Walking in Lavender

Walking in Lavender  6x6 oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

 

There is a reason why lavender soothes us,

makes us feel happier and

relaxes us into a state of well being:)

more info here

About my process:

This painting marks a shift for me. It blends things

that I love to do with some things

I have been trying to learn to do better:)

 

 

Cuppa Cream and Sugar

What happens when you do two back to back workshops

and then try to incorporate the new information into your work?

It can get a little crazy and sometimes my work can get worse

for a while instead of better because it's messy and confusing to

change the way you paint.

Since I was really focused on color temperature changes and brushwork,

after I came home I decided to set up a still life as an exercise,

just focusing on those two things- temperature and brushwork-

and paint something I was familiar with and a set up of my own design.

To eliminate confusion I worked on a mid-tone gray palette and

stained my boards the exact same gray mid tone.

Then I did an experiment with different underlying colors in a 

monotone value painting and proceeded to try different color combinations,

trying to get them to harmonize.

After four of them I took it a step further and decided to try to ignore

subject matter altogether by taking a photo of my still life in black and white

and then working from the  photo upside down from a computer monitor.

That one ended up being my favorite,

maybe because the colors are more unexpected.

to purchase click here

Now I feel ready to move forward!

I appreciate your comments and would love to hear if you enjoyed hearing about my process.

Thanks!

Surprise!

Loki ready to pounce on another couple of winners!

Julie Ford Oliver

and

Sandra Robbins

 

Congratulations!

I want to thank everyone for playing along.  I'm sorry everyone

couldn't win but I promise to do something similar in

the future.

 

There were 14 postcards sent out to Canada, Malta, Israel,

Japan and all over the States.

I feel really fortunate to have such wonderful friends all over the world!

Thanks for letting me share a bit of my life with you:)

FYI

Malta has alot of festivals every weekend in the summer.

Churches host one for their neighborhood and this weekend it's here.

There's lots of food, drinks and of course fireworks.

On several occasions more than the fireworks went up-

sometimes the entire barge goes boom!

 

click here for video clip

I snapped a photo for you on my walk this morning so you could see

the decorations:

Did you notice the local beer ad for Cisk right beside Mary and Jesus?

Just didn't want you to miss the irony:)

 

Some odd folks even like to paint the decorations:

Blessings 6x6 sold

 

Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

She Loves Me

She Loves Me  8x8 oil on board

sold

When my kids were young I used to get asked to

paint alot of  children's portraits.

Now that I'm older more mature it's

grand babies.

 

Sweet!

 

 

 

 

St. Cirq de Popie

St. Cirq de Popie  8x8 oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

This was one of the most beautiful villages I've ever

visited in France.

You can see more images by clicking here.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Room With A View

Room With A View 8x8 oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

This painting was done late in the afternoon sunlight.  

The room above had the most spectacular view of the

sunset across the rolling French countryside.

 

 

Not too late!

Loki helping me sort my postcards:)

 I did lots of postcards while in France.

 I'm picking two new winners each week until the end of July and

announcing them every Friday on my blog. 

So it's not too late to play along!

If you're interested just email me your name and address to:

brucebingham@gmail.com

and I'll add your name to the paint can.

I've announced twelve winners so far and who knows

the next one could be you!

It's really a treat for me to share some of my memories of France with you!

Hobbit House

Hobbit House 6x6 oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

I found this charming little French house irresistibly appealing,

very cozy and inviting.

The owner gave us a tour through his luscious back yard with

over 160 varieties of roses.

I wonder if he realizes how much art he inspired.

My guess is at least 160 paintings from the group I was with:)

Oh- I almost forgot!
Announcing two more French postcard  winners:
 Bartlett Teachout
and
Joan Cole
:)

 

Sparkling Vine

Sparkling Vine 6x6 oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

 

This vine was sparkling in the sunlight,

waving in the breeze,

and whispering my own thoughts back to me-

"it's great to be alive"!

