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LAST DAY IN GASCONY

Suzanne’s fall painting trip to France is coming to an end.
But there’s one day left, so let’s get on with it. 
Breakfast. Painting. Picnic. Painting. Back to La Petite Galerie. Painting. Crit. Dinner. Bed.
Quite a full day, as you can see. 
Here are some visual memories. 

Painting in the medieval bastide of Larressingle.

Amongst the roses at Fources .

Picnic at Larressingle.

Under the trees, deep in thought about colour, composition and technique.

Last dinner in Gascony at La Table des Cordeliers in Condom.

So that’s it folks for 2018. 
Tomorrow it’s au revoir et bon voyage. 
Back to the USA.
Hope to see y’all again sometime. 
Amicalement et bisous, 
Ray & Lynne

SUZANNE’S PAINTING HOLIDAY IN FRANCE—FALL 2018

Suzanne and John are back with a group of friends.
They’ve come to paint, and while they’re here we hope to have a bit of fun along the way.
Wine is important so we’ll do some wine and Armagnac tasting.
Food is important so we’ll test quite a few local restaurants to see how they rate.
Markets are important so we’ll visit a few of those too.
And there are some wonderful, very old and beautiful villages to see as well.
Everyone loves Lynne’s picnics so they’re also on the agenda.
Oh yes, and then there’s the art component. So we’d better get on with painting a few pictures as well.
The cliche is that pictures are worth a thousand words, so here we go with some photos of what we get up to.

Theresa, Jan and Suzanne painting amongst the vines at Lectoure.

Leigh Anne, Elaine and Ray working it all out.

That’s Debbie in the background

Picnics are always popular. This one’s on the banks of the river in Nerac.

Painting outside a medieval house in Nerac.

Preparing to paint a portrait at La Petite Galerie.

Lunch at the Contes d’Albret. This restaurant specialises in  duck.

All in a day’s work.

Jan and Andy.

Debbie and Donald.

Rebecca and Marilyn.

Suzanne and Rudolph.

Leigh Ann and Jackie.

Theresa and Jane.

Elaine and Audrey.

Picnic lunch at the Chateau du Frechou.

Preparing to paint the pigeonnier at Le Frechou.

Theresa’s version.

Leigh Ann with hers.

Elaine with her version.

Suzanne with hers.

Watch out! Big Brother’s always watching you.

Finishing off the paintings.

Debbie decided to paint the Orangerie as well.

Now it’s 6.45 PM and they’re at it in the garden at La Petite Galerie.

So that’s what we’ve done so far, but tomorrow we visit Condom (where the Three Musketeers and d’Artagnan came from. Then we go on to the tiny bastide of Larressingle. And we’ll be painting in Fources after lunch. So come back for more when you have the chance. 

ALL THE WAY FROM AUSTRALIA

Max and Elvyne came to stay—all the way from Australia.
While they were here they found time to …

Slumming it with  a local politician

…hobnob it with the local Maire. The pic shows them on the Mairie (Town Hall) steps with President Macron’s man in Mezin. 
We also travelled around Gascony showing them all the nearby attractions—Condom (yes that’s really it’s name), Lectoure, Montreal, Nerac and several others.
And Max even found time to paint a watercolour at the round bastide of Fources. 

Look what I painted today!

Then we put them on the plane at Bergerac on their way to Blighty and Ireland. 

A quick bite in the garden, and then it’s time to say goodbye

Bon voyage! Hope to see you again one day.

BUON CAMINO!

Gai Jacobs is back in our neck of the woods. Walking on the St Jacques route to Compostela. This time with her friend Bev (who has walked the route several times).

Gai and Bev in the garden at La Petite Galerie. 

We first met Gai when she came to Gascony exactly three years ago, almost to the day, in May 2015. She was with a group friends who were on a “Learn French on Holiday in France” at La Petite Galerie. 

Gai and Bev at lunch in the garden at La Petite Galerie  (2018)

Alistair,  Helen, Annette, Gai, Dawn, Lynne and  Philip outside 
"The Bastard" in Lectoure in 2015.

Gai and friends have a French lesson en plein air at La Petite Galerie in 2015

 We even found time to paint a watercolour at Fources a village nearby that’s officially listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France.

A painting lesson was also on the menu three years ago

While they were here we walked from Condom to Larressingle on the GR 65. The walk seems to have given her the taste “to do The Big One”—their current walk has taken them from Le Puy to Mezin—and they’re now on their way to the Pyrenees, Pamplona, and Compostela in far western Spain. 

