tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91140412804346099792012-01-27T00:55:18.288-08:00ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.comBlogger601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-13832539037411506872011-12-14T02:10:00.000-08:002011-12-14T02:10:12.622-08:00

Fran completed the first of these paintings in response to an enquiry by a man who lives on this side of the town.  He bought a watercolour of the château at La Rochefoucauld and wondered whether we had any of Montbron.  Fran painted this view from the basse ville by the river and it was sold at the market in Piégut before we even had the chance to exhibit it in Montbron. Approaching Montbron -

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-24758908463315341462011-11-22T03:49:00.000-08:002011-11-22T03:49:13.905-08:00

Every Wednesday morning a huge market is held in the Dordogne town of Piégut.  Throughout the milder months we are there every week with our stand of original paintings and greeting cards. At this time of the year the market becomes smaller and is naturally not so busy.  Our attendance over the next few months will be dependent on the weather but we hope to go at least every other week.  I have

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-11155477223758497582011-11-10T08:28:00.000-08:002011-11-10T08:28:58.858-08:00

We have set up a new website concentrating on pet portraits. As it is Fran who more frequently paints animals the site is www.franspetportraits.com. This is Toby, a mini schnautzer... Harvey the greyhound... Holly the chocolate labrador

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-71814639747938852272011-10-08T03:17:00.000-07:002011-10-08T03:17:38.011-07:00

On 23 October there is an Autumn Fair in the Dordogne village of Bussière-Badil, a small place dominated by its church which was once part of a Benedictine abbey and became a priory in the 14th century.  I've painted several pictures of the church which never quite seem to capture its size.  This painting concentrates on the front façade and I've included a figure to help indicate scale.  We'll

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-69213763358970822442011-09-28T08:49:00.000-07:002011-09-28T08:51:17.642-07:00

Fran has recently completed this painting of hollyhocks which was taken from a view in our small hamlet.  These flowers are blooming at the moment and seem to be able to grow anywhere, even out of cracks between pavement and walls.  This is an acrylic painting on paper 40x25 cm. Acrylic painting - Hollyhock Cottage The next three paintings are small acrylics on canvas 20x20cm. We display them

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-38694856751830571772011-09-17T02:50:00.000-07:002011-09-17T02:51:41.480-07:00

The first painting I did of this hilltop village in the Vaucluse region of southern France attracted a good deal of attention and was sold fairly quickly, so I decided to paint another version from the same viewpoint but using different colours.  I still prefer the first version but the second one has a certain appeal, I think. Watercolour painting 30x20 cm - View of Gordes, France Watercolour

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-26678488673935409192011-04-03T06:38:00.000-07:002011-04-03T06:38:57.292-07:00

This watercolour painting was painted from a photograph found on morguefile.com which is a library of licence-free photographs for general use.  The doorway in the painting is in the region of the famous tombs of the Qutb Shahi dynasty at Hyderabad, India.  Not a very French subject this time but an attractive photograph which makes for a good painting, I hope. Watercolour painting 30x20 cm

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-50532293101396365072011-03-20T05:41:00.000-07:002011-03-20T05:41:53.453-07:00

Château Puymartin is in the south of the Dordogne near Sarlat.  Thérèse de Saint-Clar, who took advantage of her husband's absence while he was away fighting in the 16th century, and enjoyed herself with another man, was imprisoned by her jealous husband on his return in a room in the north tower, which was sealed upon her death with her body still inside. La Dame Blanche, the ghost of the

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-68823621811282223852011-02-26T03:26:00.000-08:002011-02-26T03:26:06.757-08:00

We have recently completed four paintings which were commissioned by an association of local tourist offices in the Charente who want to use the pictures as cover illustrations for brochures focusing on four towns in the local area.  This is an important commission for us and we are looking forward to seeing the brochures published in time for the summer season.  Two of the towns in question are

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-1117364121645952212011-02-22T09:26:00.000-08:002011-02-22T09:26:21.931-08:00

My latest watercolour was painted from a photograph in the image library on wetcanvas.com, which has a vast range of licence-free photos for artist's reference.  The scene was shot on Madeira.  As the figures are in shadow and the detail on the faces was difficult to see well from the photo, I have left the faces blank.  The painting is a bit of a departure for me, but I quite like the effect. I

