
My last post was a witch carved out of a pumpkin brewing a potion over a cauldron. Today I go for the opposite : a very charming lady from the 1920’s inspired by a vintage photo. I hope you will fall under her seductive spell !
Mistinguette- Moulin rouge – Paris
Inspired by a black and white vintage photo from “the Roaring Twenties “, I decided to make a colourful portrait and name it “Mistinguett”.
Starting in 1907, Mistinguette dropped the final ‘e’ and became Mistinguett ‘the woman with the divine legs.’ She performed the Apache Dance with Max Dearly in 1909 and then both created spectacular revues one after another for almost 30 years, with feathers, tinsel, glitter and chorus girls and boys. A concept which still rules at the Moulin Rouge!
Odiham village Hampshire
This is a very quaint village in Hampshire where I like to go to check a good art gallery with always on display, an interesting selection of watercolours from local artists. This particular house is right at the centre of the village opposite the church. I did not paint all the cars parked outside as they would have dampened somehow the vintage atmosphere of the scene.
A perfect French scene…
We were having coffee at “chez Christine” in Provence and a friend who joined us said : “look Agnès, wouldn’t that be a perfect scene for your sketches with two symbols of French country life, the 2CV and a cyclist in one go!” “Yes of course” I replied, all is missing is someone appearing with a baguette and wearing a béret !
Cannes “a two horse town”
I was in Cannes yesterday waiting for a train and had half an hour to kill. So I went to a square next to the Palais des festivals where the stars come for the film festival. This time the stars were 2 beautiful horses mounted by policemen having a drink in the local fountain square.I noticed that each horse was wearing at its rear a bag to prevent the manure to fall down on the pavement : I had never seen a horse”nappy” before!
Market day in Valbonne today
While waiting to meet my friends at the market this morning, I drew this scene from the benches next to the café in Valbonne square. I completed the drawings with colours at home as I did not have enough time to finish it off.The 4 standing characters where looking intensively at something I could not see from where I was sitting; and the mother at the table came around and sat next to me to use the bench as a changing table for her baby ! Not the scene I wished to paint…
Hobby Sketcher 