It is fitting to create a new post on the last day of May, with a beautiful spring sunrise. 

The days are lengthening and the weather is finally changing. We had a lot of wind, rain and cold, the result was that the pink climbing roses, heavy with blossoms broke their retaining wire and fell. I hoisted them back up onto a strong nylon line and they rewarded me with fragrant prolific blooms. This is my little corner of the earth after all the rain, rich in color, wild purple bells climb the steps. I have herbs in the boxes and have planted two tomatoes, one called corazon and the other a cerise.

Here is a close up of the pink roses. Now as the wind picks up and days are getting warmer, the delicate fragrant petals have begun to fall and cover the walkway creating a light carpet. Will my compost be sweeter next year when I sweep them up? I visited the beautiful Rose garden in Doue la Fontaine  and of course in the gift shop there were many options of rose products to buy. It was a hot afternoon so I ordered a scoop of rose ice cream. yuk! Tasted like grandma's soap!

Up the river from me, I shot this little wild plot by the roadway. I don't know if someone intended a little fairy garden, but it is a tiny paradise of color. The poppies are brilliant in the morning sun.

Well down to the business of art and learning form and structure, which is why I am here after all. This was a four week pose that I did in sepia and white on a light blue paper. Magda's eyes are the clear blue of the paper and I enjoyed letting that be the only bit of the paper that showed through.
Here is the beginning of the painting of Pulcinella, second in a series of Commedia masks. This is a color wash, that is, done without medium like a water color which serves as the base. I have partially started form painting in the right corner of the draperies and a part of the bass recorder.  The photo shows the model in the background. The cup is the hand turned ceramic copy of an antique and the big white clay pot I found to be quite elegant.
I close today, the Sunday before Pentecost with this incredibly joyous  gem,  the perfection of Nature's design.The miracle of structure and form is that there are no two forms exactly alike, yet the blueprint exists and everything, as Ted says, has its own special shape.

A mist hangs over the Argenton river tonight creating a fairy-like atmosphere. The swallows are winging and the birdsong is rich as the day comes to a close. It was quite rainy and windy, and the lowlands had an electrical storm. My climbing rose took a nose dive so I spent this evening in thick gloves to avoid the thorns and managed to tie it back up. It is just beginning to bloom pale pink, and seems happy inspite of the trauma.
Well since this blog is also about painting, the news is that I have spent the last month doing poster studies. For those of you who are painters, you know how challenging they can be.



This is a pencil drawing that I experimented with on a dark paper. I was totally in the dark light and am not particularly pleased with the outcome, but just so you know I am working and not just enjoying the French countryside, I will include it!
As you can see we have an exquisite model.

Now I have begun work on a still life, another commedia mask, Pulcinella. I have already blocked it in and have begun the color wash. I have included a beautiful sexy (if pots can be sexy) white ceramic pot, an ebony colored bass recorder that my friend Revell gave me, and the hand turned wine goblet that I used in the painting of the Harlequin mask. I did not take a photo of the poster study, so next post...

Well to conclude, I do enjoy the "vide grenier" yard or garage sales we call them in the states. In French, literally means 'empty attic'. Here one can find all sorts of things. I furnished my fireplace as well as found unique and wonderful things like this brass
pas de deux.
So you see, my heart is still with the dance and I do manage to do a barre, stretch and dance once in a while!

Springtime in Argenton 2009

As you can see I have returned to La Maison Hirondelle as spring is arriving, very quickly I might add. I see a few swallows, and I was told that they are the true sign that spring is really in full bloom. The trees that were bare when I first came now are fresh with green buds and the fruit trees are bright with white and pink blossoms.


Sunrise



Images of Spring in the early morning

I have begun studying with Ted Seth Jacobs in his atelier in Les Cerqueaux. This will be my second year and I will be working more on understanding color and effects of light. I have started by doing poster studies, looking for light values! It is very precise and" like a little puzzle", as Ted says, a perfectly tuned minature symphony that will become the reference for the eventual painting.


I close with the Sunset in April. I will never cease to marvel at the wonders of nature and the perfection of color and light!!

Happy New Year!

Here it is  February and I have been back in the states since October. One week after returning, I broke my wrist. Riding along Hollywood Blvd on my bicycle, I hit barracade and went flying. A wonderful lady picked me up, gave me ice and water and took me to ER. Never believe that there are not angels in the form of strangers!! After surgery, a stainless steel plate screwed to my radial bone, and lots of therapy, I am functioning pretty well...I started juggling bean bags and  have even finished a commission for a beautiful Irish Setter named Riley.