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-87533338117983034472011-02-15T07:09:00.000-08:002011-02-15T07:09:13.159-08:00

Fran has done an acrylic painting of this door surrounded by wisteria, which is in our local village of Varaignes.  Using the same reference photos, I chose a different angle to her painting, which was a straight-on close-up of the door.  This angle allowed me to include the row of purple irises beside the doorway, and a bit of the garden beyond.  The painting is a watercolour 30x20 cm.  Fran

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-57371074899408605602011-02-07T06:19:00.000-08:002011-02-07T06:19:00.591-08:00

This acrylic painting is on a deep-edged canvas 50x40cm. Fran painted this, not as a commission, but as an example to try to entice people to commission a painting of their horse.  We have been asked about this several times when we have been doing markets etc. but nobody has ever followed up their enquiry.  The painting will go up in a local bar/café where we have several works on the walls, and

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-40201868592646019932011-01-27T03:09:00.000-08:002011-01-27T07:26:14.574-08:00

I did this watercolour painting by masking out the horizontal and vertical lines to give the impression that it was painted on tiles.  The inspiration for this came from the tile paintings which are common in Portugal, where we lived previously.  I'm unsure at the moment how it would be best framed to keep up the pretence that it is painted on tiles.  The colour used is French Ultramarine.

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-11279510238926948402011-01-23T09:42:00.000-08:002011-01-23T09:42:49.055-08:00

This is the latest of Fran's pet portraits.  It is an acrylic on watercolour paper 30x20 cm.  It was commissioned by a couple here in France as a present to friends in England.  The original photograph was not very good, but Fran has managed to create a good representation of the dog, don't you think? Sophie   Not having any outstanding commissions myself at the moment, I was free to paint

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-396183275876444772011-01-11T09:00:00.000-08:002011-01-11T09:00:39.096-08:00

This watercolour portrait gave me a few worries as you can imagine.  Five children in one painting was not my idea of fun and when I was first approached about it I said, yes I can do it, with a lot of trepidation.  As the summer passed into autumn while the woman who had asked me tried to get her five grandchildren to pose together, I half hoped that she had changed her mind.  In October she

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-80682698452555607772011-01-06T08:22:00.000-08:002011-01-06T08:22:02.504-08:00

Hello, and Happy New Year to all. This acrylic pet portrait was commissioned by a man here in France as a Christmas present for his daughter who lives in England.  There was some difficulty getting a photograph of Harvey with his ears standing up, and this is the best that could be done. After a flush of commissions leading up to Christmas, things have gone quiet on that front which will leave us

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-15642463784829862472010-12-05T03:23:00.000-08:002010-12-05T03:23:44.050-08:00

Fran's latest pet portrait is an acrylic on paper 40x30 cm.  This painting was commissioned by a woman here in France as a present for her daughter-in-law who lives in England.  Moose is a British Bulldog.  The run up to Christmas has kept the commissions coming in, which is just as well, as this is otherwise a quiet time of year for us.  There will be a couple of Christmas markets to do, but the

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-91145471509693633202010-12-02T03:14:00.000-08:002010-12-02T03:14:17.256-08:00

This watercolour painting is done from the same viewpoint as an acrylic that Fran did earlier in the year.  The large tree in the painting has since been chopped down but I preferred to keep it for an extra bit of interest.  This building is found on the narrow street that runs between the main square, which houses the Mairie of Montbron and the Place des Tilleuls, a pleasant quiet square where

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-57190596356919974242010-11-17T07:22:00.000-08:002010-11-17T07:22:04.927-08:00

I have just completed my first commission from the United States. The majority of our work is either picked up here in France or through our website from Britain.  I was asked to do a bit of a reduction on the tree to the right to expose more of the side of the house.  Luckily the customer very helpfully included some extra reference photos for me to work from. Here is the finished painting

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-77957820147918360492010-11-10T06:17:00.000-08:002010-11-10T06:17:17.133-08:00

Fran's latest completed commission is of a chocolate labrador called Holly commissioned by a lady who lives here in France, but destined as a present to the owners who live in England. It is an acrylic on paper 30x20 cm. Here is the painting   The two following paintings are both watercolours 30x20 cm and are the two paintings from the St Sornin wine festival which didn't sell.  Maybe next year.

