Watercolour painting commission - Café, Montbron

The proprietor of this café in the Charente region of France commissioned me to paint this view of his bistrot 'A Tous Les Goûts'.
He supplied me with a photograph of the building from this angle and I added the customers.  I also took the liberty of adding a lot of sunshine which entailed inventing the shadows.  Hopefully I got all the angles for the shadows about right.

Painting people in watercolour 2

Recently completed this painting of three men playing pétanque.

I'm not sure if I like all the empty space on the right of the painting and could crop it square to just focus on the players.

I like the crop but others have suggested that it would be best to leave it as it is with the empty space helping to show the field of play and the setting for the painting. Haven't decided yet.

This painting is the second I've done recently of pétanque players and I still prefer the first which is done in a much simpler style and is perhaps the direction I would like to go in, although I like the way I've done the figures in this latest one too!

Here's the first one from a few months ago.....

Painting people in watercolour

I have been concentrating recently on paintings which include human figures - much more difficult than buildings!  I've done several portraits of individuals and some work with studies of single people incorporated but want to create more with crowds and groups of people.  I made this painting after a photograph which I have had for ages but never felt ready to do anything with. I was happy with the result and the painting was featured on the home page of Red Bubble which may not mean much to most but is an indication that at least somebody else liked it!

Sunny Café Terrace

On the strength of this and other paintings with people which are exhibited on our stand at the fairs and markets I have just received a commission to paint a local café. The photograph which I will be working from has an empty terrace so I will have to add the customers and will probably use this painting as a reference for some of the figures.

Currently working on a painting of some men playing boules which is also becoming a favourite subject! Must get back to that now.  The last brushstrokes will be dry and I can carry on.

Still painting! Commissions galore!

I haven't posted since before the summer and will now try to rectify that with some serious updating.  Summer sales have been good this year and in between going out to exhibit, and commission work, we have been hard at it to replenish our mobile gallery of work.

Our stand at St Mary in July

Fran has been doing several pet portrait commissions, all of dogs, and recently they nearly all seem to be of labradors! Here is one that isn't.  This is Foxy, a German Shepherd, in his younger days.  He is now an old boy and Fran is currently working on a more recent portrait.

Foxy

After our spring exhibition in Angoulême I decided to paint a watercolour of the cathedral.  I actually did two versions of the same painting trying to work in a looser style and with a very limited palette.  The first uses three colours while the second is done with just Winsor Blue(Red Shade) and Burnt Sienna.

Original paintings or prints?

I am looking into the possibilities of selling limited edition prints of some of our original paintings.  As well as being able to get additional mileage out of one of our works, the reduced cost would enable an enthusiast to better afford to own one of our paintings.

Many artists offer this service and I know of some who find that this is a more lucrative market for them.  There are those who will sell prints which they have created from their own home printer, which are not bad in terms of reproduction quality, but are not really good enough to last. I will be using a professional service with Fine Art Guild standard inks and paper to provide a quality print that will be much more durable.

I'm thinking of starting with a painting of a local café which I have painted several times and of which I have sold all the originals. I recently sold the painting below and had considered that one, but have now decided to create a new painting and use that.

Original watercolour painting - Chez Maurice, Montbron, France

Exhibition in Angoulême

We have finally been to visit a gallery in Angoulême with a view to hanging our paintings there.  This visit resulted in our booking a space for each of us to exhibit for a month from March 13 to April 13.  The gallery incorporates a café and is situated in the heart of the city.

 

Fran has been busy getting together some canvases to show while I have been agonising over which of my many unframed paintings to mount and frame.

Here is one of Fran's new acrylic paintings of an appropriately seasonal scene.

Bluebell Path - Acrylic painting on canvas 40x30 cm

This is one of my latest paintings in a representation of the mount and frame that I have used.

Summer Rain -Watercolour painting 30x20 cm

Acrylic painting - Old Boots

With the greatest reluctance I finally had to concede that it was time to buy myself a new pair of boots.  I had become rather attached to this pair and do still wear them around the garden.  There's nothing really wrong with them as long as it's dry.

This is an acrylic painting on a box canvas.

Acrylic painting 40x30 cm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watercolour House Portrait Commission

Two months into the year and this is my first post. I have been neglecting the diary and will attempt to get back up to date.  This will mean some serious posting as we have loads of new paintings to show you. I'll start with a watercolour painting which was a commission of a house in the Charente. 

House Portrait Commission - Watercolour 40x30 cm

The second painting is also a watercolour, of our local hamlet.  I started this while we were at a market with our paintings.  Working while trying to sell is a good talking point and attracts a bit more interest.  It also demonstrates that we really are the creators of the paintings which we are displaying.  A lot of people ask this question.

Village Scene, France - Watercolour 24x18 cm

Two acrylic paintings - French Towns

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 - Acrylic 30x20 cm

This next painting is the southern approach to our local village of Varaignes in the Dordogne region of France.  Fran painted this to exhibit at the Foire Aux Dindons which is a big turkey festival held in the village every year.  It hasn't been sold yet but we will be exhibiting it again next Sunday at the Christmas Market.

Approaching Varaignes - Acrylic 30x20 cm

Two watercolour paintings - Market Scenes

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 taken several photographs around the market and the two following paintings are the latest based on photos taken there.

Market day coffee break - watercolour 30x20 cm

At the vegetable stall - watercolour 30x20 cm

Pet Portraits

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

Watercolour paintings

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 be exhibiting our paintings at the fair and I'm hoping to attract some interest in this one.

 

Watercolour painting 30x20 cm - Front Façade, Bussière-Badil Church, France 

On a totally different subject is this painting of a line of washing with the sunlight creating some good shadows. This was taken from a photograph by Valerie Rosen whose work can be found HERE

 Watercolour painting 30x20 cm - Watercolour Wash

Flowers

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 mounted on small easels which can be supplied with the painting at no extra cost.

   

Two watercolour paintings of Gordes, France

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 painting 30x20 cm - View of Gordes, France

Old Doorway with Bougainvillea - Watercolour Painting

This watercolour painting was painted from a photograph found on morguefile.com which is a library of licence-free photographs for general use. 

 

Watercolour painting 30x20 cm

Watercolour painting - Château Puymartin

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 unfortunate woman, has been seen wandering the château at night, apparently. 

This painting was done from a photograph as, although I've driven almost right past it, I have not yet had a chance to visit.  This will be rectified!

Château Puymartin 

Watercolour 30x20 cm 

Big Commission - Four paintings

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 much visited by tourists on account of their impressive châteaux, and we are hoping that this will generate some business for us.

Two of the paintings are in acrylic, painted by Fran; two in watercolour, painted by me.  Here are the finished paintings.

Villebois-Lavalette

Acrylic by Fran Evans

Torsac

Watercolour by Ian Osborne

Montbron

Acrylic by Fran Evans

La Rochefoucauld

Watercolour by Ian Osborne

Watercolour painting - Four Men on Bench

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 have called the painting....

In The Shade of the Jacaranda Tree

Watercolour painting - Wisteria / Acrylic painting - Henrietta

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 has meanwhile painted this hen which is one of many that belong to a friend.  This is an acrylic painting on a deep-edged canvas 30x24 cm and was commissioned by a woman here in France as a present to her daughter in England. It is to match the painting of a cockerel that she bought last summer.

Acrylic painting - Portrait of a horse

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 hopefully attract some interest.

Here is the painting