A Painting a Week - No 43

For Sale - 12th April 2010 [SOLD]
Montmartre, Paris
Size: 15 x 21cm
Price A$90
(postage and handling included)

As I said in the email, this week’s painting is another wintery scene, this time from Montmartre, one of my favourite parts of Paris. As well as the ‘artistic flavour’ around the area, with the artists painting outdoors in the famous square at Place du Tertre, I love the steep steps which cut down through the typical Parisian apartment buildings, and the stately rows of trees and lamp posts. Sacre Coeur stands out proudly overlooking the area, and you’re rewarded with glimpses of this magnificent white domed basilica peeking between the buildings.

The area is a mass of narrow streets with shops selling all manner of interesting ‘stuff’ – to the south-east is Boulevard de Magenta with its tiny shops crammed with a strange mixture of mobile phones, various coloured wigs and garish wedding regalia. To the west is Pigalle with the Moulin Rouge and the red light district, which I do admit I didn't venture very far into!

I always enjoy painting snippets of Paris – there’s something about it that calls for me to use a more muted palette than usual, though I guess this shouldn't necessarily be the case in such a colourful city.

If you're interested in purchasing this painting, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com to arrange payment and delivery. Please note that there is now a Currency Converter in both this blog site (scroll down), and my website (http://www.jackiesherwood.com/)

A Painting a Week - No 42

For Sale - 6th April 2010 [SOLD]
Avignon Winter Rooftops
Size: 21 x 15cm
Price A$90
(postage and handling included)

Finally, a French winter scene as promised! Its now officially spring here, but as yet very little evidence has appeared in the fields.

I took this photo in Avignon just before we left for Sydney at the end of January. It was a lovely surprise to discover as we arrived there that it had just finished snowing. Needless to say, my camera was busy!

If you're interested in purchasing this painting, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com to arrange payment and delivery. Please note that there is now a Currency Converter in both this blog site (scroll down), and my website (http://www.jackiesherwood.com/)

Back in belle france again

Here we are – April 2010 already and we’re back here after a great couple of months in Sydney, with a brief trip to NZ. I can’t believe all that time has gone so quickly. There were so many more people we wanted to see and so much more we wanted to do – but next time for sure.

It is lovely to be back in France again, despite the change in temperature! The day spent in Paris was a stark reminder of how chilly the northern France spring is, and here in the south, after the incredibly cold winter, nothing has quite woken up yet. We’d expected to see plenty of green growth on the grape vines but they are all still lying dormant, though some of the trees are beginning to green up. The almond trees are starting to burst with their pink blossoms - so I’ll be off in search of some for photos and painting.

Its remarkable how difference the light is over here, especially coupled with the flat landscape of rows of vines or rolling hills with the huge skies hovering above. Even whilst the vines are bare, they're a beautiful sight.

My Painting a Week will be back on track very soon – probably a winter scene or two!
The exhibition day in Sydney went really well and it was wonderful to meet those of you who I’d been in touch with via the website – many thanks for coming along.

We only have a couple of weeks here before our drive through to Greece, where we will be setting up base for the foreseeable future. A stint in France is scheduled for September/October, so there will still be plenty of French paintings.

We really enjoyed seeing everyone again and look foward to the next visit and hopefully another exhibition in 2011.

EXHIBITION TIME AGAIN

Once again the hectic pace of Sydney life has ensnared me, and so far no weekly paintings ..... but there is still hope!

Whilst in Sydney, I'm having a one day exhibition on

SATURDAY 13 MARCH

10am and 3pm

North Sydney Community Centre

220 Miller Street, North Sydney

CHANGEABLE ART is a monthly exhibition held in conjunction with the North Sydney markets(directly behind the markets, and between the Stanton Library and the North Sydney Council Chambers).

I'll be there between 10am and 3pm, so come along and say hello. There will be a variety of paintings for sale, as well as a large selection of small mounted works.

A Painting a Week - No 41

For Sale - 28th January 2010
Portofino, Italy
Size: 21 x 15cm
Price A$80
(Plus A$10 postage and handling)

I know I said the next painting would be a French winter scene, but somehow I haven’t quite finished, nor I suspect, has the French winter! As I write this its cold with a howling wind and more snow is expected in many parts of France. We fly out of Paris next Tuesday so suddenly the prospect of snow is a little less exciting! Yesterday though, we spent exploring the centre of Avignon, trudging through the crisp freshly fallen snow – it certainly lends a little atmosphere to my usual photos!

On Sunday we fly up to Paris for two nights and then on to Sydney until the end of March (with a week in NZ in early Feb). I'm very much looking forward to seeing all those friendly faces again!

So, in the meantime, here’s a little painting ‘I prepared earlier’. We called into Portfino on our drive back from Greece in November. Being off season it was very quiet and I was able to photograph it without the tourists. I hope to continue the weekly paintings whilst on the move again - let's see how I manage?!

If you're interested in purchasing this painting, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com to arrange payment and delivery. Please note that there is now a Currency Converter in both this blog site (scroll down), and my website (http://www.jackiesherwood.com/)

A Painting a Week - No 40

For Sale - 12th January 2010
Languedoc Autumn
Size: 15 x 21cm
Price A$80
(Plus A$10 postage and handling)

Its certainly not autumn here any more, but I do have great memories of the brightly coloured vines in the fields all around us. I will try and tackle something 'wintery' for my next painting - something to portray the freezing cold, wind and snow that France has been having!

If you're interested in purchasing this painting, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com to arrange payment and delivery. Please note that there is now a Currency Converter in both this blog site (scroll down), and my website (http://www.jackiesherwood.com/)

A Painting a Week - No 39

For Sale - 5th January 2010 [SOLD]
At the Beach, Stoupa, Greece
Size: 21 x 15cm
Price A$80
(Plus A$10 postage and handling)

I’ve started the year with another beach painting – the photo was taken in the summer in a little Greek town called Stoupa, in the Peloponnese. Painting something like this helps me get through the cold weather we’re having in France right now, though we're on the Mediterranean coast, so are not getting the snow like most of France, which is, as far as I’m concerned is a bit of a pity really!

If you're interested in purchasing this painting, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com to arrange payment and delivery. Please note that there is now a Currency Converter in both this blog site (scroll down), and my website (http://www.jackiesherwood.com/)