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-65234757139163211582010-10-31T03:05:00.000-07:002010-10-31T03:05:45.372-07:00

With the colder weather approaching we decided yesterday that it was time to order in some firewood.  We called at Antoine's house to be told by his wife that he was over the road in the barn 'drawing ' the wine.  He invited us inside where a hosepipe was filling a half oak barrel with wine, which was then being pumped into two large vats. He dipped a glass into the three week old wine and

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-7743904268659552492010-10-25T07:21:00.000-07:002010-10-25T07:21:51.958-07:00

The past weekend saw us at the Fête du Vin at St Sornin in the Charente.  The fête is held in the old part of town called 'Les Michelots' where the streets are decorated in bunting, and there are many stalls selling a variety of things from arts and crafts to local food products and, of course, wine. For six euros you can buy a glass which has a string and rubber band attached for wearing round

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-3460150819457759102010-10-10T08:46:00.000-07:002010-10-10T08:46:04.382-07:00

This is my latest completed commission, which I received through our website.  The customer sent a photo of her parents' house in London, which she wanted to be painted as a present.  The photograph showed the house totally in the shade, so I asked if she could send me some more with sunlight on the house.  The photos that she sent were no better, so I worked from the first one and 'invented' the

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-55843172098384460562010-10-06T06:21:00.000-07:002010-10-06T06:21:52.562-07:00

This painting was commissioned by a woman from Glasgow who incidentally runs the company from which we buy our card blanks for the greeting cards which we make from our original paintings.This is an acrylic painting 40x30 cm. This morning we were at the weekly market in Piégut, where we didn't manage to sell any paintings, but a few people took a business card, and

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-16087905483371375132010-10-04T04:22:00.000-07:002010-10-04T04:23:25.520-07:00

I've been getting a bit behind with my posting as this has been the busy time of the year for us.  Things will start to slow down now as the bric-a-brac's come to an end and the weather will not allow us to attend the market every week. Meanwhile we have still been kept busy with commissions. This is an acrylic pet portrait which Fran did for a woman in England from an e-mailed photograph. This

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-38923615410747071942010-08-08T05:32:00.000-07:002010-08-08T05:32:32.320-07:00

I painted this originally to take with us to a market which was to be held in a village near to this huge church. In the end we were invited to take part in a different event in Rochechouart in the Haute-Vienne, which had more of a slant towards art. Sadly the weather on that day was bad, and we were washed-out at midday when a tremendous thunderstorm broke. Another no-sale day. Last Wednesday's

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-25242798881717396962010-07-26T02:57:00.000-07:002010-07-26T02:57:27.610-07:00

Fran's latest painting is an acrylic of an old barn door in our hamlet.  The painting is 40x30 cm on a deep-edged canvas.  Although there were a lot of poppies growing in the grass in front of the barn, she has manipulated the image slightly to make some of the poppies appear closer to the viewer. Old Barn Door with Poppies - Acrylic on canvas 40x30 cm Fran is currently working on two

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-71083676697699853132010-07-21T09:31:00.000-07:002010-07-21T09:54:33.608-07:00

A did a painting of this old barn, which is at the entrance to a hamlet just down the road from us. I sold that picture, but I wasn't entirely happy with it, so I have painted it again. I think I made a better job of it this time and as you see, I put in a field of sunflowers. In reality this space is occupied by a pretty boring house.  At the weekend we were at a

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-78803143243214797192010-07-08T00:30:00.000-07:002010-07-08T00:30:35.044-07:00

The summer has arrived. Yesterday it was 32°C in the shade.The kids have broken up from school and for the next six weeks we will be able to keep the same spot at the market in Piégut, which means that we can set up as soon as we arrive and don't have to traipse around after the 'placier' waiting to be allocated a pitch. Even better is the fact that this spot is in the shade of some tall plane

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-69398928377566618902010-06-30T07:08:00.000-07:002010-06-30T07:08:23.800-07:00

