Sunset on the Sound

I did bring my watercolors with me on our recent anniversary trip to Cape Hatteras, but I really didn't do much in the way of painting, save for this quick and light-hearted attempt below (done when we were sitting on the beach).  It just wasn't that kind of trip.

In fact, I even forgot to bring my camera, which is a real rarity for me! In a way it was a shame, because the B& B where we stayed had a fantastic vantage point on the sound, and provided us with some of the most beautiful sunsets we'd seen in a while. In another way, taking a real vacation to just "be", without feeling the need to work, was quite nice and very relaxing (though, believe me, there were times when the views were so compelling that the pull was strong!)

Our room had a view, so we'd sit on our balcony each evening and watch the sun set. I never tire of doing this. You can watch the setting sun from the same spot each evening and yet each time the experience is unique. It's the best show in town, and the sky seems to delight itself in its endless variations.

In the end, it's just as well that I left the camera at home, because the large majority of my amateur snapshots fail to capture the depth of color and the subtler transitions from sky to water. If not painting on the spot, the next best thing is to just sit and observe and to try and commit what I see to memory as best I can. So that's what I did. Once we got home, I painted this little watercolor from memory:

"Sunset on the Sound" Watercolor, 7x10" (SOLD) ©Jennifer Young

Beynac- final (or close to it)

Back from our mini-vacation in Hatteras now, and I've finally taken the Beynac painting off of the easel to work on other things.

"Beynac", Oil on Canvas, 36x48" ©Jennifer Young

This painting shows my view prior to hiking up to the top of the village to tour the chateauat the summit. The village of Beynac would be worth a visit just because it is so storybook pretty. But it is also the home of a magnificently preserved 13th century castle where Richard the Lionheart fought, won, then loss, only to meet his death shortly thereafter. From the top of the Chateau de Beynac one can see out over the beautiful Dordogne valley in all directions. The day I paid a visit to Beynac is definitely one of my favorite and memories of my visit to this most beautiful part of France.

Away for a few

Well, the Beynac painting is kicking my butt. I wasn't happy with the treatment of the sky so I ended up scraping a good portion of it down and reworking it. Much happier now with it and the cliffs and village have developed nicely.

I'd intended to post the dramatic conclusion but Dave is whisking me away for a few days in Hatteras to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary and I ran out of time. I'm leaving the laptop at home (I'm posting this from the car with my Blackberry!) and will post the final when I return.

Beynac WIP, continued

The Beynac painting is coming along. I did snap a couple of stages during the process, though things have advanced since these pics. It was raining when I shot these, and the photos aren't color-corrected, but at least it gives an idea: Clouds and cliffs....

(this is where white paint in caluking tubes comes in really handy!)

The village and cliffs coming more into view....This one is taking me a while, but I should have the finished piece ready to post (with a better quality photo) in a day or two.

Meanwhile, last week Paul Hammond paid a visit to my studio. Paul runs a couple of interesting Richmond-centric blogs, including the All Things Richmond blog, where I've been invited to be a periodic guest on his site and occaisionally feature some of my paintings. He's kicked things off with an introductory blurb and a few photos of the studio and the surrounding gardens. Thanks Paul!

WIP, Beynac, France

I'd hoped to be posting a new plein air painting today, but the plein air gods weren't with me. In spite of my best intentions, it was a Murphy's law morning, and I came back home with nothing but a wiper. Back in the studio, I took solace in a new 3x4' canvas. Here's the start:

Right now this probably looks a little like one of those red cliffs out in the Southwest, but it's actually a block-in for the riverside village of Beynac in Southwestern France. I'm experimenting with a little different approach here, blocking in the entire cliff and village as one mass first, rather than sketching out each little building individually.

This is more like the way my plein air starts are beginning to evolve now, with the idea that grouping related items into larger masses (in the beginning)  will provide me with a little more unity in color and composition early on. Here's hoping...this is the largest canvas I've worked on in a long while. More stages as they evolve, and as time permits.