#59 / Ancien Pont de Mallemort

#59 / Ancien Pont de Mallemort

The bridge which takes us over the Durance to Mallemort runs alongside this older one which is now closed for safety reasons - the planks of wood which form the road are twisted and cracked, so there is are three metre tall concrete walls blocking the way at either side of the river.

When I showed this painting in our village a few years ago, the Mayor kindly visited and told me the story of how he and his friends (in younger years) used to walk along the beams which ran along under the length of the bridge as a dare… reminds me of that scene in Saturday Night Fever…

There is a sign which for years confused me slightly. It reads Interdit de Fumer I always thought it meant that you weren’t allowed to smoke on the bridge which seemed rather unfair and a little over the top. That was until my better half pointed out that Fumer not only means ‘to smoke’, it also means ‘to manure’ (that’s obviously for the horses) so that gives you an idea of the age of the bridge.

#58 Glanum

#58 / Glanum

We've been twenty four hours without proper internet use so this is a day later than I had hoped... 

Glanum is a magical place tucked away in a ravine on the road from St. Rémy de Provence to Les Baux de Provence.

I have tried painting the remains of the Oppidum once before but that was after my son was born and I was a little distracted so I never got around to finishing it. Now I live in the same region as this historical site, I have no excuses. I have to say I struggled rather with this one. The tree behind the columns looks like it has been blasted for years by the mistral and I tried to give that impression. I used lots of palette knife work here but with the heat and the flies buzzing at me, I think I wobbled a few times! 

#57 / 'Red Beach' Santorini, Cyclades, Greece

#57 / 'Red Beach' Santorini, Cyclades, Greece

With the tense negotiations and a referendum due to take place in Greece on the future of their economy, I wanted to put some old paintings up which haven’t appeared yet on the internet (not that this is going to help them in any way… just to show that I am thinking of them)

We have been to the Cyclades a number of times on holiday and love it there, specifically Naxos and Santorini. The Tavernas, the Ouzeria, the sea, the people and the language with its soft plosives and melodic intonations make such a wonderful cocktail that draws one back time and time again. This is a painting of ‘Red Beach’ near Akrotiri (the site of a Minoan Bronze Age settlement buried under the detritus from the Theran volcanic eruption of 1500BC). It’s a strange place with black and red cliffs behind, dark volcanic ‘sand’ and plasticy umbrellas with matching sun loungers.

#55 / Stormy Skies over St Cannat

#55 / Stormy Skies over St Cannat

My better half is the lucky one in our relationship – she doesn’t drive. This inevitably means she sees far more of the everyday beauty which surrounds us (which I equally inevitably miss as she points it out to me a kilometer or two further down the road as the engine flies), from a multi-coloured arrangement of used oil tins in the backwoods of a Cycladic island to a double rainbow over the industrial district on the edge of the river Severn. This time we happened to be sitting in a 30-minute tailback, equating to a kilometer and a half in real-time, desperately trying to collect our son from school before the garderie shut up shop and he was left sitting in a car park, and so I was able to share in the simplicity of the colours and composition: the golden fields, the dark sap green forest of the horizon and the blue, blue sky. Apparently, this is what ‘Black Earth’ Russia, and the northern Black Sea coastal region is like, but unfortunately I have yet to get my visa…

#53 / Mont Saint Victoire

#53 / Mont Saint Victoire

Famously painted on many occasions by Cezanne, I can’t believe I’ve not painted this landmark before. It’s only forty minutes drive to find a good spot to set up your easel. That was my average commute across London when I was working there.

We were driving back from the Salon Cote Sud in Aix en Provence with troubled skies overhead when we stopped at Fruit and Veg stall to stock up on the last of the seasons Asparagus. I saw the view across the wheat field towards the Saint Victoire and the tracks leading off into the distance. It reminded me of some of the paintings of one of my favourite Russian artists, Ilya Repin.

#51/ Cucuron

 

#51/ Cucuron

This is a painting of the pond/water feature/lake at Cucuron. Some may remember the scene in ‘A Good Year’ where Russel Crowe and Marion Cotillard share a romantic moment over dinner by the étang at Cucuron. Well, this is where that scene is filmed. We have been there on a number of occasions for the weekly market, also to eat and to go to the annual fireworks display which is quite beautiful with the fireworks reflected in the lake.

