Postcards from France: View from the Terrace

View from the Terrace

This was painted in the evening from our terrace at Bonne Terre, looking past the roses at the edge of the terrace, over the tile roof of  M. Lamy's home,  toward Lacoste.  The sun was low in the sky and the light on the side of the clock tower in Lacoste was beautiful. Again, I was painting in acrylic and, again, the paint was just about drying on my brush. I was getting much faster with the painting as a result. lol   The next time we were in Apt I picked up some medium that slowed the drying time of my paint and mixed medium and paint in the tiny jam jars that I saved from breakfast. Parfait! That worked like a charm.

Postcards from France: Pont Julien Bridge

Pont Julien Bridge on the Domitian Way near Apt, France

The weather had been cold and rainy for several days with highs around 50 fahrenheit (10 celsius). Finally a day dawned sunny and absolutely beautiful. (Though southern France is beautiful in the rain as well, I must say.)    

We decided to go for a drive to Pont Julien so that I could paint and Joe could take photos. The sky was brilliant and the fields glowed red with blooming poppies.  It was certainly warmer! The temperatures soared to nearly 90 F. and the air was dry dry dry. The paint was nearly drying on my brush before I could even make a mark. It was a challenge, but also made the painting fun--no time to over-think or over-work. Decisiveness was absolutely required. A family with several children and a little dog were playing along the riverbank behind me. It was a lovely afternoon.