Le Jardin a Cote de Fabrezan
Image: 29 x 21 inches
Framed: Add approx. 10 inches
Watercolor & Gouache
$2,750

In most of these old French villages, the houses and apartments are stacked together and the streets are very narrow. Thus, the gardens are at the edge of the village and many residents have a small patch of land to cultivate. This is a most important part of their culture and way of life. The gardens are a work of art and in early October they are still harvesting their vegetables. Each morning fairly early the people come to the gardens to water, weed and manicure. In this work I wanted to capture this feeling: the green vegetation of the garden and the old textures and colors of this village. As I worked on this painting, villagers passed by walking their dogs. “C’est beau, C’est tres beau!” is their comment.

View of Minerve, France
Image: 19½ x 27 inches
Framed: Add approx. 10 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(Available for viewing/purchase at Mission Gallery, Taos, NM)

We were told by a local resident of the village where we were staying in the Corbieres of France, that we would love seeing the village of Minerve built on an isolated plateau in the limestone canyons of the region. We drove to this place, fell in love with it, and stayed for four days. This painting captures the tip of the village built on a cliff, and the surrounding field patterns with the changing colors of the vineyards in mid October. The town reminded me a lot of Creede in its character and feel. There are caves in this region that had been inhabited as long as four hundred fifty thousand years ago by prehistoric human beings.

The Terrace at Minerve, Midi
Image: 19½ x 27 inches
Framed: Add approx. 10 inches
Transparent Watercolor
$2,250

Minerve, France is built on the top of a rock outcropping plateau surrounded on all sides by a canyon. It was an ideal spot for a protective fortress. I did this painting from the opposite east side viewing part of the village, canyon, and vegetation. The upper right yellow is part of a vineyard field that turns this color in October. I was particularly interested in the terrace and tree patterns in the village and the five cypress trees moving diagonally down to the lower right. I focused on doing this painting in a mid to high key with the mid-day light.

Back Road by Lisdoonvarna
Image: 11 x 15 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

Marta and I took a walk on a small back road in the County Clare of Ireland, and I found this composition. A few days later I hiked these same two miles from our hotel to do this painting. It was raining, so I taped an umbrella over the easel to protect the work while I painted. This back road had very little traffic with only one or two cars and a few horseback riders. Over the hill not far from this site was part of the foundation of a fifteenth century church and grave yard.

View of Blarney Castle
Image: 18½ x 25 inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

On a Sunday we traveled to Blarney Castle, which was about an hour and a half from the Lake Hotel where we stayed in Killarney, Ireland. (I mention Sunday because it happened to be the day of the Irish Hurling National Championships and our bus driver Brian Farrell was missing watching it!) I was pleasantly surprised to find a very paint-able subject in the castle and set right to work. This composition is off the beaten path, and I focused on the rectangular geometric motif. I wanted to capture the feeling of the age of the castle against the rich greens of the foliage. People meandered about and I selected one to sketch and later incorporate into the painting.

View from the Ring of Kerry
Image: 22 x 30
Acrylic
(SOLD)

While in Ireland our workshop group took a bus around the Ring of Kerry. It was indeed spectacular but there were very few places to pull off. We did in some spots but there was just a short time to photograph and sketch. Thus, when I returned to my studio in Colorado, this was the first painting that I did. The sheep were grazing all over the hillsides which overlooked the sea, islands, and stone hedge rows.

View by Wells, The Old Strawberry Line from Cheddar
Image: 19½ x 28 inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

I painted this view not more than two miles from Wells, England. I had been there with Jack Richeson and Colleen Richeson-Maxey to see the watercolor paper making process at the St. Cuthberts Mill. I had painted a view not far from here in May of 1985 and wanted to see how I would interpret the subject this time. I found that this was along the old “strawberry line” from Cheddar to London. There was a heavy haze in the air and a strong back light. I did some sketches of cows grazing in a field before adding them to the painting. I used gouache in this work to capture the density of the atmosphere.

View of Laugharne, Wales
Image: 19½ x 27
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

Eighteen years earlier I had chanced across this special village in Wales. It was at one time the home of Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet. Marta, Allie, and I walked out to his boathouse where he had done his writing, as I had done two decades earlier. In Laugharne, we found a bed and breakfast with two dear people who became great friends. We ended up staying three nights. I found this view a bit above their home and did the composition. We later found a photo of a painting by JMW Turner of the same Laugharne Castle done in the 1700s.