I have framed and delivered our latest commission which was a watercolour painting of a house in Nontron in the Dordogne department of France about 20km from where we live. The house is just off the main road in a surprisingly lovely setting. Within easy walking distance of the town, but quite secluded and quiet, with a carp-filled lake in the grounds. This was a bit of a challenge as the

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-53061306709220962232010-06-15T02:17:00.000-07:002010-06-15T02:17:41.140-07:00

At last I have completed, framed and delivered this painting to the customer who is this boy's uncle. He was delighted with the painting, which was, as always, a massive relief. I am still not a seasoned painter of portraits, but hopefully am getting better. As you can see, in the photograph that I was given to make the painting from, the eyes are completely in shadow, so I had to make them

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-6301221024597616762010-06-07T07:01:00.000-07:002010-06-07T07:01:42.208-07:00

This is Fran's latest painting - an acrylic on canvas 50x40 cm We passed this gate in our local village on the way back from a vide-grenier a few weeks ago, and Fran thought that it would make a good painting. I went down to take the photo the next morning when the sunlight and shadows were good.The painting had its first outing last week at the market in Piégut where it attracted a lot of

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-47743602509617302882010-06-03T02:44:00.000-07:002010-06-03T02:44:08.307-07:00

I have three commissions looming but have been putting them off in favour of other things. Now, two deadlines are approaching and I have had to get cracking.  I started one of a house here in France, and sent the client a photo of the work in progress. It now seems that I have a few more weeks, so I have put that aside to concentrate on the portrait of a boy which is due before 13 June. I've made

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-3166883310692145402010-05-17T06:27:00.000-07:002010-05-17T06:27:53.823-07:00

At the Bric-a-Brac at Montbron yesterday we eventually got set up once we'd managed to locate the owner of the car that was occupying the space that we had reserved. There weren't a huge number of stalls or buyers, but the weather held and we had a moderately successful day, selling one painting and about 10 greetings cards. The sold painting was an acrylic on canvas 24x18 cm, which was sold for

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-55126871068761359702010-05-15T05:41:00.000-07:002010-05-15T05:41:52.522-07:00

This is Fran's latest painting; an acrylic on a deep-sided canvas 50x40 cm.The painting is for sale €150  St Germain de Montbron The sleepy village of St Germain de Montbron is in the Charente department of France, but only about 10 kilometres from here. This will have its first public outing tomorrow at the Frairie and bric-a-brac in Montbron, where we will have a stand. On account of the

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-15965941607337935332010-05-08T05:06:00.000-07:002010-05-08T05:06:44.335-07:00

In the four and a half years since we've been living here in France we must have passed this building hundreds of times, without really noticing it. It was only recently that we passed when the sun must have been in just the right position to shine between the surrounding buildings and afford us this view. Fran immediately thought that it would make a great painting and this is the result. I

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-87474284774650286692010-05-02T07:08:00.000-07:002010-05-02T07:10:55.401-07:00

At long last I have finished one of my pending commissions. I framed and delivered the painting to the customer yesterday at our local bar/café. It was a good move to deliver it on that day in particular though I hadn't planned it that way.As it was a public holiday and, being the first of the month, also the day of the monthly 'foire', the bar was crowded.  The painting sparked a lot of interest

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-24865848442111395402010-04-27T02:17:00.000-07:002010-04-27T02:17:14.855-07:00

Spring is definitely on us. The season of vide-greniers has begun. We took part in our first one last Sunday in Soudat, a small village close to us. It was a lovely sunny day and there was a good turnout of stallholders and public alike. We sold one small watercolour painting and some greetings cards. All in all it was a good day. This was the painting we sold, mounted and framed for 25 euros!!

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-34503050937209164022010-04-15T09:29:00.000-07:002010-04-15T09:29:34.785-07:00

Yesterday we did the market at Piégut - one of the biggest in this region - for the first time this year after the winter lay-off. The market still takes place every Wednesday in the winter but we don't bother to go on account of the inclement weather and the subsequent drop in visitors. As a consequence of this we don't have a permanent place and have to follow the 'placier' along with all the

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-19307892737756063242010-04-07T07:32:00.000-07:002010-04-07T07:32:35.747-07:00

A week or so ago one of my watercolour paintings - Landscape, Ecuras, France appeared on the homepage of Red Bubble - a very popular artist site. I didn't actually see the page as I didn't log in that day until late. Today I was sent a screenshot of the page which I have uploaded here. Mine is the bright, sunny one!

