A Painting A Week No 129 - Virginian Creeper, Chateau Biron

For Sale - 27th August 2013 
Virginian Creeper, Chateau Biron
Size: 15 x 21cm
(Postage and handling included)

I took this photo during my first French sojourn in the Lot district in 2003. I've always loved the photo and intended to paint it, and its taken me this long!  Its a start, but I would like to attempt a large canvas - will add it to the list.

I was visiting Chateau Biron at the time, and was captured by the gold and red Virginian Creeper climbing on the stonework inside the courtyard walls of the Chateau.  Its been a long time, but I still remember it clearly!

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 128 - A Little Lavender, Provence

For Sale - 7th August 2013 
A Little Lavender, Provence
Size: 21 x 15cm
(Postage and handling included)

Summer in France is always brimming with beautiful flowers, one of the most exceptional being the lavender. Huge swathes of it turn the countryside into patches of purple and its always interesting to see what's grown alongside, or sometimes, what pops up wildly in the middle of it. I took this photo near Gordes one summer. It was just a small field, but I liked the combination with the pink shrub, which I believe is the Ile de France Butterfly Bush, or Buddleia.

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

Back in Greece and business is resumed!

Apologies for the huge gap in time since my last post. Its been a busy few months with travel to Australia and New Zealand, and to LA for Peter, and of course our wedding in Sydney. Why I always try and fool myself that I'll be able to produce some weekly paintings whilst travelling, I don't know.  Anyway, here we are now, just arrived back in Koroni and ready to settle into our quiet life here for another few months.



Before I publish my next painting though, I'll just write a short(ish) post about the last 3 months..... here goes

As we tend to do, we flew via France to sort out visas etc.  Its always a bit of a shock to arrive there in winter and be reminded of the cold, but the Languedoc always looks beautiful, no matter what season.

Sydney was wonderful, and its usual bustling self, and I do love arriving there and feeling in charge again! I guess I can only put it down to the language barriers of living in places where I barely speak the language. Its mostly just being able to chat to people when we're out and about that I miss most! It was looking particularly green this visit, despite some scorching days they'd had earlier in summer. The good ole Sydney rain was never too far away, but I must say for the whole month of March, it did itself justice, particularly for the important Wedding Day!

But before the wedding, and after kicking into organisation mode and a lot of rushing about (which its a relief to know I can still do!), we headed up to Northern Queensland to join my son James at his Graduation. It was a wonderful chance to see that part of Australia for the first time too.  It was all very beautiful and tropical, and yes, I am most definitely going to point some palm trees soon.

Townsville Strand Beach - stinger season so sadly not a soul in the water!

View from the hotel

The wedding went off beautifully. We had a lovely sunny day, though it was rather hot, and a little windy down next to the harbour, but we couldn't have wished for anything more and being able to celebrate with lots of family and friends on the edge of one of the world's most beautiful harbours. A day to remember for sure.

Pete and I had a week to get used to being married, before we headed off into different directions (typical of our doing things a little back to front!) Peter to Los Angeles, and me to New Zealand. where I had some total relaxation at 'the farm' with the sheep and pukekos (and sister and brother in-law too of course). I also managed two nights in Auckland with great friends and a nice catch up with others there.  Then after 10 days or so the bride and groom met up again in Montpellier, France for 5 days of more R&R (and another reminder of chilly weather) before flying into Athens......

Today, is the first day I've managed to get into some painting;  those palm trees are on their way!

A Painting A Week No 121 - Languedoc Harvest

For Sale - 11th February 2013
Languedoc Harvest
Size: 21 x 15cm
(Postage and handling included)

Another appropriate painting this week as we're here in the Languedoc again. There're no golden leaves left on the grapes now, but the countryside is still looking beautiful with its rows of bare vines, the golden sandy soil, and the huge skies.  We're staying with friends in the lovely village of Magalas, and seem to be spending an awful lot of time driving along what I always think of as 'Napoleon's French roads'! - long and straight and lined on either side with rows of bare plain trees, their silver trunks sparkling in the winter light.

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

Where Did 2012 Go? - A Year in Retrospect

Here I am on the first few days of 2013 and I sit and ponder where on earth 2012 disappeared to.  We did an enormous amount of travelling admittedly, and unfortunately this does take its toll on my ability to get into some real big messy painting as I intended. I've been pleased to continue on with my Art Weekly though, and am hoping to continue on with these, perhaps in a somewhat looser way in the coming year.

So, now in this blog, I feel the need to run back through the year 'in retrospect', mark the highlights and comment upon things creatively - any time apart from this is probably spent either sitting on the beach, or in a taverna/restaurant/cafe somewhere...... Its a fairly long blog (well, it is a whole year after all), so perhaps grab and coffee, or a glass of wine and enjoy.