View near the Plage de Navez
Image: 15 x 11 inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

From Pont Aven, France I drove one morning a few kilometers to Navez and explored the back roads. Next to a beach I found this view looking back to a hill, a Breton house and a church to the lower left. It was a very quiet place and a good way to start the painting in France. Gauguin, Bernard, and artist friends traveled and painted in this area. The architecture in this painting is typical of Breton.

View From the Port at Pont Aven
Image: 26½ x 20 inches
Watercolor & Casein
(SOLD)

We spent three nights in Pont Aven, France. I wanted to see this place because Gauguin, Bernard, Serusier, and others started a school and the movement of what is known as the Synthethists at this place. They were known for color, flat pattern, and a cloisonne, or outline form of painting. We stayed at the Hotel Marmosa that was in a fairly quiet place close to the downtown, but right on the waterway. I did this painting over a two-day period next to the hotel. It is primarily a watercolor, but I introduced casein later in the painting. Casein gives a softness and a body to the painting as well as a few stronger notes of color that captures the essence of this subject.

Le Mouton et le Arbre de Pomme
Image: 21½ x 29 inches
Watercolor & Casein
(SOLD)

We spent three nights at a Chambre d’Hote just away from the village of Foix, France, near the Pyrenees. This is such an idyllic spot in the world. Outside our window were views of the Pyrenees, red tiled roofed villas, and beautiful field patterns. The place also has an incredible vegetable garden and flowers everywhere. I decided to focus on an apple tree and some sheep that were in a field next to the house. I started with watercolor and then ended with casein. These trees were actually loaded with ripe, great tasting apples that I sampled while working.

View of Cassou Chambre D’Hote
Image: 18½ x 29 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

The mountain backdrop is the French Pyrenees, and they serve as a simple blue-violet haze for the subject. We stayed at this bed and breakfast for three nights and ate three incredible country meals with French speaking guests. From the main highway there is a long driveway that leads to this place. I set up just to the side of the drive and painted the villa and trees in back light. I wanted to capture the density of the air, the haze, and the rich color that prevail in this countryside. Each late afternoon while we were here, sheep moved from the shade to graze in this lower meadow.

La Rue, St. Laurent
Image: 19½ x 27½ inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

Behind the local school there is a back road that leads up a hill away from this town in southern France. It is little used except for the local vineyard workers. Marta and I took the road for our walks and I noticed this view. I wanted to capture the color and light that pervades the region. This painting was done during the grape harvest, and there were occasional tractors and harvest machines going by. When I wanted a break, I would slip into the field and get a few grapes for a source of continuing energy.

Stroll at Midi, Fabrezan
Image: 15 x 11 inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

One late morning I decided to check out the village of Fabrezan, France. I found a wealth of painting material there. I started this painting at their “midi”. This is a two or three hour time in the mid-day where everything stops and people gather for lunch and companionship. The plane trees are so much a part of the French landscape. It seems that most every town has their streets lined with them. I decided to focus this painting on the plane tree and the light and shadow patterns on the building. As people passed by, I did quick line drawings in my sketchbook. Then I incorporated one of these figures in this street scene.

A Cote De Rue A Fabrezan
Image: 11 x 15 inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

From where we stayed in St. Laurent, France, the road to Fabrezan was just eight miles. I drove this road a lot on my daily painting outings. This villa was off the main road and across a field. I found a place to park the car and did a line drawing before doing this study. It was a cool day and by the time I finished, I needed to go back to the house to thaw out. I was most intrigued with the different greens and the violet-yellow sky. To my back and across the road, laborers were harvesting the grapes. Migrant workers carry large baskets on their backs and the grapes are loaded and carried to the carts. When these carts are filled, they take them to the local winery to process the grapes.

Chateau de Borde-Rouge (study)
Image: 11 x 15 inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

This French chateau is actually a winery situated at the edge of these red rocks. I did this study in early October, and it is the harvest time for the grapes. I did this study in the grape fields as the workers and the harvest carts passed by. The field in which I was working had not been harvested yet so it was a pleasant experience to occasionally select a few grapes and savor their sweet flavor. This subject and composition reminded me a lot of a painting I had done in the early 1980s of the Ranchos de Taos Church in Taos, New Mexico. The color, in a way, is even very similar. I wanted the color and smells of early October.

