A Painting a Week - No.7

For Sale - 28th December 2008
Collioure Meanderings
Acrylic & Ink Painting
Size: 12 x 18cm Mounted Size: 24 x 30cm
Price mounted: A$60 (Plus $A10 postage and handling)

Once again a painting from this lovely seaside town further south. Its such a colourful place I'm often drawn to it when looking through my photos for subject matter. This photo was taken during a recent visit when it was warm enough to 'meander'!

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com to arrange payment and delivery. This painting is mounted in white matt ready for framing and wrapped in cellophane for protection.

A Birthday in the Snow

We spent a couple of days last week in Andorra, a tiny principality between France and Spain, in the Pyrenees. Being a tax free country, the main city (well, more of a town really) is a maze of duty free shops - perfumeries and electronic 'toy' shops everywhere. It was beautifully decorated with Xmas lights and had a real buzz to it, despite the cold. Interestingly, the main language there appeared to be Catalan, and there was a more Spanish influence than French.

The landscape up through the mountains was stunning - long climbs on good, but narrow roads. Our only hold-up was when a large lorry in front of us got jammed up against a house on a narrow corner - evidenced on the way down by large gouges and scratches on the house wall!

Needless to say, many photos eventuated - particularly as I bought myself a new camera.
See my Picasa page for some of them.

A Painting a Week - No.6

22nd December 2008 [SOLD]
French Irises
Acrylic & Ink Painting
Size: 12 x 18cm Mounted Size: 24 x 30cm
Price mounted: A$60 (Plus $A10 postage and handling)

I felt like painting a spring scene from an earlier photo - nothing like a bit of colour to brighten up the cold gray weather! These irises pop up everywhere in spring, particularly along the ditches lining the country roads. They vary from every shade of blue, through to mauves, purples and yellows.

A Painting A Week - No.5

15th December 2008 [SOLD]
Menton Eglise
Acrylic & Ink Sketch
Size: 12 x 18cm Mounted Size: 24 x 30cm
Price mounted: A$60 (Plus $A10 postage and handling)

This is a sketch of my favourite skyline of the old town of Menton in Provence, next to the Italian border. I'm presently working on a large canvas of this, so although I did this sketch after our visit there a little while ago, it's very fresh in my mind! The colours of the buildings in Menton are typical of the reds, pinks and oranges which seem to have spilled over from Italy.

A Painting a Week - No.4

11th December 2008 [SOLD]
La Coquille
Watercolour, Acrylic & Ink Painting
Size: 12 x 18cm Mounted Size: 30 x 20cm
Price mounted: A$60 (Plus $A10 postage and handling)

I've driven past this little Coquillage (shellfish) outlet constantly, and the colours and the boat outside have always caught my eye! The coastal area near here is a big producer of shellfish, mostly oysters and mussels, and there are lots of these little shops and booths scattered along the coast. The one is in Meze, a nice little seaside town on the lagoon which opens out onto the Mediterrean near Sete.

A Painting A Week - No.3

8th December 2008 [SOLD]
Pezenas Cafe
Acrylic & Ink Painting
Size: 12 x 18cm Mounted Size: 24 x 30cm
Price mounted: A$60 (Plus $A10 postage and handling)

I took this photo in Pezenas about a month ago. Sadly, all the tables and chairs are now mostly inside in the warmth! Pezenas has been a buzzing market town since the Middle Ages. The 'old town' today is a maze of narrow streets with artiste's galleries and interesting small shops.

Welcome to A Painting A Week

Just to reiterate to the newcomers, my intention is join a large group of artists worldwide, who are producing "A Painting A Day".
At this early stage, I'm being realistic and promising at least one small, reasonably priced painting each week! This will be emailed out to everyone and all the relevant information relating to that painting will be shown here on my Blogsite.

If you would like to be added to this mailing list, please email me:
jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com
or
jackie@jackiesherwood.com

I do also have a separate website showing all my available paintings, and keeping you in touch with exhibitions etc I have coming up.
Have a look at: www.jackiesherwood.com

Many thanks for visiting.
Jackie

A Painting a Week - No.2

4 December 2008 [SOLD]
Languedoc Poppies
Acrylic & Ink Painting
Size: 18 x 12cm Mounted Size: 30 x 24cm
Price mounted: A$60 (Plus $A10 postage and handling)

I've just finished this small painting of some poppies from a photo I took a few months back. Its rather nice to work on something colourful when the vines and fields are looking so wintery.

A Painting a Week - No.1

1 December 2008 [SOLD]
Collioure Facades
Acrylic & Ink
Painting Size: 18 x 12cm
Mounted Size: 30 x 24cm
Price mounted: A$60

Collioure is a small fishing port on the Mediterrean coast near the Spanish border. In the early 20th century it was a favourite haunt of the Fauvists; Matisse, Dufy, Dupain etc. Many of the houses along the pretty, narrow streets are painted in vivid colours, recognising their Fauvist style of painting.

