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 115 - Idle Boats, Vernazza

For Sale - 13th November 2012
Idle Boats, Vernazza
Size: 21 x 15cm
Price A$90
(Postage and handling included)

Now that we're back in Koroni, I have many many more photos to reference for my paintings.  Its been an incredibly busy year of travelling, and it's likely I'm going to have to spend all winter organising all these photos, not to mention  previous years. This one though, was taken during a spring visit to Vernazza in Italy's lovely Cinque Terre.  Some of the boats that are usually moored in a nice orderly line in the harbour were lying up on the higher level amongst the restaurants, I would suspect, following a nice winter paint job.

When I was actually painting this I was thinking it was Portofino as I have taken similar photos there, but then as I was working on 'ageing' the buildings, I realised it couldn't possibly be Portfofino; the buildings in the background were far too 'tatty' (just as I like them!)

We were in Vernazza again about a month ago with James, and I'm pleased to report it seems to have almost recovered from the devastating mudslide there last autumn. The harbour area is back to normal, though the main street through the town is still pretty chaotic and noisy, with workmen, jackhammers and the like. Most of the shops do seem to have reopened and are sporting new and interesting facades.

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 113 - Poppy Fields, Italy 2

For Sale - 23rd October 2012
Poppy Fields, Italy 2
Size: 21 x 15cm
Price A$90
(Postage and handling included)

We’ve just spent the past week or so, back in Italy again, slowly travelling through towards France with my eldest son, James.  It seems relevant therefore, to have my second recently finished poppy painting this week, although the Italian fields are now all ploughed and bare.  We had a great time exploring the Puglia region and have seen some amazing sights, which will feature in my blog once we get a good internet connection.  From there we spent some time in Positano (where James was testing his memory of his last stay there at the age of 6), and Cinque Terre.... yes, again!  We've now just arrived in Menton, France.

I took the photo for this painting near San Miniato in Tuscany back in May - as you can see from the photo below, its a very serious business photographing poppies!

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 112 - Feta Tin, Skopelos, Greece

For Sale - 25th September 2012
Feta Tin, Skopelos
Size: 15 x 21cm
Price A$90
(Postage and handling included)

Here in Greece, feta tins have a multitude of uses once all the cheese has been eaten or sold. They're often used as pots, sometimes painted in bright colours, or like this one, just left au naturale. I came across this lonely example with its sprouting succulents, sitting on some steps in the cobbled laneways of the island of Skopelos.

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.