Bon Jour! It's Wednesday morning in Frontenay-Sur-Dive in central France. I know for sure I am in France, because my Google is now in French. I love that. Thirteen women artists including myself have converged on this tiny town to experience the countryside, the food, the culture, and most importantly, to create art. Our group includes our fearless leader Julie Snyder, along with Elizabeth B. Tucker (Lizz), Laura Wambsgans, Lani Emanuel, Karla Bartholomew, Lynn Gertenbach, Iren Tsaturyan, Karen Cope, and yours truly (Linda Queally), all from the Los Angeles area, and Vera Champlin, Joan Brancale, Cate Hunter Kashem, and Kim Kettler, all from the Boston area.
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| Iren Tsaturyan at the train station in Paris |
I arrived yesterday with 4 of my fellow Angelinos on a non-stop, 11 hour flight to Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, followed by a two hour luxurious TGV train ride south to picturesque Poitiers. Bleary eyed from lack of sleep, shlepping 50 pound bags filled with art supplies (and a few changes of clothes) we were enthusiastically met by Julie and her delightful sister Fiona (yes, there are now two women here with scottish accents). Then, along with 6 others from the group who arrived at the Poitiers station, we boarded our rental vans for Frontenay-Sur-Dive, where we would meet up with the final 2 artists to form our group of 12 painters and 1 sculptor.
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| Kim Kettler at the train station in Poitiers |
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| Who says women can't pack a car! |
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Oh...the luggage!
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Our home away from home is a charming, spacious home belonging to Fiona's family and it is here that we gathered around the table to enjoy a well earned glass of wine, our first delicious catered meal, and the chance to relax and get acquainted. Dinner consisted of "Delice de poisson bonne femme", with seasonal vegetables of carrots and peas, potatoes, and a yummy "Tarte aux pommes" for dessert. All that was followed by the cheese course.... we are in France after all, and must have cheese!
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| "Tarte aux Pommes" |
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| "Delice de poisson bonne femme", with potatoes and seasonal vegetables |
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The cheese course
Well fed and tired, we settled in to the two homes that we will call our home for the next 10 days, to rest and recharge our energy and get ready to create art. And that story is yet to unfold.......
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Well, I haven't posted to my blog lately, but now I am excited to present the first in my new water series. I call this painting "Fluid Movement", and it is 24"x48", acrylic on canvas. I get a great feeling of energy from the water in this painting, and I feel like I've moved to a new level in terms of my painting and my understanding of the water. I hope to translate those feelings into my series, and have many ideas! Through my first body of water paintings, I celebrated motherhood by portraying my children. Through this next series, it is my intention to celebrate womanhood! Stay tuned......
My latest portrait commission is of two very special poodles, Lucy and Leopold, who have very special owners! I painted their portrait from several different photographs, inventing my own background based on the colors and style of their home. The challenge to painting Lucy and Leopold came in their coloring. At first look, they are black dog, white dog. But when you look closer, there are really quite a few colors. It was a lot of fun, and I was delighted with the outcome (and hopefully their owners were, too!). This painting is 18"x18", Acrylic on Canvas.
This painting is a product of the time I spent doing the Alternative Art Market at "The Majestical Roof" on the weekend of June 27 and 28. Since I was there from 11 to 7 both days, I used the time in between chatting with friends and visitors to do a Plein Air painting of the shop. It really made the weekend all the more special! There's a kind of light moisture that leaks from the trees over the courtyard there, that kept us cool, like a mister. I like to think of it as magical, majestical rain! It contributed to the magic of the weekend. In this painting, the two paintings of the women in the second windowpane are representations of wonderful works done by artist Helena Rose, and the paper lanterns in the third windowpane are representations of works done by paper artist Van Lee. You just might recognize the work in the fourth windowpane as a favorite painting done by yours truly! "The Majestical Roof" painting is 18"x18", Acrylic on Canvas, $495.
I've spent the last three weeks working on a very special portrait commission, which was my first opportunity to work on a series of paintings that form one piece of work with a single theme (a Triptych, of sorts). These paintings depict the special time spent between a mother and her three year old daughter, and were a surprise gift for her for Mother's Day. Each painting is 9"x12", acrylic on canvas. I found the best way to approach this was to literally work on all 3 paintings at once, instead of completing them one at a time. That way I could keep the colors consistent, and have the feelings emerge as I worked. This was a wonderful project for me, and I was thrilled to do it. Please remember that I am available for commission, and would love to do a special piece for you, too!
