MAY UPDATE FRENCH ART SCHOOL & BLOOMS FRANCE GOINGS ON! The artists, the Chef, the mayor & a charming ancient
village in France Whilst painting in Jouillat, in France, with my chef and a student, having a fun day out painting en plein air, we met the mayor of the village who loved what we were doing so much he is putting
us on front of his next newsletter! Of course being a tiny village it's likely to go out to about 100 peeps so we are legendary on a small patch of (beautiful) turf! Meet Jean who made us feel so welcome in his very beautiful town! Life opens up for the most wonderful unexpected way at French Art School, where I teach my students in France making the most of the stunning inspiration since 2016 ( and teaching art since 2001) and yet there are always new
surprises and inspirations. After a 10 days of painting, not to mention fine dining courtesy of chef Jose , and teaching my BLOOMS FRANCE art immersion with a group of six fabulous students from Canada, USA, Switzerland and Australia, and four big paintings each, we said our final goodbyes as they zipped back up to the delights of
Paris. BLOOMS FRANCE Class of April 2023 - Norma Jean and Carol from the
USA, Gabriella from Switzerland, Jacqueline H from Canada, Melissa from Victoria , Australia and Sarah who is enjoying ,living in the UK as well Australia for the moment! Some examples of paintings created at Blooms France. More on this soon! What's the difference between French Art School and Blooms France? Blooms France is floral focused and includes 4 large blooms paintings. No previous experience necessary. French Art School is about learning en plein air live studio painting techniques inspired
by French Impressionism. NEXT BLOOMS FRANCE AVAILABILITY Open for bookings for June 2023 at https://artscreativehub.com/workshops/blooms-france/ Getting back to my story..... what does an art teacher who has just finished an art intensive do the minute she is free? Let's see .... umm... err...the options are; start cleaning the houses clean the brushes wash the linen lay on the couch and watch Netflix for at least a day go for a massage..... Well... er.... HELL, NOOOOOOO! I did none of these things. I went painting of course!!! time for those things later! So much to inspire here! And I don't want to miss out! Preparing my tools for en plein air painting. There's always a cup of tea at hand. Student Melissa, who was staying on with me for a few extra days, was up for trying en plein air painting with me which she hadn't done before. We were following the principals of how the French Impressionists painted by taking their art gear into the landscape and capturing from life what is in front of them. I had discovered a gorgeous nearby village called JOUILLAT with it's ancient barns and church steeples, a medieval chateaux, a mansion style chateaux, lots of stone villas, and an 11th century church during a return trip from the tapestry town of Aubusson. There was something incredibly enticing in painting terms about
JOUILLAT from the glimpse from our tour bus on a return trip from Aubusson. I knew I had to return with the paint brushes to capture the blossoms before they disappeared. Jose and Melissa ready to get painting! I could see
the potential for a painting from the yellow to ochre greens of the moss on the grey dry stone walls surrounding a little orchard, with trees now in full bloom, and explosions of white and pink blossom set off by emerging fresh lime green leaf shoots. My heart sang with creative possibilities as I admired the wonderful 'A' shapes of the ancient peaked
roofs and crusty stone walls. I later discovered many of the granges were built in the pre French revolution era. I wondered how many generations had lived in these houses and going about their daily lives? At this time of year, the tulips are everywhere! Nearly every garden has tulips growing. I had to get us back to JOUILLAT to paint it before the blossoms changed. Only the night before, the chef had made the farewell dinner for the group. Jose likes to enjoy a painting session with me when we have our free time, so I invited him to come too. Even though it was short notice he said 'Yes!'...'mais
OUI!' Since we were up early to say goodbye to the outgoing ladies, we packed the car with canvases, French box easels, two panniers of oil paints, plus medium and brushes, two thermos and some snacks. When Jose arrived at 10am we
were ready to go. The only impediment was an overcast sky. I like a little sunshine on my subject matter because it brings the colours to life. Spring Blossoms at Jouillat, breaking out all over in hues of white and pink. But if you know the weather locally here in the Creuse, ( a very natural and unspoiled part of France 3 hours south west of Paris where Monet also painted along with many other French Impressionist painters) - a leaden sky promising a downpour can just as easily turn to pure joy and hues of blue with white fluffy clouds within moments. The weather app on my iphone said cloudy but no rain for the next few days. And so with my car stuffed to the rafters we set off,
with fingers crossed. Arriving to Jouillat 30 minutes later, I suggested we take a walk around the town and double check the scene I had fallen in love with, was in fact the best one for us to paint. We then meandered down little
alleyways, explored the 11th century stone church, admired the magnolia tree in blooms against the medieval chateau, and wondered who lived in the other more recent epoch chateau ( about two to three centuries old!) No previous experience necessary Tulips of every colour dotted patches of gardens. A white
draught horse munched on grass nearby but was too busy to look up and say hello. Then we discovered a nature walk set up by the locals that took us into the hills and around the edge of the village. Of course we took the invitation to
explore the pathway through the forest, with it's palette of spring greens, moss covered tree trunks, pale branches and curious fungi. And so beautiful it was, with oaks, hazelnut and chestnut trees typical of the Creuse region I have been so drawn to. This is an ancient and unspoiled area. The medieval chateau at Jouillat through the trees and overlooking the village. We passed a centuries old stone blanchisserie where the locals once came in times past to wash their sheets in a diverted stream lined with stones. All around us the birds chattered and tweeted happily 'Spring is here!' Jose pointed out the huge snails enjoying life in the bracken and ferns, the same type of snail that are the escargot
the French love so much. I imagine they do taste good doused in melted butter, garlic and parsley, but right now they seemed prehistoric and I was very glad Jose respectfully put the snails back! Jose named the wildflowers dotting the pathway, from violets to tansy. Being a chef, he pointed out the leaves you could eat. Wildflowers grow in abundance and with enormous variety on the roadsides and pathways in France. We enjoyed a view back over the village with a different angle on the old chateau that would also make a lovely painting. Finally we arrived back in the village. It was now 12.20. The only problem with starting to paint now would be.... we would be hungry. The painting session would be for three hours. Definitely we couldn't go without lunch, especially with the chef with us, so another diversion took us to the town of Gueret where we found a canteen enjoyed by locals. I wasn't going to have a dessert as well as the steak and frites but it was Tarte aux Normande, with vanilla bean ice-cream so how could I refuse?
