The Tree House - Finished.

The Tree House

18x24cm 

Oil on 3mm MDF canvas panel

Available

I am calling this finished. This is another of the challenge paintings from September. In fact it only needed a couple of small strokes to finish it off. These 'cabanons' are dotted all over the provence countryside. Many of them are in ruins and nature quickly takes over.

I am trying to stage my photos more professionally so I set this up and used my studio lamp which gives a blue light. It worked quite well, I think. I shall try this with some of my other paintings and see if I can reproduce it - but without the paint splattered easel LOL. Adds authenticity though doesn't it?

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Lavender Farm Provence palette knife painting

Provence Lavender Farm

Oil palette knife painting

Oil on canvas panel

18x24cm (approx 7x10)

Available

Back to painting landscapes after the abstract florals and a few commissions and a week in the UK.
I kept it simple for this one and painted directly onto the canvas panel i.e. no additional gesso and no underpainting. It has a nice 'cleanness to it'.

A couple of close-ups

 

Guarding the Lavender palette knife painting

Guarding the Lavender

Oil, Palette knife painting

18x24cm on Italian canvas panel

Available for Purchase

About this painting
This is another of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge paintings that needed a few more touches to finish it off.

Some close-ups of the knife work

And how it would look framed

Haut Alpes Plains SOLD - Day 28, 30 day challenge

Haut Alpes Plains

Oil on Canvas Panel

18x24cm (approx 7x10inch)

SOLD commissions welcomed

artbymarion (at) orange.fr

This painting is on its way to Virginia in the US. Thank you Leslie.

For years I was puzzled why many lavender fields in the Alpes-de-Haut-Provence seem to be left to go 'wild', It's such a contrast to the normally neat rows of lavenders that seem to carry on for miles. This year I found out. It is not that they are abandoned, but because they are grown ecologically with no herbicides. This makes for a much more interesting subject to paint, with the wild flowers popping up through the lavender and adding variety.

Suit Home Handy Man - Day 27, 30 day challenge

'Suit Home Handyman'
Abandoned building Provence

Palette knife painting

Oil on 40x50x4cm box canvas (16"x20")

Available 95€, international shipping included.

There are many abandoned buildings amongst the lavender fields. What are their stories? What were they for? dwellings? stock? storage? Why does no-one care? Why are they still standing? Too many questions and no answers.

About this painting
I have lots of photos of abandoned buildings of one sort or another because I think they are interesting, but have never used them in a painting. I cropped the photo but as I started painting, realised I had not cropped it close enough so I had to increase the size of the building. I still have to fight my tendency to put in too much detail, the painting was about the building so I concentrated on that.

Some close-ups showing the layers of paint

And how it would look in a floating frame.

Poppy Takeover - Abandoned lavender field oil painting

Poppy Takeover - Abandoned lavender field in Provence

Palette knife painting

Oil on canvas board

24x30cm (approx 10"x12")

worldwide shipping included

I have painted the abandoned lavender fields before see here. This painting is slightly larger and contains more of the poppies that use any opportunity to takeover. 

About this painting

I started this painting before I went to Japan. After coming home from Japan I looked after my granddaughter during the holidays and then spent a few days in the Uk. So it was well and truly dry when I picked it up again yesterday.

To revive the surface I used Liquin, spreading it over with lint free cloth, leaving it for a few minutes and then wiping off the excess. This softens the dry surface and ensures a good bond between the dried paint and the new paint.

A few close-ups

Miniature Treasures 4x6 Collection flower garden collection

 A collection of four of my 4"x6" Miniature treasure paintings

All available at $40 on Daily Paintworks

These Miniature Treasures have found new homes in the UK and USA

If you are interesting in purchasing or commissioning one, or maybe more to make a stunning group, please contact me here

SOLD - Where Poppies and Lavender Meet.

Where Poppies and Lavender Meet

15x15cm (6"x6")

oil on box canvas

This painting is SOLD

An abstracted view of the lavender fields. I like the way this painting 'moves', if you can say a painting moves! I fell like it invites your eye to travel into the scene in a meandering way.

This painting is on it's way to California. Thank you to the purchaser.

A lovely lavender day 2 Palette knife painting

A lovely lavender day 2

Palette knife painting

oil on canvas panel

18x24cm (approx 7"x10")

Available in my Etsy store

This was painted during the 30 day September challenge. I added a few finishing touches to it an it is now finished.

