Monthly Archives: July 2013

Travelling in the sun!

Hi everyone

We have recently had a short visit to Northern Ireland and a longer stay in Provence, mainly on the Cote d’Azur.

Fine weather has made our trips really lovely and an incentive to paint some quick watercolours of places we have visited.

Painting watercolours outdoors in temperatures around 30 C means everything has to happen quickly, especially as the watercolours dry so quickly. However with the light so great and the hues of summer all around it is hard not to want to record the scenes around us.

It is fun to revisit places again , such as Callian, St Maxime, St Tropez and St Paul de Vence, wherever you look there is always something new to see.

In St Tropez the waterfront is the main attraction, but venture into the older part of the town, and go to Port de Peche just a few steps away from the main quay. There you will find quiet, peaceful streets and great cafes and restaurants.

I hope you like this blog and if you can visit some of these lovely places.

Enjoy the summer

Brian

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Sailing boats on the Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland

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St Tropez from the St Maxime ferry

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Looking down on St Tropez from the castle

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A back street in old St Tropez

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The main street in St Paul de Vence

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St Paul de Vence

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Fishing boats at Antibes

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The two lighthouses at Agay on the Esterel coast

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Farm buildings near Gourdon in Provence

Sketches in The Dordogne and Tuscany

Hi Everybody
Thanks for following my posts, your comments are always most welcome.
 
We recently drove through France, visiting friends and eventually driving to Tuscany for few days.
In a few quiet moments I managed to paint some quick sketches of The Dordogne, Lot et Garonne and the area around San Gimignano in Tuscany.
We found a lovely Agriturismo to stay at, within sight of San Gimignano, call La Lucciolaia, which we would highly recommend if you are staying in that area.
I hope these will form the basis for more studio paintings later in the year, but in the meantime I hope you enjoy looking at them.
Tuscany is beautiful place for painting with blue skies,warm weather and lovely old towns and cities.
Enjoy your travels wherever you may be.
Brian
Beynac on The Dordogne river

Beynac on The Dordogne river

Castelnaud

Castelnaud on the banks of the Dordogne River

Evening at Dome from Vitrac

Evening at Dome from Vitrac
Recently a friend and very talented artist, Peter Robson, gave a workshop which included ideas for silhouette paintings. I have tried it here with the view of Dome in the Dordogne from our hotel. Thanks Peter!

Monpazier

Monpazier is a Bastide town in the Lot and Garonne region of France, well worth a visit.

San Gimignano (1)

A street in San Gimignano in Tuscany. San Gimignano is famous for its 14th century towers.

San Gimignano

The view of San Gimignano from La Lucciolaia Agriturismo, just 3 Kms away.

Sunflowers in Tuscany

Tuscan farm with sunflowers near Volterra

Tuscan field of poppies

A field of poppies in Tuscany

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