  

The Chinese New Year that began at the last new moon, The Year of the Ox "bodes well for the world "says the Taiwan times.

The Lunar New Year heralds the reign of a hard-working animal

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=852325&lang=eng_news 

I wish you all a Happy New Year, and as my girlfriend Joanna says, let's not make it all hard work, we need to play!

Autumn Solstice

Fall has arrived in Argenton les Vallées! The solstice brings shorter days, evenings fall into darkness quickly and the morning sun comes slowly to my sleepy eyes.This is the last week of Ted Jacob's course and I must say I am sorry for it to end. What an incredible opportunity it was to spend six months drawing, learning to paint, struggling to see and understand concepts and physical structure in new yet very natural ways.

We had a student exhibition in the community hall in Les Cerqueaux last Sunday and it was well attended by the local community curious about what we have been doing all these months.

Ted is really the grandfather of the artistic community, for the most part les etrangers, foreigners, who have made their home, studios and workplace in the region. Near Ted's house/museum Mes Illusions, lives a sculptur,

Martine, who bought the old priory next to the church some 20 odd years ago and now teaches and works creating incredibly beautiful pieces. 

Another woman, Cynthia, bought an old Moulin, windmill in which she created a gallery space for her sensitive studies of windmills and landscapes.

During the months, once a week we shared a "portrait night" in which we sit for each other. I thought it might be fun to post some of those quick evening sketches, some of which were done at Studio Escalier where I was generously allowed to join in.

Enjoy. The two with artificial light of Toby and Harmony were done at Studio Escalier this fall as the light is changing a lamp was necessary.

 

 

Here it is September, the nights are colder and the days shorter. We have had a lot of rain which the farmers are grateful for. Yesterday evening was a brilliant rainbow. Not to be repetitious, here it is in all its glory!

As nature renews itself every day, so must we, awakening to new life, striving to remain 

alert, present and aware. As the atelier draws to a close the end of this month, I am ever more grateful for having had the opportunity to focus on learning to paint, having daily, eight or more hours of studio time with no distractions. What a gift! 

I have chosen to do rounding studies and organic sketches like these grapes and the Chinese lanterns that grow in my neighbor's garden. I have done many cast studies, just rounding in the direction of the light to train my eyes, without actually painting the details. Here are a couple of examples. Ted has been very patient with me, and little by little I am becoming aware of the shape of the light.

As far as the living part of the blog goes, work on the house has progressed this month. Paul was here and worked on the oak floor downstairs, He sanded, repaired, patched (fine inlays) and finally finished it and it looks beautiful. I danced on it, as it was dry for the first time Friday! The generous windows face east over the terrace to the river and I can easily absorb myself in my work. 

Somehow the rainbows didn't make it in the last post and it was not only a double, but the second one that evening . enjoy!

August

Where do I begin? Full moon, rainbow, amazing sunrise? This week was filled with these and more. The Dalai lama is visiting France, the Chinese hosting the Olympic Games....need I say more?

Brilliant sunflowers? Can you imagine so much color in one place?

My still life is done and I have been working on a cast drawing, back to the basics!

I did do a small landscape sketch from my attic as I mentioned in my last blog and just for fun I will post it with the actual photo of the view.

Well mid August and the weather is already feeling like fall. The warm colors of summer are still apparent in the corn fields ready for harvest and some of the trees are already changing their leaves. One of my fav places to sit, like a cat is in the window. Here I leave you for now, watching the swallows winging.

It is already August and the month began with the feeling of fall in the air, rain and winds and grey skies. Today the sun came out and it got quite warm so maybe we have a few days of summer left.

Harvest is in the air, corn , hay and now I see fields of sunflowers. My own harvest in my small garden was delightfully abundant. ..healthy zucchinis, tomatoes, green beans and after the rain, the roses began blooming again.

I have been working on the  draperies behind my still life and here is the still unfinished version. I have learned a lot from this work, but am missing my props!!

Really I have so much to be thankful for and I have plenty other props to practice with. Hula hoop has become a staple for the breaks! Low impact stress relief. 