This painting didn’t really come out as I had planned. I don’t know if this is the same for all artists, but to quote the late great BB King… ‘I always hear something in my head that doesn’t sound the same as what comes out of the guitar’. I often (always) feel the same about my painting. The painting I have in my head is never the same as the painting which appears on the canvas in front of me. Whether that is a good thing or not, I am not certain… it worked for BB King.

#50 / Le Pont du Gard

 

#50 / Le Pont du Gard

My first landmark as I reach a half-century! This is the Pont du Gard. Quite a drive from us, but worth it nonetheless. Our son took a school trip there last year and was allowed to go inside! I didn’t even know there was an inside…

It is an impressive feat of engineering and construction and anyone visiting the area should go and spend a day or half a day there.

I painted this sketchy representation in rather a rush on a burnt sienna ground and have left lots of it peeking through. I think it helps to boost the warmth in the naples yellow and give a warm glow to these sorts of images. 

#48 / Capri

I (shock, horror!) have never actually been to Capri, but since becoming a fan of John Singer Sargent’s paintings, I have always wanted to go there to paint. My grandfather and my ‘step’ grandmother used to go to Capri for holidays and I have recently seen photographs of them in various parts of Capri looking happy and relaxed.

So this is a borrowed image, (actually and perhaps rather strangely from one of Egon Ronay’s recipe books!). One day I hope to paint the scene in situ…

#47 Chapel, Oppede Le Vieux

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#47 Chapel, Oppede Le Vieux

This fantastic chapel which is no longer used is like a time capsule. I’ve written before about the history of Oppede Le Vieux. This chapel is half way up the path which leads to the church at the top of the hill. If you peek through the keyhole at the right angle you can see the dusty pews, some knocked over, others still upright and patiently waiting for the congregation to come back again. All rather spooky...

#43 / ‘Le Pont D’Avignon’ (or) ‘Pont Saint Bénezet’

#43 / ‘Le Pont D’Avignon’ (or) ‘Pont Saint Bénezet’

Rather irritatingly I had the song ‘Sur le Pont D’Avignon’ running on loop in my head as I painted this… As far as I can remember it was one of the first songs we learnt in French at school in England with our wonderful French teacher, Mme Moir. Avignon is the administrative capital of the Vaucluse… as far as I know it is the only place you can exchange foreign currencies within a 40 mile radius!

Again I have John Singer Sargent’s paintings of Venice in mind whenever water and buildings come together. Here I’m trying to distance myself from getting caught up in detail and focus on broader areas of tone and colour only indicating architectural details with the least amount of detail I can get away with.

#42 / L'Isle sur la Sorgue

#42 / L’Isle Sur la Sorgue

This is a painting of one of the water wheels that are so famous in L’Isle Sur la Sorgue. It is the smallest of the paintings I have done in this series of ‘daily’ paintings. I’m using the same sized flat square-edged brushes I was using before, so each stroke appears larger than in previous paintings and allows me a little more freedom to roam into slightly more abstract realms.

Each year there is an enormous Antiques fair here where eager tourists clamor to buy over-priced junk. Once we saw Richard E Grant walking through the melee. I’m certain he won’t have been seduced by the frankly criminal stall holders, as I believe he is a regular visitor to the South of France. One example of their nefarious activities we witnessed a couple of years ago was after we got a free ‘retro’ pastis glass when we bought a bottle of ‘51’ from the supermarket. We saw the same free retro pastis glass being sold by one of these crooks for €16! Just enough to buy the villain another bottle of pastis!

Moral of the story… go to the supermarket before you go out looking for antiques or you may end up buying something you would have got for free and you won’t even have the pleasure of drowning your sorrows in a bottle of 51…

#41 / Lac de la Grande Bastide

#41 / Lac de la Grande Bastide

This fishing lake (about 400 metres from our house) is a great spot for walks and BBQs – and of course fishing -  I nearly caught a Trout with my Hardy split cane rod last year but it is rather hard work for fly-fishermen with trees and people behind one and the mistral blowing from time to time. The flies end up decorating the branches of all the surrounding trees like tiny, shiny reminders of one's incompetence and the local fishermen with their spinners and lead weights all stare in bewildered awe as the crazy Eeengleeshman struggles to unwrap himself from his line and yet another aborted cast…

#39 / Through the bedroom window

#39 / Through the bedroom window

I found this quite challenging… It is a view east along the mountain from the upstairs bedroom window. The afternoon sun was shining directly onto the trees and mountain bleaching out all the colours and because there were virtually no shadows in the trees, it was hard to define one from another.
Whenever there is a cyprus tree in a landscape, I start thinking of all the Van Gogh paintings with those wonderful contorted shapes and bold painting... 

