Plein Air Painting In France

I completed only two  paintings whilst we were away in France. This is the second of them, and was painted a couple of days before we came home, at a place called Reals, Cessenon-sur-Orb, gateway to the Orb Gorge, apparently. Archie and I had seen the river valley, as we drove over the bridge on an unsuccessful hunt for snakes and scorpions in the hills. We returned with the others a couple of days later when we were unable to hire bikes at Colombiers, on the canal du midi, and had a great day swimming, jumping and diving off the rocks into the river Orb.
I returned with my paints a day or so later, and set up painting, whilst Sara took Archie on another walk, again hunting for anything venomous..again unsuccessfully.
I enjoyed painting this, and have started a larger version of it now that we are back home. This is the first time that I have worked up a larger version of a painting, using only the plein air painting as a source. My intention is to put swimmers in the bigger painting, but I will post about that later - when it is finished.
Here is the plein air painting.

The scene..

..and from above. That's me sat painting, near the bottom, to the left..

 The first  stage, blocking in and picking out a few details

 Adding in the tonal areas..

 Starting to get there.

 Sara holding the picture up.

 The finished painting.

Reals, Cessenon-sur-Orb.

First Painting In France

After spending some time making a much smaller, and lighter, pochade, and preparing salvaged canvas (again from the old swing) we went to France. The canvas was really convenient; I had primed it before we left- it was unstretched and really easy to transport. 
A few days into the holiday I did my first painting. We stayed in a gite in a small village called Thézan les Béziers, and this painting was done just outside the village. The vin yards in the area were dotted with these small stone buildings, obviously originally intended to store something. This one was a little graffitied, but I was struck by how it was catching the setting sun (this seems a long time ago as I sit here writing this, looking at the constant rain outside). I had noticed it the day before, when I photographed it against a very brooding, stormy sky.
Anyway, here is the painting, in stages, painted on salvaged canvas.

 The stone building.

 More drawing out, less blocking in than usual.

 The end of the session, walking back to the car.

The Finished painting, after I had worked back into it at home, adding the road and sign.

Before We Went Away.

Just before we went away I went out out painting again. I didn't get rained on this time, which was good, but struggled with the painting, which is not so good. The day was quite dull, which is reflected in the painting I think. I decided to work back into it a little back at home, to try to brighten it up a little.
Here it is:

 A little dull.

Brightened up.

Linton Woods Lane.

Rained Off!

We've just got back from our annual holiday (Languedoc Herault this year, more of that later), and this painting was done before we went. I didn't get the chance to post it before we went away, so I'm adding it now.
I  took the paints out to do a small oil study of a hidden pond that I found on Google Earth. It is just off a cycle track a few miles from where we live, and I have run/cycled past it loads of times without ever realising that it was there. In fact me and Archie had cycled past it twice a couple of days before on our 17 mile flip flop trip! Anyway, having seen it on Google Earth, I went down with my paints to explore. I don't think that I should have been there, but there was no one about, so no harm done. Unfortunately as soon as I set up my easel up the sky turned black and it started to rain. I had to abort, pack away, and go home. Fortunately I had taken some photos before I set up, and decided to paint the scene anyway, once I got home.
This is the result.

 The pond

 Setting up..

 ....Hmmm. That sky looks a bit ominous.

 Back home, and painting the scene anyway....from my phone.

The finished painting, painted on a small piece of cannibalized swing seat canvas.