January - we returned overland from France to Greece following a great visit to Sydney and New Zealand, with stopovers both ways in Los Angeles, and even though I shouldn't include it, as it was technically not 2012 (between Xmas and New Year), a few days visiting San Francisco, which was brilliant.

February - wintering down in Koroni gave me a chance to continue exploring with collage

 and different mixed media techniques. 

I also came up with some ideas for cards using some of my hundreds of Koroni photos...

March

With the weather warming up a little, it was great to get outdoors to sketch, something I did more of in 2012 than ever before.

I also started sketching daily, admittedly, something that fell into a heap once we started travelling again, but I did really enjoy it and am promising myself to get back into the whole daily thing in 2013.

April - Lots more sketching.

May - off again to France, this time to meet up with Aussie friend, Rita in Nice, before heading to Venice, the Italian Lakes and Switzerland.

We then rendezvoused with another Sydney friend, Peter, and spent a couple of nights in Moneglia, our favourite stop-off spot for visiting Cinque Terre.....

and then, into Tuscany, for a week in a great house in Barga, just north of Lucca. Whilst we were staying there, we were able to re-explore some of our favourite places, Lucca, Sienna, Florence, Pisa.

 Despite all the travelling, talking, eating and drinking, some sketches did actually arise from this whole trip and I am still working on getting the full Sketchbook completed.

June - still with our travelling companions, a few days in Koroni, then a great week cruising around Crete.

July - after another short stint in Koroni, to catch our breaths, I spent a wonderful week at Villa Nicara in Skiathos with my lovely friend, Yvonne, who always inspires me with her wonderful paintings http://paintingskiathos.wordpress.com/.

We both worked hard with lots of different creative stuff happening, as well as plenty of eating, talking and relaxation.

Peter came to meet me and we spent a few days on the island of Skopelos, before heading up to northern Greece to spend some time with his Mum. The only vaguely creative thing I can claim from the stay in Northern Greece is photographs - I was fascinated by the plastic boxes at the Kavala market!

August - mostly spent on the beach in Koroni, or possibly having a siesta to escape the relentless heat during our hottest month.  Despite this though, I joined Gill and her fellow On Location Sketchers for weekly jaunts to all sorts of lovely local spots.

September - more On Location Sketching

October -  back overland through Italy to France, this time with my eldest son, James, in tow. We travelled in my little 'cabrolet', which although fairly tight for space, but was lots of fun, particularly as the weather in Italy was brilliant.  I did get a little sketching done along the way, but should have done a whole lot more.

November - despite various car problems, we made it back, and settled yet again into Koroni, more sketching and also my very exciting foray into 'teaching' Acrylic Painting.
http://artistswindow.com/new/2012/12/acrylic-paintingweek-four/.  Considering these girls only had 3 or 4 morning sessions, they did brilliantly.

.

December - once again, back to France for visa stuff, this time we flew into Barcelona and spent some time there. What an amazing place to be just prior to Christmas, so busy and lively, despite the cold.

Phew - as I said it's been a busy year! No wonder I feel exhausted and that it flew by. I guess as far as creativity throughout the year goes, I can at least say I worked hard on my sketching, continued with my collages, and managed to keep up with the weekly art.  2013 will be the start of a whole new creative journey, and I'm determined to continue exploring new techniques, including collage, and more impasto style painting.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. Here's to even more fun, laughter and creativity in 2013 for each and everyone of you.

A Painting A Week No 117 - Vieux Menton

For Sale - 29th November 2012
Vieux Menton, France
Size: 21 x 15cm
SOLD
(Postage and handling included)

I love this view of Menton old town from across the bay. It comes into sight just after arriving in France from Italy along the coastal road, and to me highlights the wonderful haphazardness and colour of old Europe. Its rather tricky to photograph as it needs morning sun, and then a nice clear day, and a good long lens helps too. You may have noticed that I've painted a version of this 2 or 3 times before, and probably will again!

Menton itself is a slightly more sedate version of Nice or Cannes and a great base for exploring that part of Provence by train. Formerly entertwined with the principality of Monaco, Menton became a part of France in 1860.

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 116 - Autumn Colours, Languedoc

For Sale - 20th November 2012
Autumn Colours, Languedoc
Size: 21 x 15cm
Price A$90
(Postage and handling included)

When we were in the Languedoc region of France recently, everything was bursting into vibrant autumn colour. Autumn was my favourite season when we lived there, and I particularly love the changes in the thousands of hectares of grape vines in the area. Different rows seem to change to different colours, and each field seems to change at different times (if you get my drift!), so you have a glorious evolving patchwork effect everywhere you look.