 



 

Weekend Retreat

Weekend Retreat  6x6 oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

Perched on a hill in the countryside of France,

overlooking a quiet village,

this weekend retreat welcomes you

with a weathered door shaded by a vine

sparkling with sunshine:)

 

 

 

 

Pruning Ladder

Pruning Ladder 5x7 oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

I really enjoyed painting the afternoon light in this piece.

This is another of the plein air paintings done in France.

I'm still giving away a couple of French watercolor postcards each Friday in July.

So if you'd like to join the fun you can email me

your name and address here:

brucebingham@gmail.com

and I'll put your name in the paint can.

Winners this week are:

Motti Shoval

Sumie Shibata

Thanks!

Climbing Roses

Climbing Roses 5 x 7  oil on museum board

to purchase click here

Roses climbing to the light on a rambling shed

striking a charming pose,

brightly colored laundry flapping in a soft breeze,

warm sunshine hugging my shoulders as I'm painting,

this is where smiles are born:)

 

 

Red Geraniums

Red Geraniums  6x6  oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

I loved painting outdoors in this beautiful French courtyard,

filled with wonderful flowers

warm memories,

and occasionally some sunshine:)

 

 

Inner Courtyard

Inner Courtyard 6x6 oil on museum board

sold

Doesn't this look like a cozy spot where we can sit

and share our secret hopes and dreams?

That's just what happened here in the inner courtyard to

Le Vieux Couvent in France,

a truly magical place!

This is one of the paintings I completed during my stay there while

attending the workshop given by Dreama Tolle Perry.

This wasn't the only treasure I brought home, I am

fully stocked with wonderful memories shared with other fellow artists.

On Top of That:

I was lucky enough to buy one of Dreama's demos she did for us.

I spoke up to buy the demo and a second later another lady said she

wanted it as well. Personally I wanted to arm wrestle for it as I felt I would

have a distinct advantage, but for the sake of fair play and sportsmanship

I offered a coin toss.

Ron, Dreama's hubby, oversaw the toss and guess what?

I WON- YIPPEE- YIPPEE!!!

Photo of Dreama and Me with Treasure:

P.S.- I learned that it's easy to be nice when you win;)

JOY!

French Postcard Winners

         Drum roll.............

And the first eight winners are:

Bev Sessoms

Cloe Mifsud

Rick Harder

Susan Denison

Kelley MacDonald

Donna Vacca

Nancy Standlee

Anne Philpott

If you are not on this list don't panic! I hate to disappoint anyone so I've decided to extend the

postcard give-away until the end of July. All you need to do is:

send me your name and address to :

brucebingham@gmail.com

 I'll add your name to the paint can for the drawing.

Then follow my blog by putting your email in the 

'follow by email' box on the right hand side of my blog @

brucebingham.blogspot.com

I hope to announce a couple more winners every Friday

starting next week, so it's not to late to join the fun.

I found the watercolors fun to do and since

I took 1400 pictures while I was there,

I have lots of reference photos:)

It's fun to use these studies as a warm up to a  painting

and to relive the memories in my studio when

I work from a photo as an idea for an oil painting.

Although I only managed eight watercolor postcards I did

complete nine small oil paintings.

I'll be posting these soon and talking about what I've picked up from

my recent workshops.

Thanks so much for following along:)))))

50 Scarfs and 150 Pounds

Le Vieux Couvent, Frayssinet, France

What do 50 scarfs and 150 pounds have in common?

The BEST workshop ever!

That's right, we were the ultimate consumers in every since

of the word.  I might actually be underestimating that

we gained 150 lbs.collectively, the number could be higher,

and we all did out best to keep the local economy going too.

Dreama managed to keep us all somewhat on track

with lots of demos and chocolate tastings.

If you get a chance to do a workshop with Dreama or

visit this charming French B & B- 

go for it!

I'm home again and sorting through my suitcases-

Postcard winners will be announced tomorrow!

Thanks for following along:)))))