When I start an en plein air painting I make a rough outline that can still be changed if I change my mind about a shape. I then map in the big areas first. I love responding to live subject
matter and enjoying the fresh results and the place itself. It's different to working from a photo. The painting comes with a story of how the subject originated, whether it's a bouquet of flowers or who I painted with at the time. The memory is caught in the paint work forever. Finally at 4pm we arrived back to Jouillat and set up. It doesn't get dark at this time of year till 9pm. It was time to get cracking! The sun was peeking in and out bringing the colours of Jouillat in full spring mode to life. Whereas the streets had been deserted with not a soul to be seen earlier in the day, now the rhythm of Jouillat was pulsing with activity. A young man went jogging by, several dog owners looked with curiosity as we put the easels together and laid out paints. No previous experience necessary STARTING MY PAINTING OF JOUILLAT First I sketched the building shapes in lightly for structure with a weak solution of neutral grey and medium. ( see previous pic) I also took a photo
of the scene in case the weather changed or I didn't finish the painting on the spot so I would have a reference. Melissa and Jose followed suit. Below; The early stage of my painting where I map out the painting before getting stuck in detail. I then mapped in the sky, now billowing with marshmallow clouds and accented by pops of blue. Working from the background forward I mixed the colours of the barns, and was surprised to see
so much lilac in the grey of the stone, so much pink in the terracotta along with raw umber in the facades of the barns. My fellow painters including chef Jose making splendid progress I also placed the trees and considered what would disintegrate into the atmosphere and what would be my main focus. As it turned out, the trees won over with their multitude of blossoms and overlapping shapes, with the a suggestion of the village structure behind. A chimney evaporated in a painterly way into the sky. I used a twig for
some of the branches and a process of subtraction to trim some shapes. There is a stage of the painting that always look messy and unformed. I had just passed that point with my usual act of faith when it comes to painting ( and many other things that come with being an artist!) , when another gentleman came
walking along, with the intent to chat and start a conversation. this time was was Jean, the mayor. Melissa and I noted our visitor was like a French version of Sean Connery. He had a kind look in his eye and was friendly with a generous spirit. Sorry ladies, he's married! But what a lovely guy! This is how my painting turned out. En plein air paintings come to a close quite naturally because the light changes and you simply have to finish it, I don't like interfering with it later as
its called embellishing and it can kill the freshness of the creation in the moment. Fresh is best! The mayor of Jouillat, wanted to
know where we were from, and was delighted we were painting his town. And... wait for it! Drum roll......he wanted to know if...... Could he put a picture of us and our paintings on the cover of his next newsletter? I was already having a great day but this was pure magic! Now we would be famous... even if to a very small village! Too funny! Naturally, we agreed. Later he brought his family to have a look at our painting progress as well. We finished the day with a painting each having had a lot of fun. Next week at French Art School, the first for the season, we will be painting the changing spring atmosphere of La Foret du Temple, the charming hamlet where French Art School is located, with my French Art School group. My hamlet is full of blossom and crusty rustic scenes. We also paint still life florals and and whatever is on season in my ballroom studio. Chef Jose looks after us. Isn't that the dream? A chef cooking for you while you paint? We also have some relaxed touring time in Paris. After a break we start the French Art School tour no 2 commencing 23 May to June 6, 2023. There is just one place left ! And then no more for 2023 because groups are kept to 6. Like to come but not till next year? Please email my workshop booking assistant Jo Trezona. Jo has visited French Art School so can answer your questions and put you on the wait list. We are about to release 2024 dates and places are very limited
because I only do small groups of 6 clients. No previous experience necessary For enquiries
and dates for 2024 please email Jo at [email protected]. Jo is the mistress of my in person workshop bookings and has done my in person workshops including in France and in Australia, and online including the Make Money From Art Program. Jo knows everything about my my teaching offers and is a wonderful help if you have any questions. That's Jo on the left, last year doing French Art School, we squeezed in a painting on the Seine with our Bonus Blooms Travel Paint boxes, ideal for en oplein air painting at any time anywhere.
And that's student Kathleen on the right. Hi Kathleen! Carpe diem! Hope to see you soon in France! Love and paint brushes, Jacqueline Coates Part way into the paintings as we The cockeral weather vane on the
church and the I had passed through on the tour for . |
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