Chateau de Borde-Rouge
Image: 19 x 27½ inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

This French chateau is a winery situated at the base or the edge of these red rocks. I painted this in early October, the harvest time for the grapes. I did this study in the grape fields as the workers and the harvest carts passed by. The field in which I was working had not yet been harvested so it was a pleasant experience to occasionally select a few grapes and savor their sweet flavor. This subject and composition reminds me a lot of a painting I had done in the early 1980s of the Ranchos de Taos Church in Taos, New Mexico. The color, in a way, is even very similar. I was after the color and smells of early October.

October Field Patterns, St. Laurent
Image: 11 x 21 inches
Acrylic & Casein
(SOLD)

This Sunday afternoon in France was a brisk and windy day, somewhat cool and humid. I thought about doing some studies of field patterns of the vineyards, as the color at that time of year was spectacular. I decided to work in acrylic and casein. However, it was so windy that at one point my easel completely blew over. After a while I was chilled to the bone and had trouble keeping my hands moving. I stopped painting and completed the work several days later at the house where we were living.

View of St. Laurent
Image: 7½ x 15 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

I went up above the village of St. Laurent to do some small studies. This is the first one completed that day. It was a warm and sunny morning, and I attempted to capture the French town draped against the backdrop of hills and vineyards and various field patterns. Occasionally, I would take a break and eat a few of the ripe grapes on the vine.

Field Patterns of St. Laurent #2
Image: 7½ x 15 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

This was the second of a series of studies that I did one October day on the hillside above the village where we stayed for two weeks. It was a sunny morning, and I attempted to capture the random arrangement of the vineyards and various field patterns of the French countryside. The occasional cypress tree breaks up the rhythmical landscape.

Fields Patterns of St. Laurent #3
Image: 9¼ x 15 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

This was the third of a series of three studies I did one day on a hillside above the French village of St. Laurent in the Corbieres. I loosened up and became a bit more spontaneous on this attempt. The color of the vineyards in October is constantly changing. In early October when I did this painting, there were still many greens but also golds, oranges, and a few deep alizarins with the open brown-violet fields.

Cathar Monastery at Lagrasse
Image: 19 x 27 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

I spent a day exploring and touring this old monastery that was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries. At one time over one hundred monks were housed here. Indeed, one could almost hear the chants in the cathedral. I was inspired by the tree patterns and hillside that draped this spiritual center, as the shapes and the color were unlike anything I have ever painted. When I was packing the materials at the end of the painting session a very old French gentleman who had been watching me throughout the day, came to the car and started applauding. I was touched when he said in French that I had captured the spirit of the abbey and the beautiful countryside of Lagrasse.

River in Lagrasse
Image: 15 x 11 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

Between the main village of Lagrasse, France, and the Abbey is a river or waterway with a walkway crossing. I traveled this way many times and viewed this sight, marveling at the reflections as well as the “beau coup de truite” in the stream. I did a sketch one day and then did this work from the sketch in my improvised studio at our temporary home. I enjoyed doing this work as it was the first water pattern painting done on this trip, and of course living on the Rio Grande River I love the sound and many moods that a river offers.

Rainy Day, Tournisan
Image: 11 x 15 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

Tournisan is a small village in the Corbiere, in the rural region of southern France. It is wine country, and this is definitely a town based on the industry of the vineyards. We were in the region during the grape harvest, and this village emanated the smells of the season. On this day it was rainy so I did a sketch and returned to the studio to do this study. It is a study of limited palette and complementary colors. I did the grays of the sky and much of the painting with the mix of two colors, cadmium yellow medium and ultramarine violet.

Paysage, Field Patterns, Minerve
Image: 20 x 27¼ inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

Minerve, France is built on the top of a rock outcropping plateau surrounded on all sides by a canyon. Marta went on a hike along the mountains in this region and found this view. She brought me to the spot where I executed this painting. It actually incorporates two views from the same spot. I was taken by the overall patchwork quilt of the vineyards and orchards but also drawn to the drama of this village setting on the promontory. The rich ultramarine blue of this painting is a key note and is the thread that runs through the work.

Trios Soeurs, Monastere de Prouihe
Image: 11 x 15 inches
Casein
(SOLD)

While I was working on a larger painting at this French monastery, occasionally a nun would walk by. One day as I worked I looked up saw many of them coming up the walkway. I grabbed my sketch book and when they turned to walk another path, I did a quick line drawing. Later I did this painting on site in casein. I wanted to catch the long light and shadows to push the composition strongly to the left.

