Colorful Crosswalk

Colorful Crosswalk  8x8 oil on museum board

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This was one of those paintings that was pure pleasure to

create.  Except at the very end when it fell

face down onto my palette.

#@%! happens.

I figured it was meant to be and that the repairs

actually worked out to make the painting better!

I feel like some of the things I've learned this year

are starting to show up in my painting.

In my next post I'll go into more detail about what I'm

doing to help make things 'click':)

Cote D'Or

Cote D'Or  8x8 oil on museum board

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 This is the time of year in Burgundy when the magic happens.

I'm not talking about Halloween, I'm talking about the wine harvest.

The vines show off their fall colors and is why this area in Burgundy

 is called Cote D'Or, the Gold Coast.

Each village celebrates with a wine tasting and lots of discussion

about how good the wine will be from this harvest.

It does look like a promising year for the wine with a wet spring and a long dry fall

that forces the wine to struggle to survive.

Robi and I have really enjoyed these long warm afternoons and wish they could last forever!

At the end of the day

"Happiness is found in friendships we make along the way."

-unknown

Where shall I start?

To my good friends near and far, I couldn't have made it through this move without you. 

And special thanks to those who came to visit (three different sets of them) and help me re-acclimate to my French life.  I couldn't have indulged in all the laughter,

the decadent cuisine, the incredible desserts, foie gras, meursault , chocolate, award winning macaroons

 all by myself now could I?

After all, what are friends for?

Thanks for the calories, I mean, memories!

Now it's time to, squeeze back into my work britches.

It must have been the French who invented sans a belt pants.

At the End of the Day 6x6 oil on museum board

more info click here

I loved the quiet intimate mood of this couple.  I can only guess what they were discussing. You might be about to tell whether you're a optimist or a pessimist by what you think they are saying.

I worked on this painting in the morning but wasn't satisfied with it and moved on to

something else. Just when I was about to clean up for the day I decided to pull

it back out and do a "make it or break it" maneuver.

I had a few colors left on my palette and some nice gray mixes.  I went back into

the painting, eliminated all the fussy detail, and kept what I felt was essential.

 I can only speculate on this couple's conversation and it was the same with the

painting process. I took a gamble and gave it a shot. In this

case I like what happened at the end of the day.

Say Cheese

Say Cheese  6x6 oil on museum board

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Each of these cows has a unique look and personality.

This big girl came running up to me with a big smile

on her face, practically begging me to paint her!

Say Cheese!

Loved Ones

Two in the Brush  6x6 sold

I always miss my paintings when they are sold but the

beauty is in knowing they have found a good home where

they are loved! 

Now that I'm resettled in France and surrounded by my

cow friends, you can count on seeing alot more of them:)

Morning Smiles

Morning Smiles 12 x 12 oil on museum board

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These colorful flowers brought a smile to my face

this morning.

They seemed to be dancing in the sunlight.

Happy, happy!

Meet the Neighbors

Meet the Neighbors  8 x 16 Oil on Canvas

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Slowly but surely I'm getting more settled everyday in France.

That means I have more time and energy to paint!

I wanted to introduce you to my neighbors. They were

practically begging me to do this family portrait.

Robi and I met these guys just about a mile away from our

house when we decided to head down a new trail

we hadn't explored before. 

As I've said before, new inspiration waits around

every corner.

Ahh, France!

Just Up The Road

Just Up The Road  5 x 7 oil on museum board

for more info click here

Every where I go I am inspired to paint.  I think I could find

about 50 thousand paintings within 5 kilometers of my home.

Just up the road from me the beautiful morning light

was hitting the unusual blue door ahead and 

it took my breath away.

That feeling of "oh,wow" is what inspires me.

Only in France:

Moving in has been much more chaotic than expected and

I've had to spend alot of time on co-ordinating repairs since the house

has been empty for the past six years- and with my French-

that takes a while.

One of the things we needed was a new gate and I wanted one

where Robi would be able to see out of. After stopping by the

'portail magazine' (gate store) it was agreed that a

salesman would stop by the next morning to take a measurement and

decide on a final design.  He arrived promptly at 9:30 and within 5 minutes

all the details were straight so I asked if he would like a cup of tea- in my best French.

Of course he would, he loves tea and most people here only drink coffee, he tells me.

So I offer a Madeline as well which he graciously accepts, and we continue to

chat over breakfast about my cow paintings, the back lighting, the French life, followed by 

all things about the portail business and his philosophy on customer service.

Delightful! Only in France:))))

Could there be a better French lesson?