We have ended our third week at Atelier de la Rose. I played with new (to me) techniques and ideas.
I experimented with watercolors using multiple thin washes. In addition to a plein air watercolor of Chateau de Bonaguil I did some still lifes of objects in our garden. Sally Gaucheron, our hostess, keeps many found rusty farm implements, pots, pans, tools, and other things around the yard for artists to use as models. The old apple tree provides many wonderful windfalls for painting as well. I took advantage this week. It was great fun to play with lost and found edges. Sometimes the watercolor determines the edge for me.
We spent an afternoon at a small 11th century ruin of a church called St. Avit where I completed my first plein air oil painting. It was an interesting experience to take my pochade box with oils out into the field. Since I’ve learned to limit the use of water and simply wipe my brushes with paper towel to clean them, I don’t need much water and thin with oil. That means I can pack everything I need – canvas, brushes, paints, knives – into the box and only have to carry that and a tripod into the field. In the studio I painted an intimate scene of the tiny ferns growing on the church’s stones. They were on the dark side of the wall with the sun just lighting the tips. Please excuse the glare spots on the photos. The paintings are wet and we do not have ideal lighting in the studio for taking photos.
I returned to an old theme for another oil painting – the simple roses outside our studio. This time I used a palette knife and kept the painting loose. It is very different from painting with brushes and makes me use different parts of my brain.
Finally, here are a few of my sketches from the week. Click on an image to enlarge it.
Paul
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- Chateau du Bonaguil – Pencil
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- Pot – Pencil
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- Apples – Pencil
Travels With Picasso 
Hi Paul,
I really like what I’ve seen here, and tried to leave a comment, but was told by Word Press that my comment could not be posted. This happens every now and then with Word Press blogs. I like your willingness to experiment, to paint simple things like tiny ferns, roses and pots and pans. Keep up the good work, old friend.
George
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Thank you George. I have the same hiccup with WP sometimes.
Paul,
I love the latest paintings, Paul. The colors, the composition. The 3-dimentional quality is wonderful, too.
Beda
Thanks Beda. It’s a fun journey.
Exciting and different techniques for the paintings. So interesting to see the paintings in one sitting (post) and they are so very different but yet beautiful. Amazing work and I can see the change in your style that you have mentioned in the past. So cool!
Thanks. Yep I’m trying different things each day.
The roses are magnificent as is St. Avit. Such fun you are having!!
Thank you Lois. I’m enjoying oils more each day.
Hello out there. I very much like the Apples in Blue, they stand out, perhaps because apples in real life are not blue, nor are they so white. Anyway, they strike me as awesome, something attractive but I would not want to put that into my mouth. I also like the roses in the garden. What I do not understand however is what you apologized for: which glare spots on the photo? I found nothing that corresponded to that in the pixes.
Thanks. Blue apples aren’t meant to be eaten. 😉 The glare shows up as little white spots in the dark areas. I’m glad they didn’t detract from your viewing pleasure.
Plein air is it’s own challenge. I can hardly imagine doing oil painting in the field! I especially like your paintings of the ferns and the roses. Glad you’re having such a good time in France.
I’ve been reading regularly but don’t comment as much as I should.
Kate
Thanks Kate. I appreciate the comments any time you can in your own busy painting schedule.
Very nice work, Paul. I see an open quality to your work. I appreciate your prospective and note the care you give each subject. Bravo..
Thank you for the encouragement. As you are well aware in your writing, it’s a journey.