The finished work 18x22" 46x55cm Oil on canvas

Quinces,basket and grapes on blue cloth (unfinished) 18"x22" 46x55cm

 I have been working on this painting on and off for three weeks. I want to add few leaves and finish the cloth which is driving me mad as there are different blues from the weaving and from the lighting! Must work more on my values right from the start..

Je travaille sur cette peinture depuis trois semaines avec interruption. Je veux ajouter quelque feuilles et terminer le torchon mais la variete des bleus due au tissage et a l'eclairage ne facilitent pas ma tache.
Il faut travailler les valeurs des le debut de la peinture.

Meanwhile

Two 20' poses at my evening class in Cherbourg (acrylic paint)


Deux poses de 20 minutes aux Beaux-Arts de Cherbourg au cours du soir
(peinture acrylic)

Two quinces 7"x5" 18x12cm

I found these attractive quinces at my local market. Their primitive look appealed to me and reminded me of some  fruit paintings by 17th century Spanish artists (Sanchez Cotan, Zurbaran ...)
I used a palette knife to give a more modern look.

Ces coings de forme tres primitive achetes au marche de Cherbourg m'ont fait penser aux peintres espagnols du 16eme siecle (Sanchez Cotan, Zurbaran ).  J'ai utilise le couteau a peindre pour donner une touche plus contemporaine  a cette peinture.

Quinces on blue cloth (Oil on canvas ) 46x27cm 18"x11"

At last here is the final picture of the quinces which were given to me by my friend Violette. The  blue cloth was interesting to work on, its pattern creating a good frame for the china bowl.                                       

Voici enfin la peinture des coins donnes par mon amie Violette .  La  nappe a carreaux  cree un cadre interessant pour le  compotier et  pour les fruits.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

                     Price:  $360       € 280   Inquiry ms@moniqueshaw.net                 

Three oranges on blue cloth 30x43cm 12"x17"

I cannot resist painting oranges or mandarins as soon they arrive on the market. These still had their leaves. Blue goes well with orange (we all know these are complementary colours) therefore I decided to set them on a kitchen cloth which I have often done before. I worked with thin washes of oil paint to keep the picture lively and fresh. 
 
La tentation est grande de peindre ces oranges encore avec leurs feuilles. Le bleu et orange sont des couleurs complementaires comme chacun sait et c'est pourquoi quand je peints ces fruits , je les dispose souvent sur un torchon bleu et blanc.
J'ai travaille en lavis de facon a garder cette peinture fraiche et vivante.

Taking advantage of the season I am painting some quinces given by my friend Violette, an antique dealer living in Melle and who has given me a recipe for making quince jelly...but before I must paint them quickly as they are browning at great speed! I did a small colour study which is on my website

Roses and clementines (Oil on canvas)

I have used a paint knife for the roses which is quite unusual for me. This has given weight to the flower and I like the result.


J'ai utilise un couteau a peindre ce qui n'est pas dans mon style habituellement.Cela donne du poids aux roses et j'aime le resultat.

Price : $ 310   € 240  
Inquiry at ms@moniqueshaw.net

Three peaches on a plate

With this painting I tried a different approach to my usual way of working - a bit more improvisation and a bit less realism !

Avec ce sujet j'ai essaye de travailler differement - un peu plus d'improvisation et moins de realisme !

Three peppers - SOLD -

As part of my study of transparency I have chosen these three peppers as a subject. This follows the work I have already done with lemons and clementines - see blog entry for April 14th.

Pour continuer mon etude sur la transparence j'ai choisi ces trois poivrons comme sujet.C'est la suite d'etudes faites sur citrons ( voir le poste du 4 Avril sur ce blog) et clementines  commences cette annee.

A rose from my garden

Summer is fading away and this prompted me to paint the last roses from my garden. I was tempted to have two roses in the vase but finally decided that the composition was more balanced with only one.