From the Terrace at La Force
Image: 27 x 19½ inches
Acrylic & Casein
(SOLD)

It was rainy and windy for two days. It was difficult to go out to paint, and I decided to paint at the garden where we were staying. This painting captures the experience at this French house where we lived for two weeks. It is not one view but takes segments from different parts of the terrace. It is painted with an underpainting of acrylic and an over painting of casein. At a certain point in the process the roses appeared. They were actually in the garden but not planned as part of the composition. So I moved my easel to the rose bed and continued the painting.

Les Bateaux, Colliere
Image: 19½ x 27½ inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

Colliere is a small port on the Mediterranean that is quite beautiful. It was a favorite spot for painters such as Matisse, Derain, and Picasso. In fact, the Fauve painters developed their style here. I loved the colorful boats, harbor, village and the tower, and decided to somehow incorporate all of these elements into the composition. This was done in the latter part of October and there were still sunbathers and swimmers on the beach. This painting is about the colorful patterns and rhythm of southern France.

Pluie, Minerve
Image: 27 x 17½ inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

We had a rainy day in the Languedoc region of France and I decided to work from a sketch that had been done earlier. I needed two figures with umbrellas, so Marta and Allison agreed to pose. They changed to black dresses and moved around until I found the right interaction. The painting was possibly half finished the next day when the weather improved, thus I went to the actual site to complete the work. This was my first major attempt at painting a rainy day. As I was finishing the work the skies were blue and it was a rich, sunny day. People walked by and I looked around expecting to see rain.

Market Day, Limoux
Image: 21½ x 10½ inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

Limoux is a beautiful town on the edge of the Pyrenees Mountains. Every Friday is their market day. I went into the center of the village by their “grand fountaine” and set up next to the flowers to do this work. The day was very active, sunny, and full of life. The people moved in and out of the area and in a short amount of time, I would try to get the essence of each figure.

Le Grand Café
Image: 21 x 11 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

It was market day in Limoux, a small town on the edge of the Pyrenees in the south of France. I painted earlier in the day and it was now “midi”. At midi everything shuts down and only the cafes are open for the next two hours. So I focused on this café across from the “grand fountaine”. The figures were in sunlight but as the painting progressed, the shadows crept over the exterior of the restaurant.

Autumn Haze, Bessede de Saulte
Image: 23 x 18½ inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

We decided to go to the Pyrenees Mountains one day to explore. This actually was painting done in the mountain range of Aude close to the French Pyrenees. I sat on the side of a hill and painted the back light on this village. A sheepherder came by and watched me paint for a while. We later chatted and he had his dogs, two large Great Pyrenees, bring the sheep over the hill to us so that we could see them. It was a beautiful, late October day with stunning light and color.

Grande Fountaine, Limoux
Image: 25½ x 16 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

On a quiet Sunday my friend Steve Willman and I went to paint in Limoux, France. It was a beautiful October day with clear light, and a few people were milling around. We painted the beautiful sculpture on the Grande Fountaine. It could be painted from any angle. I liked this view as the light on the building in the back really showed the sculpture’s form. This is the same area where only a few days before there was a bustling market day. We shared a lunch and later had a drink at an outdoor café next to where we were painting.

Cap Canaille, View From The Terrace
Image: 16½ x 22 inches
Acrylic
(SOLD)

The view from our flat showed pieces of the Mediterranean, red tile roofs, and the promontory Cap Canaille, which is the tallest mountain that touches the Mediterranean in all of Europe. In late afternoon light this mountain turns golden and then red. I decided to use acrylic for this painting to capture the intensity of color and richness of the patterns. This painting conveys the various impressions of patterns of the vegetation, architecture, landforms, and color that this beautiful southern France area has to offer.

Harbor of Cassis, View #1
Image: 27 x 19 inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

When I worked on this painting it was very windy. I looked around the harbor and found this location behind a building that blocked the wind. Virtually all day it was mild and warm and this location had a remarkable view. I was interested in the pattern of the red tile roofs, the storefronts and the grid of the masts and boats creating rectangular patterns. At the base of the buildings are cafes, tables and figures enjoying the French “midi.”

Harbor of Cassis, View #2
Image: 27 x 16½ inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

I was attracted to the boat patterns in the harbor of Cassis, France. The orange color of one of the boats was of particular interest. I wanted to focus on this orange and repeat the color in various ways throughout the painting. I used some gouache with the watercolor, especially on the buildings, to give a chalky, solid feel. The painting conveys the rectangular patterns, Mediterranean sunlight, and the beauty of this region.