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-15418580951405252892010-04-06T09:09:00.000-07:002010-04-06T09:11:37.075-07:00

Spring has definitely arrived after a long hard winter. The swallows are back investigating nesting places under the veranda where they nested last year. The hoopoes are around though I haven't seen one yet, only heard them. This is an acrylic painting Fran did last year of one of these exotic-looking birds. I recently finished this painting of the steep hill running down

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-20517729252124684202010-03-23T02:48:00.000-07:002010-03-23T02:48:35.541-07:00

We've had a busy couple of weeks painting and framing and I've neglected to post any paintings for a while, so it's time to make up for it. This latest painting is an acrylic on canvas by Fran. Spring seems to have finally arrived. The doors are open and the dogs are sunbathing on the veranda. This morning Fran heard the first cuckoo.

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-9101020569114870962010-03-07T01:57:00.000-08:002010-03-07T01:57:01.572-08:00

The first watercolour painting that I did of the Auberge in Varaignes(24) was hanging in the bar itself and was bought by a Danish customer. Amandine and Christophe, the young couple who run this charming bar/restaurant in our local village, kindly allow us to display several of our paintings on their walls in the restaurant. When the first painting was sold Amandine looked a bit disappointed. I

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-81823810669245050892010-03-01T08:53:00.000-08:002010-03-01T08:53:04.508-08:00

Despite having her pen and ink illustrations published in April's Pond - the children's book written by I J Lyons, Fran hasn't produced much pen and ink work lately. Although some people love the fine detailed drawing of a pen and ink work, most people hanker after colour. Fran was inspired to create this new drawing after becoming a member of Red Bubble - the artists website. On Red Bubble you

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-7102166735145453412010-02-27T06:02:00.000-08:002010-02-27T06:02:25.371-08:00

With no commission for the moment and no running around the fairs and markets trying to sell our paintings, we've got plenty of time on our hands to paint. The problem is finding something to paint - something which there may be a market for here in France. I must have painted the local château 100 times.For this painting I found a website called photos4artists.co.uk which has several galleries

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-62668105280699688462010-02-23T09:07:00.000-08:002010-02-23T09:07:38.342-08:00

In this region of France we are on the flight path of the cranes on their migration to and from their seasonal homes. The unmistakeable noise as great flocks of these birds pass overhead causes everyone to look to the skies. In sadness as they fly south when the cold grips the country and in joy as they return from their winter quarters. At last there is some warmth in the sun and we look ahead

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-12055993371806089112010-02-21T07:57:00.000-08:002010-02-21T07:57:06.506-08:00

As promised here is the finished painting of the roses. Fran has also finished a painting of poppies which is a large acrylic painting 60x50 cm. These floral paintings are very popular and look very impressive on the wall.We also make greetings cards using our images, and the flower cards are the best sellers.

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-33842301712320471132010-02-18T01:47:00.000-08:002010-02-18T01:47:47.496-08:00

On Tuesday morning we woke to -7°C and a very heavy frost. I happened to have the camera with me on a shopping trip to Nontron and took this photo of the fountain in the main square. Since then the temperatures have risen and the ice and snow has all melted. Of course this has brought our second favourite weather.....rain. Never mind. The painting continues apace. Here is my latest watercolour

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-35308326745072328522010-02-14T04:47:00.000-08:002010-02-14T04:47:19.787-08:00

Today's painting is very appropriate. A small acrylic painting of two red roses by Fran which sold almost as soon as it went on display on Friday morning. She is presently at work on a larger painting of yellow and pink roses which will appear here shortly

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-73375263163124286102010-02-12T09:44:00.000-08:002010-02-12T09:45:32.171-08:00

I have wanted for a while to do another painting of this closed-down sewing-machine shop in Javerlhac, but have only recently found the time. I think that I have made a better job of this one, and am pleased with the result. I hope that this captures the somnolent atmosphere of a small French town in summer, when the streets are quiet, the shutters open to the day and half of the shops shut.