L'ete est a sa fin aussi ai- je voulu peindre une des dernieres roses de mon jardin. J'ai choisi de peindre une seule rose pour faire une peinture sereine et equilibree.

Les roses de Perrot - SOLD -

Earlier this summer I spent a week in the Ardeche at a painting course given by Stephane Ruais. The theme of the course was landscape painting but after four days of painting nothing but trees I felt the need to revert to my usual Nature Morte. This is the result – which has now been sold.

Au debut de l'ete j'ai suivi un stage de peinture en Ardeche donne par Stephane Ruais afin d'apprendre comment traiter le paysage en peinture.Le dernnier jour je n'ai pu m'empecher de retourner a ma predilection pour la nature morte et  voici le resultat - cette peinture est maintemant vendue.

My evening meal

These 2 fresh  fish were given to me for my evening meal and I could not resist painting them ! This subject makes you aware of the variety of greys you have to prepare before putting the final bright white reflecting the ambiant light.

Je n'ai pu m'empecher de peindre ces 2 poissons donnes pour mon repas du soir...Toute une gamme de gris a faire avant de mettre les eclats de blanc refletant la lumiere ambiante.

A small painting

So little time nowadays (on my way to a painting course in the South of France) but I have managed to do this small painting 5"x7" which is on auction on Daily Paintorks.com

Une petite peinture 18x13cm avant de partir pour 5 jours a un stage de peinture dans l'Ardeche , (etude de paysage) Cette peinture est aux encheres sur Dailypaintworks.com

Exhibition 'Les Cascades'

                                                   Invitation a Boire 18x15"  47x38cm

                                                     Sauve des eaux 24x20"     61x50cm

These are the two pictures I have submitted today for an exhibition taking place in St Pierrre Eglise (50) and where the subject was imposed : 'WATER'. Your comments are most welcome!
Voici les deux peintures presentees pour une exposition ayant lieu a St Pierre Eglise(50) et ou le sujet etait impose : 'L'EAU'. Vos commentaires sont bien venus !
                                  

Thank you to Julie Ford

...for giving me the courage to change my habits. It is so difficult for me to go away from my brushes,but today I have attempted to work with palette knives. Heres is the result! I quite like it.

J'ai enfin change mes habitudes et pris mon courage a deux mains , delaisse mes pinceaux  pour des couteaux a peindre. Voici le resultat. Je suis assez satisfaite !

Small paintings

 These are small paintings 7x5"which I have done recently and put on the DPW auction website. I am working hard on 2 paintings to exhibit in 2 weeks time but these for me are big  24x20" and 18x15" The theme is WATER - Look for my new post I probably will show the 2 paintings.
Follow me !

Voici 2 petites peintures que j'ai mis sur un site americain pour encheres. Entre temps je prepare une exposition , le theme est l'eau et chaque artiste presente 2 oeuvres.Deux tableaux de grandes dimensions pour moi 61x50cm et 46x38cm et je les presenterai sur ma prochaine page de ce blog... A suivre!

Lemon in and out of the bag - SOLD -

This is my second painting involving fruit in and out of a plastic bag. As a painter this is interesting since it involves a variety of brush stokes - some very soft and other very crisp.
This allow the fruit to be seen in focus or out of focus depending on its position in regard to the bag.

Voici ma deuxieme peinture ayant pour sujet le traitement d'un fruit dans un sac en plastique ou en dehors du sac. En adoucissant les marques du pinceau, on peut donner l'illusion du fruit dans le sac.

A male study

A 45 minutes pose of a male model. This was done in acrylic on paper and I was very free and bold with the colours.However I did respect the different tones of the complexion .


Cette peinture est faite a l'acrylic sur papier et bien que les couleurs semblent hardies j'ai respecte les variances de ton de la chaire .

Horror!

I have just re-read my post from yesterday and I see an awful spelling mistake has crept in ! Read " we LIVE " instead of "we leave".
Must watch my steps - that's the problem with ageing...

