Pont-aven, Brittany- Oil 9x12

This is the magical small town where Gauguin found himself painting in 1888. The Pont-Aven River runs through the center and is lined with old stone buildings typical to France. Started on location again and finished indoors. I worked quickly once again to retain freshness. My first goal was to capture the gentle light on the buildings and then the contrast of the rest of the landscape.Keeping the softness of he distant winter trees was a good exercise for me, especially where they meet the sky.

Brittany Blue- Oil 8x8

I haven't posted for a bit but have been spending lots of time exploring and taking photos. My head is spinning with all the possibilities! There is too much to paint here.
This is a typical scene here in Brittany . I did this painting from a quick sketch and a photo. My goal was to keep it as fresh as it would have been if done Plein Air, (tricky!). I find if I time myself, it is more likely to happen.

Old Farm House

Here is a small ink sketch done on location. I prefer ink pens over pencils for these types of sketches. There's so much history found all around here. I'm always greeted by a dog of some sort, some friendly, others not!

Village Street- oil 8x8

There are so many spots around here to paint. In France the tiny villages are sometimes only a few hundred meters apart. This one is called Kerneurzach. I started the sketch and barely got a couple dabs of paint laid down and it started to drizzle. I took mental notes , a picture and headed back to paint it inside. I have gained a new appreciation for the winter landscape in the past two weeks.

Harbor Glass-Oil 11x14

I found this ocean inlet a 1 Km. from where I'm staying in Nombrat. The water was like glass, perfect for reflections. I started it outside but had to finish it later indoors. I was drawn to the way the rope led the eye into this cluster of boats. Painting reflections in water is not as challenging as I thought it would be,especially in oil!

Winter Light- 8x10 oil

I painted this inside from the photo shown previously (too cold today). The winter light is very gentle making shadows and reflected light less intense. I was aiming to capture this soft light.Once the quick sketch was done, I painted in an Alla Prima technique. It took about 11/2 hours to finish.

Brittany in Winter

I arrived in Brittany a few days ago. Its pretty cold with snow flurries so painting Plein Air should be interesting. I'm in the countryside and its beautiful! I've already spotted interesting spots to paint. Hoping to get out the paints soon!