A trip to Provence in 2013, two years later.

I had a very quick, but wonderful trip to Provence with mon chéri a few days ago. He spoiled me with lovely dinners and a lot of patience when I did some sketches. I tried to be as quick as I can with pencil and left the ink lines until the very end so I could change to some neater linework where necessary. In some sketches I went in directly with watercolor and added the pen line work afterwards..maybe you'll be able to notice that?

all sketches done in watercolor block, HP, 18X26cm.

This sketch took me the longest. It was the first one of our trip and I was still very careful in getting it "right". And mon chéri was ever so patient. I then decided, I can't spend all of our very short trip on such long sketching..so then I sped up in the sketching, trying to get down just a little ambiance of the trip.

..Provence 1 ..

 

 

..Provence 2..

 

I am a "corner" person. I love little corners or scenes, or little vignettes. So it is usually a little interesting corner or a large scene that attracts my eye.

..Provence 3..

  

The lavender fields are stunning, stunning, stunning and there is no way I can do justice to them..of course had to attempt a field against a backdrop of this lovely mas. There are so many paintings everywhere to be found in Provence, depicting the lavender fields and the olive groves..sadly, I found them all the same, interpreted in the same manner. It makes me even more reluctant to try and paint it. But of course..like all the other painters, I will paint it!

..Provence 4..

 

I am also fascinated by staircases and uneven walls, foliage growing out of nowhere, of which there is an abundance in the south.

..Provence 5..

 

A corner of the facade of Le mas de la Mateliére where we stayed.

..Provence 6..

 

The rooftops, the streetlamps, the worn walls, the trees blown by the mistral...the charm of La Provence.

..Provence 7..

It seems I always nobly get to Provence on these 'quick' trips. But I have decided this is it. No more "quick" trips when it comes to Provence. My next trip will be nothing shorter than 8 days. I will also plan better in terms of subject matter so as not to be all over the place. Also do real paintings, and not only sketches, so the oils will go along. Provence is filled with huge painting opportunities and so, my goal is to spend my time making full use of the opportunities. 

I cross posted this also on my own blog, Africantapestry and photos of my trip to La Vaucluse will soon be posted on Myfrenchkitchen.

à bientôt

Ronelle!

Dinner at Restaurant du Vieux Four, Crillon Le Brave

On Ronelle's last evening with us, we went out to dinner at the Restaurant Vieux Four in Crillon Le Brave.

Two sketches this time - one of the food and one of Sarah and Robyn who were sat opposite me on the terrace with their backs to Mont Ventoux and Bedoin.

My three courses comprised

• Duo de Chevre - tapenade at tomatoes cerise (Goat's Cheese with tapenade and cherry tomatoes)
• Filet de Loup Rot, creme au basilic (Fillet of Sea Bass and Basil Cream sauce) and
• Veloute d'Abricot Carimelise et son sorbet (Caramelisd apricot veloute with cherries, red currants and a red berry sorbet)

I switched between drawing the meal and sketching Sarah and Robyn - to comments as to how I might improve how they were looking!


We nearly got our departure just right as the heaven opened and rain began to plop in large drops just as we were getting up to leave. Fortunately it was on of those downpours which is heavy for a couple of minutes and then eases off

We scooted back to the car stopping en route - at Sarah's request - for a quick spot of night sketching

Landscapes and Ruins

Ochre Bluff - watercolour by Robyn Sinclair

I gasped when I saw it, thought I was back in The Alice. Then I tried to paint it and but it turned out like a great wedge of watermelon.

The Ruin - watercolour and pencil - by Robyn Sinclair

Now they're telling me it's time to eat again!

La Bianca and Me

I've hardly started my packing list but I've got my wheels!

Getting to our holiday house in Provence by train from Tuscany proved to be impossible. If I was going to get there at all I was going to have to drive. Problem was I didn't think the old Space Star would make it - she certainly wouldn't make it a pleasure. So...... La Bianca, a little diesel engined Fiat Cinquecento, has come into my life.

Now I'm feeling really confident about the drive - solo on the Autostrada and through all those horrible tunnels between Italy and France. First time! Well I'm feeling sort of confident.... almost....

Now I just have to work out how much art material I can squeeze into her dainty boot. And for those of you wondering, no, I'm not sure if Dermott (our Old English Sheepdog) is going to be able to squeeze into the back seat. But that's a question for another day because he's not coming to Provence, it's cats and girls only and apparently he prefers Italian food and he knows he'll get fed all sorts of junk treats while I'm away.

I'll be back with my packing list shortly.

My Art Materials - or why it's a good idea to take a car!

This is my checklist of art materials and equipment for drawing, sketching and painting in Provence.  It contains some top tips from people more experienced than me at painting plein air in oils.

I thought I might as well put it on the blog and then I can't lose it!  I'm bound to have forgotten stuff I need to take so this will keep being updated as I remember it!  Hopefully it will be complete before I set off on 9th June.

Now I know it looks like a lot but I am going to be in Provence for three weeks and this is a painting holiday not a sightseeing one.  Plus I've got six days of travelling there and back when I'll be fitting in sketches to break up the journey.

Plus I'm driving - and that's what I buy a decent sized car for - so I can take art materials on holiday!

Sketchbooks

• Moleskine sketchbooks (A3, A4 x 2, ordinary size)
• Moleskine watercolour sketchbook
• Panorama sketchbook?
  