Water

I am working on the theme of "water" for an exhibition at the end of May.  I did not want to feature anything too obvious like the sea (we leave close to it) or rivers or  reflections on water. I believe there will be quite a lot of those. Being a still life painter I came to the conclusion that this is what I do best and therefore set up this composition. Here is where I am after the first 3 hours of work.

Cette composition est pour un projet d'exposition avec pour theme "l'eau", premier resultat donc une ebauche apres 3 heures de travail

Yesterday landscape -

This was worked from a photogaph taken yesterday on a walk along the coast of the Cotentin. A lovely day and I have tried to capture the light and I feel I have succeeded, so I am pleased with myself !

Cette peinture est faite d'apres une photo d'un paysage le long de la cote du Cotentin, lors d'une promenade hier apres-midi. Belle lumiere que j'ai tente de representer et pense avoir reussi, donc assez contente de moi !

Less is more

I have found this painting that I did last summer
I love the different greys and looking at the final work now I beleive I should have stop here.


J'ai retrouve cette peinture faite l'ete dernier et j'aime les differents teintes de gris de cette peinture et en comparant avec tableau final je pense maintenant que j'aurais du m'arreter la.

A new experiment

This painting is done by floating indian ink on wet paper which allows some of it to diffuse or spread.

The white areas were done using art masking fluid - a special gum which works as a reserve (this has to be done before wetting the paper.)

When the work is finished you peal off the gum and reveal the white part .
This is my interpretation of a 19th century oil painting from a black & white photocopy.

                                                                     ***

Cette peinture est faite en faisant flotter de l'encre de chine sur papier mouillé ce qui a permis  a l'encre  de diffuser et de se propager.
Les zones blanches ont été effectuées en utilisant un fluide de masquage - une gomme spéciale qui fonctionne comme une" réserve" (cela doit être fait avant de mouiller le papier.)
Lorsque le travail est terminé, on retire la pellicule de gomme revelant ainsi  la partie blanche.
Ceci est une interpretation  d' une peinture à l'huile du 19ème siècle en se servant d'une photocopie noir et blanc.

The blue vase with roses

Oil on canvas board 14"x10" 35x27cm

I started to paint the two roses this summer and had abandonned the painting (which I often do) and just managed to finish it this week .

Ayant peint les roses cet ete puis abandonnees (ce que je fais souvent) j'ai enfin  finie cette peinture cette semaine.

                                       Viburnum Opulus "Boule de neige"

   

I found today a painting I did last year, but as I was never satisfied with the colour of the background (done in phtalo blue with rapid brush strokes) I decided to use a new colour, a pale greeny yellow. 
I was inspired by Van Gogh. He used this colour on Vase of White Roses 1890 .

J'ai trouvé aujourd'hui une peinture que j'ai faite l'année dernière, mais comme je n'etais pas          satisfaite de la couleur du fond (fait en phtalo bleu ) j'ai décidé d'utiliser une nouvelle couleur, un jaune verdâtre pâle.
J'ai été inspiré par Van Gogh. Il a utilisé cette couleur sur la peinture Vase de roses blanches 1890.

Same painting

I worked today on the colours of this painting as I thought
they were too light.Was I right or not? let me know any comment is welcome!
but I like the result.





J'ai aujourd'hui retravaille les couleurs qui me semblaient trop fades.
Ai-je eu raison ? vos commentaires sont les bienvenus!
mais j'aime le resultat.

A young male model

 
 This work was painted with acrylic  and the pose was hold for
90 minutes (only one break ) I felt  at ease, the paint was flowing nicely as I had draw some rapid poses of another model the same day.
To-morrow I will add stronger colour as I feel it is a bit washy-washy hoping that I will not loose the light brush marks which I feel reflect well the youth of this model.

Ce travail est paint a l'acrylic, rapide coups de pinceaux qui refletent bien la juvenilite du modele. Demain j'accentuerai certains points en couleurs au risque de perdre la legerete des marques...


18"x15"      46x38cms on board  (MDF)