 The downstairs room in my house has become a rehearsal space and the floors are solid oak.  They have been sanded and still need to be treated and finished, but I make good use of that space, dancing and stretching and practicing. 

This weekend I was thinking of the laws of manifestation and because I am impatient to turn the attic into a studio, I decided to work up there on Sunday to get the energy happening. It was rainy, as I said, and cloudy days are supposed to be the best for landscapes. I set up my easel and did a little study of the river from that  point of view. I left the little study on the window sill and returned in the evening only to find a bat (chauve- souris) had set up his space up there too!  There is a local museum with a exhibition on the local species , so maybe I will educate myself instead of just covering my head and running for cover.

Patience.

 I will keep you posted when it is actually a working studio and the bats are evicted.

Well here it is nearly the end of July and the smells of fresh cut hay are in the air. Breathe deeply and you will sense the deep golds of summer and the dry warm air as the farmers harvest their crops. I marvel at the way they pack them in these round cylindrical shapes lit by the sun.

This morning I was awakened at 6:30 a.m. by another, yes you guessed it, glorious sunrise.  The brilliance of morning fills my room with color and I cannot resist the urge to share it.  Although it may seem a bit repetitious, nature never repeats the same performance twice!

I am working on a new still life, the complexities of the draperies on which it rests are a study in itself! The color wash is finally done and I have started painting. I will add a photo of that in my next post. I have to go back to my first lesson, patience. Ted did a little bit on it today as a demo and I learned so much from watching him and was so excited to have his masterful touch on my study!

Finally a photo of me for those of you who requested it. I went to Doue la Fontaine for the show of roses in the troglodyte caves and this was shot there.

Each day I am thankful for this time to study, live and learn. One day last week the model didn't show up, so we did a little plein-air painting, another first for me. We did a poster study and then a "sketch" in oil. One must work fast because the light changes quickly. I learned that cloudy or overcast days are good for painting outside and one must work the same time every day to achieve consistency.

Happy 4th, Independence Day and whatever that means to you in all it's old glory.

Today I pulled up the old rug upstairs in the guest room and found a beautiful hardwood floor. I washed and cleaned off old paint spots, than bees waxed it and it sure looks nice. Luckily there was no backing or tape so it came right up.

I had not the same luck with carpet in the hall. It had been put down with double stick duct tape if there is such a thing. YUK What a mess.It does look better without that dusty old thing, but if anyone knows what takes up old tape residue, let me know.

Luckily a couple of young strong men were able to help me chuck it all out into my car and off to the "dechetterie" or the dump.

The last one to go is in the bedroom that looks east, but it is an old carpeting faded pink with a rubbery adhesive backing on it. That will not be so easy, so I will save that for another day!

Well that is it for the" living" part of the blog. I really got joy out of bees waxing the floor so then I went on to do the wooden staircase.

Today I will post photos of the poppies  that are one of beautiful wild flowers of the Argenton summer. You will walk down the river road with me. Poppies are good studies for painters; values of red and the brillaince of nature....They grow in the wall along the river bank and along the roadside.

Along the river are the community gardens, neatly planted and I am enjoying watching the gardening and work that is involved. Luckily the water comes from the river, so watering is not a problem.

 

At the bottom of the river road rue de Tannerie is a lovely weeping willow tree that hangs over the river showing in the reflection its grace. For many folks who live or visit here, it is a landmark.

Today I experienced a "Balade des Chapelles en Chanson."

 Balade is a walk and walk we did. Seven kilometers beginning at the Eglise St Giles (the little medieval church in Argenton Chateau..you may recognize the stained glass) which is the 'Chapelles' part and the 'Chanson' you may have guessed is singing. A large choral group led us on this walk after singing in the church of St Giles. The balade took us through the country side, we walked along the river, through meadows, among the trees, and down a country road. The chansons took place under a grand oak ( the song was, yes, about trees), in a small chapel of St Anne then on to the Chapel Rosiers. The day was beautiful and quite warm, rich in country smells and perfumes of flowers. Halfway, we stopped for a picnic under an oak tree of sweet breads, dried fruit and juice and of course more singing.  I met my neighbors and chatted as best I could in my meager French. One fellow adeptly made a tiny whistle from a young branch of the Ash tree with his little knife.

 I was suitably impressed!                  

As pictures say a thousand words, enjoy!    The cows were outside the last church

we visited and quite enjoyed the music and dancing...

I think.