The Most Beautiful Village in Provence

Oops!  I forgot the picture when I first posted this!  Roussillon was one of the most beautiful villages in Provence. On our tour through Provence, our lovely guide, Virginia explained that there were quite a few villages boasting to be "The Most Beautiful Village in Provence". I, for one, could not choose. They are all beautiful in so many different ways. Roussillon is very unique with its ochre cliffs. I painted this scene before in pastels, and thought I would give it a shot in oils and with a palette knife. I'm pretty happy with this ... well ... except for that stupid shadow from my easel that I didn't edit out!  Doh!  

I titled this one Ochre Naturel (spelled the French way since this is from Provence)

Ochre Naturel
5x7
Oil on Board

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Figurative Experiment

I'm getting ready to take a figure drawing class on Saturdays, so I thought I would try my hand at a figure in pastels. I used the same technique that I used in Pynki, the elephant painting I did awhile back. The model is from website that provides virtual models called posespace.

 

 

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Online Mentoring - Karen Margulis

Continuing with posting my 5x7 exercises from my mentoring session. This is from a reference photo along the coast of California. It actually was the first 5x7 I painted during this mentoring course. I did spend more than 30-45 minutes on it. I think it was more like an hour and 15 minutes because I was having so much fun!

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Pink Callanques

I tried to paint this scene in oils not long after I returned from Marseille in July. I was a bit rusty as I had not painted for a while, wasn't happy and thus put it away. Here it is on my largest pastel to date: 8x10. 98% of the pastels I used were Terry Ludwig pastels with a sprinkling of some very soft Scminckes for some finishing touches in blue? I followed Karen Margulis' recommendation for doing an under painting with a dark blue hard pastel (Nupastel) and mineral spirits. The support is Ampersand Pastelboard. I'm happy with this one!

 

 

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Ole One Horn Bison

On my easel.  Honestly, I am not going to name this painting "Ole One Horn".  I just haven't painted the other horn.  :-)

ACEO Unfazed

When in the Netherlands last summer, I snapped a picture of this egret who was completely unfazed by all of the people walking around his territory at the Volendam Harbor.

Dancing Rhino

One of the other paintings I painted this weekend was Dancing Rhino.  Actually he was the first of the animal paintings.  He does look like he's doing a little two step or something, doesn't he!