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A still life and a plein air in oil;

Yesterday was cold and grey and it was unpleasant being outside, so a still life was my choice of duty. I felt much better after completion of the still life; Not sure whether it is was the fact that I painted, ot the bright yellow of the suflowers. Probably a good mix of both.

Two sunflowers

oil on board, 20X15cm

sunflowers

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Two chairs

oil on board, 35X24cm

two chairs

Today was sunny and warm and pleasant. No question. A plein air was on the the to-do-list. The garden is in a state of neglect with us working on the house and the cottage the last few months. I think the painting perfectly reflects the charotic character of my unkempt garden of late.

à bientôt

Ronell

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Two sketches

I took the day off and went galavaning. Had coffe and cake and tea, bought a Napoleon chair and a plant. And inbetween I did something useful like a sketch.

Somewhere I’ve  lost my burning desire to sketch. Apart from me feeling it, the sketches also clearly show it. They are dull and lifeless. It could be that I have started doing a lot of my first love which is oils. But I do want to sketch, there are so much around to capture in a sketch! So, the question:  will that enthusiasm to sketch return if I just keep going?

Teashop

interior salon de the

Architecture Brive la Gaillarde

Brive architecture

à bientôt

Ronell

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Hyacinths in oil.

I don’t have hyacinths in the garden, but I bought some forced bulbs and they ere just beautiful at their peak.I sketched them in watercolor, but struggled. So I left it for a while. Slowly but surely the blooms began to topple over, like hyacinths do and they started turning brownish in their color. no waiting anymore, I had to paint or lose them.

hyacinths-2017-001

White hyacinth in watercolor

hyacinths-2017

white hyacitnths

oil on board, 33X40 cm

white-hyacinths-in-oil

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Watercolour for Sunflowers.

Some subject are painted again and again and they never look the same, like sunflowers. I have done sunflowers in 2007, then in 2010, 2011, 2014 and now again. they are just wondeful to paint/sketch…the colour alone gives me huge kick when slapping it onto the paper. Sometimes my painting/sketching didn’t work, but I enjoyed painting sunflowers every time. So, before the season runs out, I need to get some sunflowers done in oil…looking forward to that.

Sunflower 1: Watercolour and pen,  watercolour block, 30x30cm

sunflowers 2016

Sunflower 2: Watercolour and pen, watercolour block, 3030cm

sunflowers 20160001

à bientôt

Ronell

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Paris sketches in july.

When we drove into Paris last week and arrived at Porte d’Italie, I could feel it has been a long time since I have been there. I forgot the traffic, I forgot the speed, I forgot the taxis, the motos…but I haven’t forgotten how much I enjoy going in to Paris. I didn’t do any museums. The weather was perfect and I just wandered the streets, took in the summer ambiance…and I did some sketches of which only one or two were completed, the rest will be finished next time I get to Paris.

Paris 1: The ever recognizable presse kiosks of PAris. this one is in the tree lined Blvd St. Germain.

Parissketches 2016

Paris 2: Resting in the shade by la fontaine Sulpice, just opposite Annick Goutal, where I get my favorite perfume, Eau du sud.

Parissketches 2016-001

Paris 3: I can’t remember where I did this sketch, since I haven’t noted down anything. I could be somewhere where I stopped for a coffee.

Parissketches 2016-002

 à bientôt

Ronelle

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February art: Café life.

February is a month in which many stores, restaurants and cafés close for a fortnight, taking their break before spring arrives with all its liveliness. Not much is happening in the mostly grey month of February. Everybody is cocooning and taking Prozac in front of their daylight lamps. Schools are also closed for a fortnight and the whole world goes skiing in February. Tradition. Except…this year is not a great skiing year with snow only on the highest peaks.

In the one café that is open during this month, I enjoyed my coffee and croissant. It is better than Prozac at least. It was stock full of people, being the only bar open in town, with everybody looking for a counter to lean on with their petit noir. I am not a counter girl, I prefer a table and a large one at that for all my clutter.

It is actually great sketching wise, when there are so many people in a bar. Nobody notices you giving him/her the infernal sketching glare, so drawing people is much more relaxed.

 

Streetview opposite café de la Poste in Bretenoux…Just a building across from Cafe de la Poste. I had my young German shepherd, Lindiwe with me who got impatient and I had to speed up the sketching.

Watercolor and Pilot Prera pen in Stillman & birn sketchbook, 22X14.5cm

Cafelife

sketching with Lindiwe

Café life 1, 2 3: In PMU, we all call it Cécile’s bar, life was busy and noisy and sketching went great. The only problem was that my pen got empty and it got more and more difficult to make nice dark lines.

Pilot Prera pen in Stillman & Birn sketchbook, 22×14.5cm

Cafelife-001Cafelife-002Cafelife-003

Cketching at Cecile

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February art: A celeriac in J. Herbin ink.

I had the good intention to go do some plein air painting today; The sun came out this morning with blue skies and although it was chilly,it was a  perfect day for plein air. Then I got stuck in doing all sorts of nothings, so the day got older and colder and my courage weaker. To not feel completely useless, I grabbed this celeriac, already a week…or two,  old.

I used J. Herbin ink, color café des isles. It is water soluble and along with some watercolor dabs, I bled the lines. So I think the cream, somewhat bland colored celeriac got a little red in its cheeks, giving it some snazzy attitude.

celeriac

J. Herbin  ink, nib pen and watercolor in Stillman & Birn sketchbook, 15x22cm

celeri-rave

Café des islescafedes isles