Morning light and backlit pears

The apartment we are renting is lovely and it is filled with a soft and creamy light in the mornings.  Here you can see our little sitting area.  It, in fact, gets so sunny that I have to sit at the kitchen table!!!  But the lovely stone walls reflect the light in the most beautiful way.

And when the light is just right, anything I put in the window sill opposite the sitting area is backlit. This is my first attempt at the pears photo that I posted the other day in which the backlighting was so dramatic. I will quite likely do this a couple more times, because I am so enjoying the practice. Learning, learning!!!

So that's it for today.  I had a very quiet day today: reading, painting, walking, (Have you noticed that I never mention housework!!!  I mean, really, why change my spots???!!!)

I'll be back.....

A new perspective.

Oh my goodness, can you hardly stand it??? Two postings in one day!!

I am wanting to learn more about perspective and how to draw it convincingly.  So I thought I'd start with this shot taken on one of the little streets quite close to the Palais des Papes (sorry can't remember it's name...I'll edit this if we walk by it again and if I can actually remember it).  First I messed around with the photo a wee bit in Photoshop Elements, because ....that's what I do.  

I drew it out in pencil first and then did the painting.  At the same time as trying to figure out the perspective thing, I am getting to know my paper.  This is Arches paper, cold pressed, 140 pounds.  I love it.  It's 100% cotton, is beautifully absorbent and does wonderful things with the colour.  (But then you probably know that already....I'm just getting there, you see!!!!  It's all so exciting.)

It's all about learning and finding my way.  I'm trying to figure out what to leave in, what to take out. I'm trying to figure out what I like and what I don't like. And I'm trying to figure out why that building on the left is leaning so much!!! See???? So much to learn!!

So this is my first 'building' painting.  It's a start!!  And there are lots more buildings here!! Yippee!

I'll be back....

Rue Jules Vernet, Avignon

I think that Rue Jules Vernet is my favourite street so far in Avignon.  Well, next to Rue des Teinturiers, which will always be my favourite.  But this one is also a favourite for other reasons, most of them having to do with light.  And this one somehow feels more 'French', not quite so directed at the tourists, unlike Rue de la Republique, with is very tourist-y.  How about the light in this one:

And then, as you may know, I am a fan of online courses, and I am currently enrolled in Sketchbook Skool.  This one is on Storytelling.  In a Journal.  I'm happy to get lots of new ideas, and while I have never drawn my food before (!!!), it's actually quite fun!

This is my pic from the first exercise...I didn't do it quite as suggested, but it is a pic of my morning coffee, as I have been having it every morning while I've been here. I get up, make my coffee and sit at the computer while I drink it.  Fun.

This one is from the second exercise.  It's a recipe of sorts.  Not sure if I got the 'story' down pat, but the doing of it was fun.  And all just before it went into the soup pot!  I've used the paint kit that is available from the Kemshall's online store, the one I used when I did their Sketchbook course.  I quite like it, but the colours are very heavily pigmented, and I'm still trying to get the blue out of my brush!!!

So that's it for the moment.  I'll be back...

(Here's a link to Sketchbook Skool:

www.sketchbookskool.com 

On doing one's own work

I am trying to do some watercolour work every day.  And it isn't as if I don't have tons of inspiration. And yet here I am copying someone else's work.  This is only for my own interest, and because I LOVE the version done by the artist.  It is done by Adrie Hoekstra and is a picture she did based on a photo taken in Gent.  I was so smitten with her version that I had to give it a try.  It was fun to try and replicate colours which I suppose is a sort of learning in itself.  I am trying to figure out why some pieces appeal to me and others do not.  And I am wondering what it will tell me about my own work. This is my version of the piece done by Hoekstra.

I just want to reiterate that this is not my work....well,I did do this little painting but it is a total copy of the piece done by Hoekstra.  It really is a difficult question, this 'copying' business.  Is it all right to do this kind of thing if it's just for my own learning?? I know there are classes that teach one how to draw and paint 'like the masters', so I'm hoping it's ok.

In the meantime, I have purchased more pears and plan to do some more of my own work.  There, that will feel better.

Pretty dramatic lighting, hey???  Yum!!!  I have messed around a bit in photoshop elements to get this effect.

Both of these shots were taken out the east facing window that I showed you the other day in the sunrise shot.  The wonderful stone in the background is part of the roof structure of the building where we are staying and the pears are sitting on a glass shelf that has lighting built/hidden in it.  Very effective, although here the lights are turned off and the sun is lighting up the fruit.  Possibilities, don't you think???

