Lucky 13: Roussillon

Day #13 of 30 paintings with my non-dominate hand

The Provence area of France is chock full of tiny little towns perched high on a hill and surrounded by a wall for fortification.  One such village we explored was Roussillon.  We actually set out on a mission to find me authentic hand made pastels which come from the sands of the surrounding red-ocre mountains. ( Most of these small villages have very few sustainable businesses and are threatening to die out simply because the young flock to jobs in the city.)  As quaint as the towns are it was the approach, or the distant view, that I loved seeing the most.  So on Day #13 I decided to paint Roussillon.

5 x 5 watercolor, Roussillon

 This was my first attempt.  It was time consuming and laborious.  I was way too concerned about referencing my photo and i somehow found myself backed into corners and lost on meandering paths.  Not a lot of fun.  Just as I was thinking that day 13 was UNlucky I decided to give it one more pass...quick and dirty with more regard to how I remembered the scene feeling, as opposed to what the camera said.

I lay out my colors on gut: no pencil guides, very little planning, get in/get out.  I closed my eyes and remembered being in the car looking up towards the city.

7" x 5" watercolor Roussillon Redux

Almost a pleasant hour later here it is.  No attempt at realism...just the memory of lots of squarish buildings, all ochre and gold, tumbling down a hill til they are stopped by a wall.  There is a lot of clustered greenery in those reddish scenes as everything that is not paved is planted.  warm and cool.  done.  Day 13 to bed.

Does one appeal to you over the other?  Funny how similar they are, and no doubt because they were done on the same day with the same color palette.  Vote for your favorite in the comments section.  If you receive this by email just double click on the blog title and it will take you to the blog.  Scroll down and at the bottom you will see the word "comments."  enter your choice there....by doing it this way you can also see what others prefer.  Personally the jury is out....they will look different to me tomorrow!

Thanks for sharing the challenge.

Day #10: Provence

I wanted to do this photo from Provence because I loved the cool blues against the warm orangey color of the building.  But i also saw a lot of straight lines that really needed to be .... straight!  so, i cut these strips of masking tape (scissors helped) and laid them out on my paper.  I just peeled them off and moved them around until i had painted in a few of the longest lines in the design. i would have to punt on the windows and doors.

In retrospect this was a challenging picture to choose and not just because it is composed primarily of straight lines.  As i began i realized that my limited knowledge of watercolor prevented me from making the many shadows as interesting as i imagined them.  i couldnt remember whether they go down first or last and i got rather tangled up in the layering.  But i still think it came out as a crisp reminder of a lovely scene i captured one morning while exploring a small French village in Provence.

"Provence"

7" x 5"  watercolor on paper

BUY HERE

I feel funny referring to these pieces as my left handed work as there are many left handed painters who dont see this effort as a 'big deal.'  A friend suggested calling them my southpaw creations. One elaborated on this calling it spaw or s'paw for short. Another friend suggested the "sinistra series" as sinistra is latin for left side.  I've also seen such referred to as "off hand" or non-dominant hand work.  I suppose I'll continue to use a combo of all these references.  Whatever we call it, i appreciate your comments and support.  And it tickles me that many of you want to hang these "limited edition" masterpieces!!