I took this photo near the village of Villeveyrac.  We were cruising through the area and James and I both immediately spotted this view, with the coloured trees in the foreground just adding to the picture. I loved the row of olive trees near the centre of the picture as well!

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 114 - Albi, France

For Sale - 1st November 2012
Albi, France
Size: 21 x 15cm
Price A$90
(Postage and handling included)

We are still in belle France and the sun is now shining brightly after nearly a week of messier and colder stuff. It's been a sharp reminder of winters spent in France, and those 'warmer' items of clothing I packed in Greece really haven't done the trick at all!

I took the photo for this painting some years ago, and despite the 'washed out' blue sky, it was a very cold gloomy day. Following a lot of heavy rain, the buildings across the river Tarn glowed in rich shades of ochre, with the water almost matching them. The photo was taken from the garden outside of the lovely Musee Toulouse Latrec, which stands next to the huge cathedral which is so very stark from the outside and incredibly detailed inside.

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 111 - French Reflections

For Sale - 12th September 2012
French Reflections
Size: 21 x 15cm
SOLD
(Postage and handling included)

Last time we were in France, we stopped for some breakfast in Sanary-sur-Mer, a place we'd often driven through, saying the oh so familiar words 'we must stop off here next time'. This time we did!

Although we didn't venture right into the old town, I was really impressed with what I saw around the harbour area. There was a wonderful produce market underway, with a mass of brightly coloured umbrellas lined up under the plane trees. There is undoubtedly something very special about the way the French manage to get even the most humble of vegetables to look in their markets. With the neat rows of fruit and vege all so beautifully lined up, I always want to buy things I'd probably never eat, just because they're displayed so well!

To offset the market, there is also a picturesque harbour with the old town as a backdrop, and the most gorgeous fishing boats all crammed in amongst each other. I believe these traditional boats are called 'Pointus' and have been used in the area for centuries. They're all brightly painted with their coloured masts leaning at odd angles, and their reflections were magnificent. (Please excuse all the adjectives, but it was a spectacular sight for the likes of me!) I have many many photos of the boats, and will be attempting o paint some ,complete with haphazard masts, soon.

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

May 2012 - and then.... A Short Stint in Provence

We headed into France next and towards Aix en Provence, yet another place we’d raced past for the last 2 or 3 years. I was hoping to see the Cezanne Gallery and his studio, as it turned out, so was everyone else in France at that time.  The place seemed to be jumping. The large roundabout in the centre was a jumble of tourist buses and jaywalking tourists, many trundling suitcases and the 3 hotels I asked at whilst Peter sat in the car, looked at me in amazement and said a rather firm ‘Complet Madame’.  Before it came too stressful Peter and I came to an immediate agreement that we abandon Aix on this trip, and head to the coast.  A good move as we found a good room for the night and next morning had breakfast in Sanary sur Mer and a good wander around through the huge produce market there.  I've noticed on recent visits to France that there's a trend towards white umbrellas in some of the local markets - not nearly as exciting for photographs and/or paintings - lets hope the coloured ones that are left, remain. This whole market at Sanary sur Mer was a feast of bright colours which is what got me clicking!

I also spent ages taking photos of the beautiful old boats crammed into the harbour, with their reflections .....

..... and the lovely backdrop of the old town of Sanary sur Mer


So happily armed with the boat and the market shots, I left with a head full of prospective paintings. Another good spot to return to, to be added onto the list!


Next we were off along the coast to Nice ….. slowly because we seemed to get caught up in what must be Europe’s largest Harley Davidson get together. I’ve never seen so many motorbikes in one place, all unfortunately on the narrow coastal road near the St Tropez turnoff, which is often a frustrating stretch of road at the best of times. We wanted to visit the Maeght Foundation near St Paul de Vence before arriving in Nice, which we did, but I must admit I was rather disappointed in the artworks there. I suspect they may now have moved a lot of the paintings to separate galleries in and around Nice. There is a good selection of sculptures there though, so worth the visit if that’s what you want to see.

After spending some time cruising around the not so salubrious outer surburbs in search of a large Carrefour Supermarket to restock our French products to take back to Greece, we arrived at Esplanade des Anglaise for our rendezvous with Rita and Donna. They were staying in a beautiful apartment overlooking the beach, with all that entailed – hours of entertainment from the window sill!

Some ladies even in their PJ's!

Its always great to be back in France – seems a little like returning home in some ways and I love having the soft musical French language in the background.  We made sure we had an Indian meal whilst we were there – seems like that’s the closest for us – sad eh!