Light on the vines at La Madone in Roussillon, France, is my celebration of an amazing Painting Holiday with Adam Cope and new painting comrades. It was a Plein Air Painting week, but this third attempt at the subject was completed at home in my studio. Out of all the places I travelled in Europe this last September, the small village of Roussillon won my heart.
Light on the Vines 30″x40″ Oil on Canvas with Palette KnifeLight on the Vines, Oil on Canvas with palette knife, 30″x 40″
Have you ever had a dream so beautiful that it felt real…I did…and it was. Welcome to Part Eight, and the last stop, of my dreamy journey to France, Italy, and Spain! Now that we are back from our trip, I’ll be painting some of my favorite photos on a larger scale. More dreamy art to come!
Have you ever had a dream so beautiful that it felt real…I did…and it was. Welcome to Part Six of my dreamy journey to France, Italy, and Spain!
We stopped in Naples and skipped a tour of Pompeii to catch up with our friends. It was sooooo good to catch up and see their growing family. We did see a few historic places as well, but relished our time sharing pizzas, gelato, and chocolate pistachio cake.
Have you ever had a dream so beautiful that it felt real…I did…and it was. Welcome to Part Five of my dreamy journey to France, Italy, and Spain! In this next leg of the journey, my family joined me, and we hopped on a cruise to Italy and Spain. Our first stop was Genoa, where we toured the town on bikes. Some of our favorite points on our route were the Home of Christopher Columbus, Boccadasse Beach with boats and cafe’s and the Piazza De Ferrari fountain in the middle of the city.
This is me in front of the house of Christopher Columbus! Now I’m walking in the footsteps of Christopher Columbus. It’s so amazing that something this old exists and that we can fly across the world to visit it. Below is a watercolor sketch of the scene from Boccadasse Beach in Genoa, Italy, along with a quick study of the scene in oil.
Have you ever had a dream so beautiful that it felt real…I did…and it was. Welcome to Part Four of my dreamy ART journey to France, Italy, and Spain!
I spent seven days taking a painting course from Adam Cope at La Madone, with a group of artists from all over the world. Adam seeks to honor the deep, heartfelt artistic aspirations of his students, regardless of what level of painting they arrive with. You can find out more about his courses here.
We were a varied group culturally and artistically, which made it an extremely rich time for all of us. I like artists. We each had a story and culture that was different, but all had a creative soul we were there to explore. There was a lot of painting, eating, wine, and laughter during our time together. Besides the usual things like composition, color mixing, and color harmony, I learned about people, their countries, histories, and their stories. I learned some new Australian vocabulary, saw a one-man theatrical performance completely in the dark and all in French, and encountered some table manners that Americans don’t have, and don’t know we don’t have. I learned that I actually speak “American”, not “English”, and how to eat and greet the “French” way, and what kind of soap gets oil paint out of brushes the best. The scenery around me was stunningly beautiful, and the hearts of the people I met from Roussillon were even more so. I was extremely blessed by their hospitality and kindness.
The two paintings below are of the same scene. The top one, “Vines at La Madone,” was painted entirely outside in the bright sun. The entire palette was very dark because the light outside is much brighter than I was used to. Back home in my studio, I attempted the same scene again, “Light on the Vines,” using Adam’s suggested lighter palette with more muted tones. I love both paintings, but I think the one at the bottom is my favorite. Which one do you prefer?
The Vines of La Madone, Oil on Canvas Board, 12×16″
Light on the Vines, Oil on Canvas Board, 12×16″
While there, I got to visit the Okhra – Ecomusee de l’ocre. It used to be the former ochre factory in Roussillon, where natural pigments were extracted from sand and used for paint. Yes. I bought some paint there and perused an amazing selection of art books. The photos below are some of the plein air views I had to choose from at La Madone. Out of my bedroom window, I saw tall cypress trees and mountains, and out of my bathroom window, I saw a vineyard. Every direction I looked, I saw beauty.
Van Gogh is one of the artists I am greatly inspired by, both because of his bold use of color and brush strokes, but also because of his painful personal journey. I had one of those. In his story, one of his happiest periods of painting was in St. Remy, while he was in a mental hospital. When I visited there, I saw the olive trees he painted as well as the cafe at night in Arles, and felt more connected to him than ever. Starry Night was also inspired by the scene in Arles by the river.
The image above is from my Beautiful Star Painting and was inspired by Van Gogh, so I thought it was the perfect header for this post. I plan to paint some of these places myself soon, with my reference photos, but for now, here are a few pictures and a sketch from my visit.
While in St. Remy, I visited the hospital where Van Gogh voluntarily admitted himself in 1889. This was one of the highlights of my day in St. Remy. I got to stand and look at the same olive grove that actually inspired some of his work. He was fascinated by the continuously changing colors of the olive trees. The painting above is my own attempt to capture that dancing light and color, and was inspired by the same scene.
Have you ever had a dream so beautiful that it felt real…I did…and it was. Welcome to Part Two of my dreamy journey to France, Italy, and Spain!
On the second day, I visited Pont Du Gard and the hilltop villages of Roussillon, Les Baux, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, and Gordes. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. The food was delicious. The inspiration was priceless. I loved walking through the winding streets lined with both bustling shops and quiet sacred places to rest. I think Roussillon was the most beautiful, but the others each had their own individual charm.
I purchased a few lovely watercolors from an artist at the market in Roussillon. She is not online, but her name was Dominique. In Les Baux, I found a soap shop, and in Gordes, the highlight was actually an art exhibit of an amazing artist 2L. Her work speaks the language of life and healing to my soul, and stumbling into her free exhibition was the dessert of the day. Some other color-soaked highlights from the day are below.
It was a full day with very little downtime, but here is a humble offering from my sketchbook for this day.
Have you ever had a dream so beautiful that it felt real…I did…and it was. Welcome to Part One of my dreamy journey to France, Italy, and Spain!
My first stop was Avignon, France, where I soaked in the ornate medieval architecture and shaded streets full of shops, fountains, and this cute phone booth repurposed into a used book library. On a beautiful September afternoon, I walked to the immense Gothic Palace of the Popes and the famous Pont d’Avignon (Pont Saint-Bénézet) bridge. I loved the view from my hotel, the windows that actually opened, not needing air conditioning, the croissants, and the history around every corner.
This eight-foot-high wall separates our Airbnb property from our next-door neighbor, and the mural on it was about four years old. Here are some photos of the original mural from 2017.
#BolivarPlacePoppies, Coneflowers and Daisies on a Dark Blue backgroundAfter four years the paint faded and began chipping off.
Last weekend, spring and a three-day weekend beckoned me outside to revive it. Some of my favorite flowers are zinnias, coneflowers, and peonies, so I made them the stars of this show. The background of the wall was “Deep Water” from Valspar at Lowe’s, which is a beautiful dark aqua color. I also used several blues, reds, yellows, a pink, and white to mix my own colors and saved them in smaller jars. All the paint was exterior satin, and we did prime the wall first.
After the background color dried, I chalked out the large floral design and got started. This step was quick and easy as I could just erase chalk if needed with a wet paper towel and keep sketching.
The mural is actually in three sections because of a fenced patio we have, but the total width was about 20 feet, and it took me two days to complete the actual painting part. I love that this is my view from my art studio and that our upstairs guests can enjoy it as well. Happy Spring!