#38 / Walk through the forest

#38 / Walk through the Forest

There is rather a back-log of paintings piling up in the behind my easel as I’ve struggled to connect to the internet from home over the past week. Here is my painting from today – later (fingers crossed) this afternoon I will post yesterdays painting…

Behind our house we have an enormous pine forest which forms part of the Parc National du Luberon and tumbles down a gentle slope from the foot of the mountain to the back of our property. The Luberon is laced with routes for walkers and we are lucky enough to be able to walk from our house along the road one hundred metres, turn north towards the mountain and join one of the many paths that take walkers through forest, mountain and glade.

This is a view of the Petit Luberon from half way along the path from our house to the mountain.

#37 / Notre Dame de la Garde

#37 / Notre Dame de la Garde

This a view of the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde presiding over the city of Marseilles early in the morning as we were on the way to the fish market at the Vieux Port. The morning light catches the golden statue of the Virgin Mary on the top of the bell tower and shines brightly against the sky. The HLM below picks up the orange glow of the sun and the colours unite both the religious and secular in the warm glow of the Mediterranean sun.

#35 / Picnic in the Luberon

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#35 / Picnic in the Luberon

Yesterday we took our son out for a picnic in the forest behind his school. It is the starting point for the school’s randonnées in the Luberon which they take every few weeks during the spring/summer months.

Again I scraped the oil paint onto the poorly pre prepared canvas having not had time to prepare the surface properly myself, became very frustrated and ran out of time as we needed to take our son back to school for the afternoon. So this painting was finished in the studio. I hope that it gives the impression of the deep shadows, rich greens and bright Mediterranean sky…

#23 / View from the driveway

 

#23 / View from the driveway

The first time I’ve painted the view from outside on our driveway. The odd shaped tree reminds me of a kitchen tap and always catches my attention.

It’s the last chance I have to paint the scene before all the leaves come back on the trees. The view is quite different during the long hot Summer months. We have a peripatetic flock of sheep that munches its way across the field. Among the sheep there are a number of goats with enormous pointed horns. They wear large bells around their necks the produce the clanging chimes so synonymous with Pagnol’s Provence (Manon des Sources etc…) All quite idyllic… (apart from the great thundering freight trains that lumber along the tracks at six every morning)

I’ll sit out again and paint the same scene when the angle of the sun changes and the leaves have all grown back.

#21 / Catalan Clouds

#21 / Catalan Clouds

I did a painting on Friday (#20) but couldn’t get it posted, so I shall post it during this week.

We are lucky enough to be (relatively) close to Spain to the West and also to Italy to the East. This is a painting of clouds over Cataluña, an area we have visited a number of times whilst we have been living in France and a fiercely proud region fighting for independence from Spain. We have practiced our ‘Adeo’s’ and are not quite sure if we should say ‘gratheeas’ or ‘graseeas’, still, they put up with our fumbling efforts and if all else fails we communicate in French as they are so used (particularly on the border between France and Cataluña) to French tourists booze cruising over the border and back again.

I tried to paint this mostly with a palate knife so that I didn’t get bogged down by detail, only being more precise with the shadows the clouds cast on the mountains and hills in the distance.

#11 / Oppede le Vieux

#11 / Oppede le Vieux

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This wonderful village, abandoned during the 19^th century is slowly being repopulated. Each time we go it seems that another building has been carefully and lovingly restored, but much of the village is still covered with the pervasive ivy which creeps up the walls, pulling at the stonework and pointing of the ruined houses like a destructive sloth.

This is the bell tower, through whose archway you have to pass to access the narrow, winding streets of the village.

I started this painting with John Singer Sergent’s painting of Palazzo Labia in my head and tried to stick to the loose brushwork and subtle indications of form, light and shadow that he so effectively uses to create the image. My painting doesn't quite reach the heights that Sargent's painting does, but I'll keep plugging away until I get there or thereabouts!