Dry Media

Unison Pastel Sets at Walden Pond

• My complete sets of Unison Pastels - seen above during a plein air outing to Walden Pond in Massachusetts
• My Pastel Art Bin (more portable!)  So sad to see that they don't seem to be making these any more - I really like them.  However they won't take Unisons which is why I've always kept mine in their boxes.
• Lots and lots of coloured pencils + pencil wraps + pencil cases

Links:

• Pastels - Resources for Artists
• Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists

Paint

Water based media

• Schminke paintbox - if I can find it
• Gouache - but whose? / do my old tubes still work?
• Black brush roll and Brushes for watercolour / gouache

Oil paints

• W&N Griffin Alkyds (need to buy / including 200ml white / need to decide how these are best carried)
• W&N Liquin
• W&N Art Guard
• W&N Art Gel
• Brushes for Alkyds - to buy 
• Palette knives for Alkyds - to buy
• Cheap nutcrackers for if lids are hard to open (tip from Vivien Blackburn)
• Zest It
• Disposable Palette Pad
• Really Useful Boxes for paint tubes and other art media
• Baby oil to clean brushes and clothes!  (another tip from Vivien Blackburn)

I'm also looking at oil bars as maybe a half way house for me -see Winsor & Newton's page Artists' Oilbar - Oil Colour at your Fingertips

Paper and supports

• Pack of Arches sheets cut down to usable sizes
• Arches HP Block
• Ampersand Colorfix (Fix colourfix to mountboard?)
• Mountboard cut down to usable sizes (plus gesso? / plus watercolour ground?) 
• Oil Painting Pad (A3?)
• Baking Paper to cover wet paint (that tip was from Sarah) 
• Cling film to cover palette (that tip was from somebody else - I forget who) 
  

Links:  Paper and Non-Canvas Supports - Resources for Artists

Art Equipment

Me on my Phillips Chair - nearly 20 years ago
Sketching Pura Ulun Danu Bratan by Lake Bedugal in Bali
Check this gallery for the pastel painting completed at home

Various chairs and stools

I'm going to take different ones have different weight for different circumstances - plus we're a party!)

• Blacks Eurohike Compact Chair
• cheaper camping chair 
• Phillips De Luxe Folding Chair 
• Blacks Compact Stool (for sketching)
• RHS Kneeling Pad - for sitting on ground

Drawing boards and clips

• Different size sheets of 5mm foam core for drawing board 
• LOTS OF BULLDOG CLIPS (can you tell what I often forget?)

Easels and pochade boxes

• Box easel - probably not.  Buy a lightweight sketching easel instead?
• Pochade box instead of an easel? 
  
• Maybe a Julian?  (see Places to buy Pochade Boxes in the UK)
• Maybe a plastic clic box instead? (see Really Useful Boxes)

Vivien - who understands my problems with carrying too much weight / the need to maintain balance at all time (or else I fall over due to very dodgy feet!) - suggests I forget the pochade box and easel and use something lightweight as an alternative - she's now written up her advice in the email below as a proper post re what she takes on painting holidays

Consider as an alternative,  a simple plastic food box - the kind with clip sides is good.  That's what I took to Cornwall.  Though I took my easel I never actually used it!   I hand hold my work - you can use the lightweight board you use and clip your sketchpad and palette to it with bulldog clips.  The liquin and palette knives fit into the box as well.   Brushes in an old padded envelope rolled up.   Then baby oil and rags and tissues plus your oil paper sketchbook and it all fits into a lightweight rucksack.

Vivien Blackburn (Painting Prints & Stuff)

Painting media equipment

• baby oil and wet wipes - for cleaning up
• Masking tape
• roll of kitchen towel 

Pastels and Pencils media equipment

• Cornmeal for cleaning pastels
• Really Useful Boxes for keeping pastels I'm using in plus cornmeal to keep them clean (this is a Felicity House tip - see this post)
• Electric pencil sharpener (Yes / No / Maybe?) I do wish there was still a decent portable sharpener around with like my old Panasonic KP-4A
• Jakar battery powered erasers + small batteries + spare erasers - I'll probably pack three as I'd be distraught if I only packed one and lost it
• Tuff Stick (this is a tip from Dianna Ponting)

 Links:   

• Art Equipment - Resources for Artists
  
• Pastels and Pencils - Art Materials - Erasers
• Pastels and pencils - Art Materials - Pencil Sharpeners  
• Product Review: Really Useful Boxes (for art media and crafts) 
• Product Review: Jakar Battery Operated Eraser Pen

Camera etc

• Camera + charger
• two new SD cards
• spare batteries + charger
• Camcorder + charger + new SD card
• iPad + mains lead + USB cable + up to date software
• card reader
  

Venice shopping trolley
doubles as Artcart

Other essential equipment

• Sun Tan cream / sun block
• long sleeved shirt for if I'm in full sun
• insect repellent plus cream for if I get bitten (guaranteed!)
• Visor to keep sun out of my eyes.  I don't wear sunglasses while using colour.
• Hat with decent brim
• Baby Oil and wet wipes - clean up equipment
• Shopping trolley from Venice - this from a holiday where I gave in and realised that the shopping trolleys were an excellent way of getting stuff around really easily 

Exhibition

Even if it's just for ourselves!

• BluTak for displaying work without damaging walls 

Books about Oil Painting

But that's another post.......