Some close ups of the knife work

Provence Lavender palette knife oil painting

Provence Lavender

Palette knife painting

Oil on box canvas

23 x 30 cm (approx 9x12 inch)
Available in my Etsy Store

A different format and orientation for this small painting. I have lots of canvasses that have accumulated over the years waiting for inspiration to strike. I had already painted a ground on this in a mix of blue, pink and yellow horizontal blocks and then did not do anything with it. I noticed it again a few days ago and as the block in was horizontal, it suggested a portrait format, not the typical orientation for my landscapes. The light bulb went on and this is the result.
Here are some close-ups of the knife work

The Smell of Lavender - Finished, palette knife painting in oils

The Smell of lavender

Palette knife painting

Oil on stretched linen canvas

46 x 55 cm (approx 18"x22")

For sale in my Etsy store

This painting is now finished. I changed the shape of the lavender fields from the first block in (see my previous post) a little, as compositionally they did not make sense. (Thank you Carol for pointing me in the right direction). I don't know what I was thinking, they joined smack bang in the centre of the canvas - I knew it was wrong but was persevering with it anyway. Carol made me stop and think - it's funny how sometimes it needs someone to say "Hold on a minute!".

Carol Hopper is another artist I connected with on the 30 days hath September challenge. See her blog here.

Champs de Lavande et Tournesols Provence Landscape palette knife painting

Champs de Lavande et Tournesols -

Fields of Lavender and sunflowers

Provence landscape palette knife painting

Oil on box canvas

15 x 20 (6x8") x 1.5cm
Available in my Etsy store

Take time out to Play

At the beginning of the week I was running out of ideas of what to paint and I was questioning my use of oils. I wanted to do something less representational than my normal work and had a hankering to create abstracts. 

I spent two days playing around with mono-prints as well as ink and gouache resist. I had never done either and I didn't quite know the techniques, so I read up on them and off I went!

I didn't produce anything worthy, but I had a really good time. Since then I have been re-energised. I have finished several small paintings, have plenty of good ideas milling around and I have finished my larger painting I posted last week (keep tuned tomorrow to see it).

Conclusion

Play is good for you.

Lavender Scent Palette knife painting

Lavender Scent Palette knife painting

oil on box canvas

15 x 20 (approx 6x8 inch) x 1.5cm
Available in my Etsy store 

 Today is a lavender day. 

Some close-ups

Looking through to the lavender

Looking through to the lavender

palette knife painting

40x33cm

Oil on stretched canvas

During the 30 days hath September challenge, I painted a study (see here) which I used for the concept of this painting. I searched through my lavender photos for suitable trees to use and cam up with these two groups. The dark green trees and the silvery green-grey trees are a feature of the landscape and I thought it would be good to combine the two to stop the foreground from looking too heavy.
As always, your comments are appreciated.

WIP The Smell of Lavender - Evolution o f a Provence Landscape

I am working on a larger landscape painting of the lavender fields and I have come to a bit of a halt because it is not quite working. This is where I am at at the moment

The smell of Lavender work in progress

54x46x1.8cm oil on box canvas

The olive trees gave me some bother so I wiped them and repainted them a couple of time, I am still not sure if I am happy with them but I will leave them at the moment until I resolve some of my other issues.

Perspective change
Changing the olive trees changed the perspective - at first I thought the far house was too small, but then hubby said it was the 'cabine' that needed to be larger. I decided to import the photo into photoshop and play a little before putting more paint on the canvas. Sometimes taking a break from the painting and working things out away from it can provide a fresh perspective,

Using Photoshop
I cutout the cabanne and moved it closer and enlarged it

A little bit of improvement, but the foreground wasn't working for me. What about a tree in the foreground?

More Photoshop manipulation
I cut out a tree from one of my lavender field photos and tried that

Not bad - obviously the colour of the tree would have to change, but it interfered too much with the olives.

Next I cutout the red scrub on the foreground ridge and played with that

Mmmm - not sure about that, I will probably do something in between the two.

I am also wondering if now that I have moved the cabine the conifers appear very heavy and blocky. I may decide to scrub them out.

I'll post my update tomorrow, but would love to hear your ideas in the meanwhile.

Provence Landscape minis SOLD

These three Provence landscape paintings were purchased by my neighbour and here they are hanging on her wall. They make quite a nice grouping. They were all 6x8 inch and painted with a palette knife.

The colours of Provence, 4x6 inch - oil painting, Day 25, 30 days hath September challenge

The colours of Provence, Provence landscape

Palette knife oil painting

15x10cm (6"x4") on gessoed MDF panel 

Day 25, 30 days hath September challenge
FOR SALE IN MY ETSY STORE

Another small one for day 25. You may have noticed that I like these colours and of course, it includes lavender and poppies. This is a rework of the Zorn palette study posted earlier. I just couldn't get the colours to work for me so HEY PRESTO a small Provence Scene. This is a similar composition to Meandering Path

Some close-up shots

Where Lavender and Poppies Meet, 6x6, Day 24, 30 days hath September

Where Lavender and Poppies Meet

Oil on box canvas Palette knife painting

45€ International shipping included

15x15x1.5 cm (6"x6"x0.6")

Day 24, 30 days hath September

  The sides of the canvas have been painted dark purple

so the painting can be hung without a frame.

We are back in the Haut-Alpes area of Provence for day 24, I will never get tired of painting this area.
Here are some close-ups of the paint work