A Painting a Day, or perhaps a Week!

Having recently digested the wonderful websites/blogspots worldwide by a large group of artists (after discovering Julian Merrow Smith, an artist living in Provence) who have adopted "A Painting a Day", I think its time for me to expand my horizons and join in.
It will not only be a challenge and a wonderful discipline, but also a great way to keep my family and friends in touch with what I'm actually doing here on the other side of the world!
Initially, although I intend to work towards the Painting A Day..., I will produce at least one small painting each week, and email it out to everyone on my mailing list.
I will also post it on this Blogsite, along with the price and information about size, medium etc.
If anyone would like to buy that painting, simply email me and we will work out payment and delivery details. Obviously there is absolutely no pressure to buy anything, and if you'd prefer to be taken off the mailing list, please just let me know. At some stage in the future, I will send out a form, asking whether you'd like to remain on the mailing list for these paintings.

I will still be adding to this Blogsite regularly to write and to post sketches and photographs about life here in the Languedoc, on our recent travels and general day to day happenings.

Stay tuned for the first painting in the first week of December......

Languedoc Autumn

Wonderful vibrant colours as far as the eye can see - what more can I say. Take a look at my Languedoc Autum photos on http://picasaweb.google.com.au/jackiesinfrance

Towards Spain

We recently spent a couple of days at one of our favourite spots along the coast just above the Spanish border. Collioure is a wonderful colourful fishing village, a little touristy, but not too spoilt. In the early 20th century it was a favourite haunt of the Fauvists; Matisse, Dufy, Dupain etc. and even now many of the houses along the pretty narrow streets are painted in vivid colours, recognising this Fauvist style of painting. The light is also considered particularly special along this part of the coast.

The next town along is Port Vendres, though not quite as stunning as Collioure, its coloured fishermans cottages overlook a pretty working harbour and marina.

Next stop Spain. We ventured along the winding coast road into Spain and stopped briefly at Port de la Selva, a white higgeldy piggeldy town sitting low on the water with the afternoon sun peeking through the clouds.

The Pelopponese

Ah what an area - and I thought the sea was blue in the north! The eastern part of the Pelopponese was rugged with small fishing villages tucked down the side of rocky mountains. Just when we were tiring of driving along the steep narrow roads with eyes out on sticks for yet another amazing view, we'd stumble upon a sleepy village nestled in a bay with the traditional taverna, loud Greek music and welcoming smells and fishing boats galore bobbing on the harbour. A quick negotition for a room and we were all set for a night or two.

Korfos

Central Greece - Meteora

We visited Meteora - the village of Kalambaka is built right on the base of the most incredible array of steep rocky formations with several different monasteries perched on rocky outcrops. How they ever managed to build them is a mystery to me!

North Eastern Greece

After the drive through northern central Greece, where parts ressembled Switzerland (weather included!) we arrived at our destination for 6 weeks.

Peter's Mum has an apartment in Nea Peramos, a lovely beachside town with bars and restaurants lined up along the water, and the old town with teensy old shops lined up amidst the potholes!

Kavala, perched on a bay further north, was our nearest city. It is set on a hill around a harbour - a typical mish mash of white buildings.

Central Greece

Central Greece is a mixture of huge mountains, sometimes craggy and barren but also often covered in pines, and long flat plains growing every crop imaginable.

Greece - The Frappe

This is a very important part of the day in Greece. Large glasses of ice cold coffee usually with a frothy top always with an accompanying bottle or glass of water, which is very useful to extend the frappe so you can spend an hour or two contemplating the clear blue seas and life in general!

Off to Greece Again

The time had come for our much awaited summer trip to Greece so off we headed through to Provence where we spent a much needed couple of days after the trial of packing up the house for the summer tenants. We had on a previous trip found a rather smart campsite on the Med with basic accommodation - the campolete! This consists of a tent-like structure with walls and with a semi closed in deck attached to the front which contains a kitchen / dining area. The best of both worlds and a perfect spot to change gear and try and get into Greek mode.

Then into Italy for a few days on the way to Brindisi for the ferry to Greece.

Trip to Menton

What a wonderful place this is. Its actually in Monaco, though most people assume its in Provence - and just a hop from the Italian border, and with a very Italian feel. The old town winds up and down the hill with tiny narrow streets and brightly coloured houses.

France 2008

So now here I am in 2008, happily ensconced in the Languedoc region of SW France. Life is great here - very simple really and much less social than Sydney, so plenty of time to smell the roses -explore the area, sketch and paint etc. Peter and I (and Miura the dog) are living in the town of Montagnac, not far from Pezenas, and 20 mins drive from the Mediterranean towns of Sete and Meze. It is also only 40 mins from Montpellier.

.

We spent the first few months of the year setting up house and falling into a relaxed routine, before heading off on yet another soujuorn across Europe to Greece. So here we go again....