Olive Trees and Alpilles, St. Remy
Image: 19 x 27 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

This painting was done next to the hospital where Vincent Van Gogh was institutionalized. While there he could go out of the building and many times painted these mountains and trees. The morning was gray but the clouds opened in the afternoon, and it was a good day for painting. It was a joy just to be painting in the area where Van Gogh had been. While there I did have time to go inside the hospital and visit the reconstruction of Van Gogh’s chambre.

Petanque Players, Octobre, Limoux
Image: 27 x 19 inches
Acrylic
(SOLD)

While in France I was much impressed by the late afternoon games the men played. The older gentlemen gather each afternoon to socialize and play this very competitive game. It seems to be somewhat like horseshoes played with round steel balls. I did a number of sketches of the men in various positions, and they were interested to see what I was doing. In the October light under the plane trees with the figures in back light, the setting was spectacular. I did this painting on my terrace studio in acrylic to capture the richness of color.

View From Cap Canaille, No. 1
Image: 20 x 27 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

A few years ago I had done a painting from this basic view. This is four miles up a mountain called Cap Canaille, which is the highest landform touching the Mediterranean Sea. It is over 800 feet above the ocean. From this angle you can see part of the port of Cassis, the boats and the lighthouse. I am most interested in the patterns of the buildings, trees, and fields next to the coast as well as the different colors of the sea. At various times of the day the colors range from a sea yellow-green to turquoise to reds and violets.

Night Cassis, #1 
Image: 15 x 10 inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

Three years ago I did a night painting of Cassis and have looked forward to returning to attempt more works. This is the first study done from two drawings in black and white. I am interested in capturing the night energy, the boats in the harbor, and the lights of the waterfront village. I use transparent watercolor and gouache to capture the energy of this evening experience.

Night Cassis, #2
Image: 18 x 9 inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

Three years ago I did a night painting of Cassis and have looked forward to returning to attempt more works. This is the first study done from two drawings in black and white. I am interested in capturing the night energy, the boats in the harbor, and the lights of the waterfront village. I use transparent watercolor and gouache to capture the energy of this evening experience. This is the second study, and I made the format more of an elongated vertical, plus I used more opaque gouache to give the paint more of a body.

Mediterranean Patterns
Image: 27½ x 19 inches
Watercolor & Casein
(SOLD)

For three days it rained constantly, and I could not go out to paint. So I bought flowers in the market and the floral shop, and arranged them to work on the covered porch. I wanted to incorporate the flowers with the tree and garden forms of this region. Thus, I used the shapes of the vegetation that surrounded the terrace. From the market I purchased gladiola, daisies, and iris, and from the floral shop I bought a lily. These rhythmic patterns represent those of this region.

View from Cap Canaille, #2
Image: 19½ x 27½ inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

I love the bird’s eye view of Cassis and the sea and Mediterranean patterns. I did this painting from partway up the mountain called Cap Canaille. There are trails all over this mountain and a variety of views, but this one focuses on the edge of the village and the field patterns in the area. I started the painting one day and had to stop when it rained. A few days later it cleared enough for me to return and finish the work. Hikers in the area passed by often and would comment on the painting.

Bonneiux
Image: 20 x 27 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

In mid-November I spent a day in Bonneiux painting at the edge of the village. I found a nice small park and picnic area where I could set up and not be noticed. The light gets long this time of year and the humidity was high. I was very impressed with the soft clouds and placed them in to add to the rhythm of the painting. This is just a part of the village. Most of the village, not seen in the painting, climbs up the mountain to the right with a large church at the top. Throughout the day I captured the main shapes in the composition and finished the painting later in my studio.

Port of Cassis, Les Bateaux
Image: 19 x 27 inches
Acrylic & Casein
(SOLD)

I have painted some views of the port at Cassis and decided to do this one in acrylic and casein. I picked a beautiful day to work and took my lunch with me to the harbor. I wanted to focus on the horizontal rhythm and movement of the boats, buildings, and the water as well as the beautiful patchwork of rectangular patterns. After laying in a flat, gray-violet transparent underlay in acrylic I chose to work with casein. This proved to be the ideal medium for this painting as its soft, velvet opaque visual quality emulated the color present in the storefronts and boats. When I was partly finished with the painting, a large boat was dry-docked, blocking my view of this scene. The people who placed the boat there apologized profusely. I later finished the painting in the studio.

Mt. St. Victoire, View from Beaurecueil
Image: 19 x 27 inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

One day I drove close to Aix en Provence to see the area that Cezanne painted. I have been in this area before so I knew it somewhat and explored some of the side roads. I found this view in a rural community of Beaurecueil and set up to paint. It was a beautiful, gray, cloudy day that showed the mountain in an extraordinary light. It was November, so the field was plowed and it was late autumn color. The maison of the famille Desvignes and surrounding trees was the perfect setting for this painting.

