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| "A Cafe in Venesque" 16x12 oil on linen SOLD Available at the Cole Gallery, Edmonds WA 425-697-2787 |
The studio painting above was done from reference photos and sketches taken during our time with Julie and the crew of "Workshops in France" on our 2019 European tour. It will be on display at the Cole Gallery in Edmonds WA for an upcoming featured artist show, opening Thursday, February 20th 2020.
Please go to the link HERE for more info and to view all the paintings in this exhibition.
Venesque is just one of the many little villages in the Provence region of France we visited with the group from Workshops in France.
It has all the charm of southern France with the town square surrounded by quaint cafes where locals and tourists sit with their espresso.
The fountain at the center of the square provided a shaded spot to set up my easel for a quick study in oil of the grape vines climbing the ancient wall to reach the sun. A tourist from Paris reached up to pick a grape and test it's sweetness. His smile was contagious and we had a good talk about experiencing France through the artists eye.
We headed back to the chateau as evening spread its blanket of fading light over the town, satisfied with the paintings we completed, the beauty of Provence that was etched forever in our hearts.
The reason I so love to stop, set up easel and paint the places we travel, as I explained to my new Paris friend, anyone can look, but to really see you must paint..... =]
The work done on location in France was rendered with MGraham oil paint. I used the "Fast Dry" Titanium White to shorten the drying time.
Mixing your paint with the fast dry white gives you malleable painting time but allows the surface to dry to the touch sometimes overnight depending on temperature. This is valuable when you have limited time to paint before packing up for the next location or to fly home.
See more info on MGraham paint HERE