BON CHEMIN et BON COURAGE!

THREE WEEKS IN BAHRAIN

Heat and sand. Beautiful.
Three weeks in the Middle East often took my memories back to the Red Centre in Australia.
So I painted this picture for Mat, Vicky, Jack and Tom.

RAY & FRIENDS (LIFE SIZE AMAM & EVE - UPDATE)

This is what my latest diptych looks like on 10 April 2018.
Hope you like it.
Earlier versions at various stages of development can be seen at other posts on this blog.
Watch this space if you’d like to see how it develops.
And please contact me if you have any questions or comments.

ADAM & EVE ANOTHER W.I.P.

Here’s a photo of the latest developments. Please keep watching this space to find out how the saga continues.

ADAM & EVE POSTER

This is the poster I’ll be using to publicise my forthcoming exhibition at the Chateau Le Fréchou in the summer: ADAM & EVE AND OTHER PAINTINGS.
Everything you need to know is on the poster. If it isn’t please email me.

Adam & Eve - A work in progress.

This work in progress shows the stars of my forthcoming exhibition “ADAM & EVE AND OTHER PAINTINGS” which will be on view in the Orangerie at the Chateau le Fréchou during the summer of 2018. (47600 Lot et Garonne). 

I have already posted pics of earlier stages of their development (scroll down to view). As you can see they are not yet finished and there will no doubt be more changes to the figures as the paintings evolve.

Watch this space.

ANNA’S BIRTHDAY PRESENT

We’ve known Anna & George longer than we’ve known anyone else in France.
Today’s Anna’s birthday.
And it’s a BIG ONE!
SIXTY!
So I did this copy of Van Gogh’s Yellow Chair for her.
We’ll give it to her in a few hours time.
Hope she likes it.

ADAM AND EVE IN BLU

“Adam and Eve in Blu” is another study for the life-size pair of paintings on the same subject that I’m currently working on. The large paintings will go on show at an exhibition I’m having at Château du Fréchou in Gascony, France. 

This painting is done in watercolour, acrylic and black ink. The paper size is 42 x 59 cms The actual image is 35 x 43 cms. The work is signed, titled, dated and embossed.

If it’s bought, it will be posted in a very durable cardboard tube. 

STUDY FOR A LIFE-SIZE PAINTING OF EVE

My life-size paintings of Adam and Eve have gone into hibernation. (They will both be part of my exhibition at the Château du Fréchou in summer 2018).  But it’s too cold to work in my studio which is the only place in the house that’s convenient for paintings of that size. (They’re each 2 metres tall). However, as they are by no means finished—in fact, they’re in the preliminary "blocking out" stage—I’m amusing myself by doing studies for the figures of both Adam and Eve. 
By chance I recently saw Damien Hirst’s GQ cover photo of Rhianna as Medusa. (Obviously inspired by Caravaggio’s famous painting). Needless to say snakes would be ideal for Eve’s hair. So this is a watercolour study for my big painting of Eve. You can see the original on Saatchi online.

HOW TO PAINT A CHATEAU

This is the Chateau du Frechou. It dates back to 1280. The painting is for Jean-Michel, the owner who lives and works in the chateau. The painting is done from a scaled up photo Jean-Michel sent me.
As you can see, because it’s so obvious, my Adam & Eve series has been moved to the back burner. They’ve had to make way for several other projects that needed to be completed before Christmas. Problem is, it’s now winter. My studio is cold and the days are short. So Adam and Eve will be in hibernation (low body temperature, slow breathing, low heart rate, and low metabolic rate) until the spring. But my plans are developing quite well for my exhibition next year. It’ll be called "Adam & Eve and other paintings". Guess where? Quite right, the Chateau du Frechou.

The Chateau du Frechou

Adam & Eve series

MEET EVE

This is Eve

Eve is on her way to join Adam (for his details please see the previous post).
They’re both lifesize—each is painted on two panels measuring 1 metre x 1 metre and set one above the other.
The pair will be the centrepiece for an exhibition I’m planning for summer 2018.
The working title is “ADAM & EVE AND OTHER PAINTINGS IN FRANCE”.
The rough plan is to have about 10 male and female nudes (Adam & Eve) juxtaposed with about the same numbers of French landscapes.
Let’s hope it works out something along these lines.

This is Eve after a change in direction