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-29885508296126264202010-02-08T08:36:00.000-08:002010-03-23T02:51:00.376-07:00

I've just posted my latest house portrait to England. As you can see the house is a tudor-style property with lovely leaded windows. I only had one photo to work from which was not of very good resolution so it was a struggle to pick up all the details. In the photo this side of the house is in shade. I suggested  to the customer that it would look more appealing if the house was bathed in

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-70766581970095626862010-01-24T06:50:00.000-08:002010-01-24T06:50:00.219-08:00

At last I have finished the watercolour portraits of the two young girls which was a commission I received over a week ago now. I don't normally do portraits so this was something of a challenge. I think they have turned out well and will deliver them, mounted and framed, to the client tomorrow.

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-30507406783504049162010-01-05T09:46:00.000-08:002010-02-12T12:09:46.402-08:00

Here are our first paintings of the New Year. Fran painted this small acrylic on canvas because of the great interest in a previous painting of hers featuring wisteria. She is currently working on a much larger painting of a stone archway with wisteria hanging over it. This stunning plant is a great favourite in the region as are the typical Charentaise blue shutters. My first painting of the

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-88457218539113053942009-12-29T08:37:00.000-08:002010-01-04T00:48:17.849-08:00

This acrylic painting by Frances, having been much admired when it was shown in the summer, was bought by a man here in France as a present . The painting is 70x50 cm on canvas. This watercolour was first exhibited at a show in Varaignes in July and attracted considerable interest. The scene it depicts is typical of this rural area. It was finally bought as a Christmas gift from a local woman

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-64468334307273452942009-12-28T09:26:00.000-08:002009-12-28T09:36:29.791-08:00

PET PORTRAIT This Christmas, in France, England and on the Isle of Man six people received our paintings as presents. Four of these were commissions especially ordered for the day. The other two were paintings which were already finished and had been admired  by the recipients. This first acrylic painting by Frances is a pet portrait of two Border Collies who live on the Isle of Man. HOUSE

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-54451130901544821912009-12-21T08:41:00.000-08:002010-02-12T12:10:40.159-08:00

On Sunday we had a stand at the Christmas market in Varaignes (our local village) for the fifth year. The weather conditions and the state of the roads in the smaller villages prevented some of the stallholders from attending and only the appearance of the sun after lunch saved it from being a total disaster, as a few visitors trickled in during the afternoon. I painted this small watercolour on

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-84968240650473853482009-12-19T06:47:00.000-08:002010-02-08T08:41:43.941-08:00

A year or two ago I painted a house portrait for a man from the Isle of Man who had just finished converting an old barn into his new home.I recently received a follow-up request from him for another painting of the house, but this time as a winter scene, with a light dusting of snow, not a total whiteout.It doesn't snow much in the Isle of Man.He sent me any number of photos which was very

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-58340402612544932642009-12-17T06:28:00.000-08:002009-12-22T09:41:02.773-08:00

Fran has finished an acrylic painting of two Border Collies, which is to be a Christmas present from the husband to his wife. As it is to be a surprise, I can't post an image of the completed painting here yet just in case she stumbles upon it, but I will do so once the festivities are over. Fran has previously painted a Border Collie called George who can be seen on the Pet Portrait page of our

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-27874550753767338172009-12-16T08:53:00.000-08:002010-02-12T12:04:13.024-08:00

I've been struggling with my latest commission - a portrait of a house here in France. The house in question is very long with a mature garden. In order to get back far enough to include the whole house, a good part of it becomes obscured by trees and shrubs. I took dozens of photographs and made a composite image with suggestions which I e-mailed to the customer. I wanted to chop down a tree or

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9114041280434609979.post-69744617585106638702009-12-14T09:18:00.000-08:002010-02-08T08:39:36.023-08:00

After a relatively quiet summer we seem to be picking up a few commissions lately. As three of these have come through our site http://www.affordableart4all.com/ , I am very pleased. Following the recent release of the children's book April's Pond, for which Fran did the illustrations, this sudden influx of work inspires me with hope for the future. The fact that the author of April's Pond

ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14770417135299251477noreply@blogger.com0