25 Novembre, Port de Cassis
Image: 11 x 15 inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

I set up on a late November morning and worked quickly to capture the mood of this painting. The yellow building in the right, center foreground is a restaurant called Nino. I was most interested in the patterns of the buildings along the harbor and the yellow and yellow-orange against the rich blue boats. The harbor Mediterranean water is most often this aqua opaque green-blue color.

Center Square, Cassis
Image: 26 x 19 inches
Acrylic
(SOLD)

On a Friday Market Day in downtown Cassis I set up and did this painting. It was late November and there was a crisp, long light and the plane trees had been cut back and trimmed. The organ grinder played in the background and people came and went buying fruits and vegetables, fish and meat, clothing and various items. I worked the entire day trying to capture the experience of the day. I put in the phone booth and the cars. The center car is actually one used by the “gendarmes”, or police. I was most interested in the subtle yellow and violet color of the plane trees.

Brouillard, Par Gorde
Image: 11 x 15 inches
Watercolor & Gouache
(SOLD)

One late November day I went to Gorde, France, to paint. The village wraps around and down a mountainside to beautiful field patterns at the bottom. However, after I arrived, the town was enveloped by fog, and I could not see one building form of the village. I discovered that next to the road where I set up were the beautiful hazy shapes of these country homes. I wanted to capture the soft foggy light and the subtle color of the buildings and the blue windows against the stark early winter tree forms.

Roussillon
Image: 11 x 15 inches
Casein
(SOLD)

On a soft afternoon with gray light in November, I painted the beautiful village of Roussillon. The stuccoed buildings in this town are stained in the colors of the soil pigments of the region. There are beautiful ochres with various ranges from yellow to red. The shutters are often soft violets and blues. I decided to change my color palette and to use gouache because I had some colors of red and yellow ochre that could possibly have come from this region. Thus the entire painting was done using this aqueous opaque paint. I actually had an umbrella tied to my easel overhead to facilitate the process.

Center Square, Cassis #2
Image: 28½ x 19 inches
Acrylic
(SOLD)

This was a Wednesday market day in late November in downtown Cassis. It was a crisp long light with not a cloud in the sky, and the plane trees had been cut back and trimmed. Music played and people meandered here and there reading papers, walking dogs and buying baguettes. I worked the entire day trying to capture the experience of the day. Towards the end of the painting session a kind lady from Les Provencal, the region’s newspaper, took a photo and conducted an interview that was to be published the following week. Indeed a very good day.

Organ Grinder, Park by the Market in Cassis
Image: 10 x 21½ inches
Transparent Watercolor
(SOLD)

On the last market day we were in Cassis I did this long horizontal painting. I set up across from the organ grinder and listened to his music while doing the painting. People came to the market, which is to the right, and went through the gates and down the stairs back to the village with their purchases. The reflection pond repeated the patterns in the water and the woman in the red coat provided a crescendo note to the work!

Center Square, Cassis #3
Image: 36 x 24 inches
Casein
(SOLD)

This was a Wednesday market day in late November in downtown Cassis. It was a crisp long light with not a cloud in the sky, and the plane trees had been cut back and trimmed. Music played and people meandered here and there reading papers, walking dogs and buying baguettes. I worked the entire day trying to capture the experience of the day. Toward the end of the painting session a kind lady from the Les Provencal , the region’s newspaper, took a photo and conducted an interview that was to be published the following week. I did this painting from a previous work and completed it in my studio.

Center Square, Cassis #4
Image: 36 x 24 inches
Casein
(SOLD)

This was a Friday market day in late November in downtown Cassis. It was a crisp long light with not a cloud in the sky, and the plane trees had been cut back and trimmed. Music played, and people meandered here and there reading papers, walking dogs and talking in phone booths. I used a previous painting as the study for this work that was competed in my studio in Colorado.

Dominican Monastery, Prouihle
Image: 22 x 30 inches
Casein
(SOLD)

It was the end of October and the plane trees were at their peak. I shuffled through the fallen leaves to set up my easel. I spent two days working on the painting, trying to capture the autumn haze, soft cathedral shape, and the golden leaves. Occasionally a sister would walk by to talk about the painting or the weather. I did this painting from a previous painting and some sketches, completing it in my studio in Colorado.