Shed at Wenmohs

Shed at Wenmohs 9 x 12 oil on board

I loved going out plein air recently and meeting

some new painting buddies from 

Plein Air Austin.

(my link should be on their website soon:)))

We met at Wenmohs Ranch

which hosts some fantastic art workshops.

There was only a handful of us there, probably due

to the 100 degree plus weather forecast.

I had a wonderful time, despite the heat,

and found it peaceful and quiet.

It's been pretty loud around my house lately with the

extensive remodeling going on.

Drills, jack hammers, saws, and more add to chaotic musical mix.

Looks something like this on the outside:

And this on the inside:

Unveiling to be announced sometime in the future.....

Exciting!  The storm before the calm.

Thanks so much for following along.

You comments are welcomed and appreciated!

Green Cabin

Green Cabin  8x8 oil on board

to purchase click here

There is a campground near my house with small cabins for rent painted

in different colors.  Most of the people that visit are Dutch, who 

find summer and fall in Burgundy quite warm.

The green one really caught my eye against the colorful leaves.

Cote D'Or

Cote D'Or  8x8 oil on museum board

for more info click here

 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

for purchasing info click here

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!

Morning Smiles

Morning Smiles 12 x 12 oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

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

click here for purchasing information

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?

View From Epertully

What does a Maltese taxi driver, road signs, and caution have in common?

Absolutely nothing!

After the white knuckle drive, my friend Jeni Caurana and I needed some time to 

unwind and recover from PTS syndrome.

There's nothing like a few French lunches and some time painting plein air to

set things right again.

Robi is hanging out and loving the wet grass.  Does he have on a leash?

Some of you might be wondering.  I left it on for his protection.

We are in the middle of Charolais cow country and those big

mommas can be very protective of their babies.

They wander around the fields all day and if they get too close I

can grab Robi before they do!

You might recognize the bush on the right side of my painting

from the bush on the left in the photo above.  In Malta, that

would have definitely been a tree. Can't imagine two places that are

more different.

View From Epertully 9x12 oil on board

for more info click here

I want to thank everyone so much for all the wonderful birthday wishes you sent

me yesterday.  I had a fantastic birthday and spent part of the day at a 

BBQ at the local camp grounds.

Nice of these two Frenchmen to get up early and throw a party on my special day:)

I'm getting settled in nicely now and almost finished with unpacking boxes,

almost......

Italian Men

Italian Men 8x8 oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

OK,  Italian men do have a bit of a reputation.  I just couldn't resist the title.

So before your mind starts spinning out of control,

let's take the high road here.  I promised myself

I would not make any off color remarks that might offend anyone.

   But I will admit that I think Italians are some of the most beautiful people in

the E.U. both the men and women.

There is a reason why Milan is one of the four fashion capitals of the world!

Did I forget to mention that the Tuscany region is one of my favorite places to paint

in the world?  I love the small old villages nestled on the hillsides, the narrow

picturesque streets filled with flowers, and the expansive landscape.

My goal is to be nibbling a homemade pizza and sipping a glass of Chianti by the time you

wake up, make a cup of coffee and read this post. I should  have

ridden two ferries, crossed Sicily and driven to northern Italy.

BUT if my next post still has palm trees instead of vineyards and rolling hills
you'll know I wasn't very convincing in getting Robi on the ferry, inspite of being
heavily armed with bacon treats.
I've told him that only the most preferred customers get to ride in their own
kennel private compartment, it's extra special.

Yet he's difficult to convince, he just wants to know what the heck I did with his sofa!
Wish me luck.

Stay tuned....

Evening Glow

Evening Glow 12  x 12

I'm moo-ving!

Yes, it's crunch time here in Malta.  Let's face it,

those boxes don't pack themselves!

The movers arrive at the end of  the week to take

everything I want to ship so I need to get crackin'.

Or I should say packin'.

Of course I'd rather be painting:)

By the time next Monday rolls around we'll be on our

adventure!

If you missed my newsletter and didn't get the details

click here

so you can look froward to where we're going and what we'll do!

End of the Day

End of the Day  9x12 oil on board

for purchasing info click here

I love this time when people begin

to relax and unwind at the end of the day.

The shadows begin to lengthen 

but the sun is still sharing it's brilliant light with us.

Les Charolais

Two in the Brush 6x6 oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

I loved the way these two cows peeped around

the bushes to get a better look at me.

They actually stopped chewing for a second:)

 

 

Good Morning

Good Morning 8x8 oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

There is just something about the French charolais cows

the appeals to me, an indescribable 'je ne sais quoi'.

Maybe it's their long dreamy eyelashes and their curious

personalities.  Maybe it's just the way the light

skips across their well rounded form.

France is not the place to skimp on what you eat!

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.

 

 

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!

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:)

 

 

Standing Against the Wind

Standing Against the Wind  9x12 oil on board

for purchasing info click here

It's been unseasonably windy in Malta.  It wasn't quite

gale force winds today.  How do I know? This time

I managed to actually keep my visor on, but

everything else still needed to be taped or weighted down.

We still had a good time in the garden just outside

of the capital Valetta. You can see part of

the old wall that still surrounds the city.