Sunday 10 July 2011

Cedars at the Haute Eglise, Bonnieux

I just came back yesterday from a week's holiday in beautiful Lubéron in France. It wasn't a painting holiday but I managed to take a few photographs and couldn't resist doing a small painting today trying to recapture one of these inspiring landscapes as it's still fresh in my memory...

Cedars at the Haute Eglise, Bonnieux, France     10"x8"   oil on board


This is a view from a beautiful village called Bonnieux. We walked right up to the top of a rocky promontory where stands a very old church surrounded by cedars, offering far reaching views across the Lubéron. I tried to keep it spontaneous, as if I painted it on the spot.




Above is one of the picture I used as a reference. What caught my eye was the luminous greens and blues contrasting with the dark trees. On the right you can see my friends resting in the shade after climbing the steps in the heat. It was pretty hot indeed...

I have a few other photographs I can't wait to paint from so we'll see how it goes...

4 comments:

  1. You managed to capture the freashness of a painting done on site. It is very beautiful. Doug

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  2. Thanks Douglas! Your comments always cheer me up!

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  3. Brilliant painting Valerie. glad that you enjoyed your holiday, you lucky girl. All the best.
    Vic.

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  4. Thanks for your lovely comment Vic!

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