Wednesday, 28 August 2013

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.

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