I'll get busy, and I'll be back...

Here's a link to the original watercolour of the original photo, well, you'll see what I mean:

http://www.edohannema.nl/wordpress/three-painters-doing-gent/

Watercolours from Avignon, Sept 30

Haven't done too much today.  I walked up to Les Halles this morning and bought some lovely veggies for lunch and dinner and then have come back to our apartment and done a little sketch from one of the pics that I showed you yesterday.  This is taken in the Place Carnot which is situated almost in the centre of the walled city.

It's very close to Place Pie, where Les Halles is situated, and is just outside the pedestrian-only area. Well, it's not really just for pedestrians, because, you see, while they have these neat little cement block things at the entrance to the roadways, that prevent cars from entering the zone, if they (the drivers) have a magic pass card/key thing that makes the cement block things sink into the ground, then they (the drivers AND their cars) can drive into the pedestrian areas which kind of negates the whole idea of a pedestrian-only zone!!  (If you see what I'm saying.)  I guess it's for the store owners, people who are doing deliveries, etc. and for that cute little Baladine electric van that goes around the city.  And since the Baladine is electric it doesn't make any noise, so it is possible to be walking along in the pedestrian-only zone,  quite oblivious to the van driving along Right Behind You!!  Creepy!!

Anyway, I am also showing you the pear pic that I did yesterday.  As I mentioned yesterday, I have done several iterations of the same plate of fruit, but it's kind of fun because I am learning a bit more about the set-up and my paints at the same time.

Not quite sure what I'll be doing (again!!) tomorrow.
I'll be back.....

The end of September in Avignon

We have continued with our daily walks and it continues to be beautiful weather.  Today is overcast, but still warm.

The Pont Benezet (known to most of the world as the Pont d'Avignon) seen from one of the exits leading out of the walled city.  We were walking by, on the inside of the walls, and I slipped out to get this shot.  Not the best, but a variation.

This is one of a pair of ring-necked doves that live in the area.  This is part of the building we are in, in fact, that is taken out one of the windows in our living room, looking east.  The wall, in fact, is part of our apartment, where our bedroom is.

 And, because I'm not especially good at getting the order of things right, this is from our Sunday morning walk and I believe is in the place Carnot.

 This is another Sunday morning shot (notice that there are hardly any people about!) taken in the walking area as we were on our way to Les Halles to get some food fixin's.  Les Halles is open every morning except Mondays and is usually a pretty bustling place.  Sunday morning was no exception.  I'll try and get a shot of the inside before we leave.

This is another shot out the east facing window in our living room from early this morning.  The picture of the dove, a couple of shots above this one, was taken looking out the right hand side of the window, only looking more 'up' as it were, where the birds generally are!!!

And I have done a couple more pictures inspired by the fruit plate that I set up quite a few days ago (the fruit's long gone but the photo remains!!).  The most recent ones are on the bottom.  I haven't finished the one in the bottom middle...I'll show you that one when I've done some more to it.  It's quite fun to do the same picture a few times because I learn something new each time.  And I'm getting a bit more comfortable with my palette....but still such a long way to go.  It's fun (almost always!!).

The weather forecast is for rain tomorrow.  I'm on my own for a few days (sort of) as my guy is taking some time do to a meditation 'retreat'.  He will do this quite often at home and there is no reason that here should be any different.  It's quite handy that we have two bedrooms in the apartment here so I can come and go as I please and he can sit still, as he pleases!!!  It's all good!

It should mean that I'll spend a bit more time drawing, painting, printing, whatever, as I please!!  Hopefully I'll have more to show you next time.

I'll be back.....

The longest and the best birthday ever!!

It's 8 o'clock on a Sunday morning and I can hear church bells and birds singing.  The sun is shining and it's going to be another beautiful day.  Yesterday we went out for a meal and a meander; it was one of those BIG birthdays and while I have celebrated the actual day here in Provence, it feels as if this whole trip is one giant birthday!!  I cannot believe how lucky I am!!!

(Hmmm, I notice that the date of this post is the 27th, which means that it's STILL my birthday.  Honestly, it just goes on and on!!!!)

 Walking down Rue Joseph Vernet again.  Maybe a painting out of this one???

The view across the street from our living room window.  Light and shadows and roses.  Lovely.

The view out our bedroom window.  Sigh.

Today we are going to walk up to Les Halles again and buy some dinner fixings.  Honestly, it can't get any better!!

I'll be back....