The rain is coming - Lacanau

Here is an other studio painting I did while my baby was asleep. It is from a photograph I took during a family holiday this summer at Lacanau beach, near Bordeaux. The weather wasn't great during our stay but in the typical english good spirit, it didn't stop us going to the beach in our swimming suits, parasols, and a ton of suncream (well I speak for myself here), while it was hardly 18 degrees and it was clear the rain was only a few minutes away. I caught on my camera this moody dark sky just before we got completely wet and wanted to have a try turning it into a painting.

The rain is coming, Lacanau  12"x10" oil on board

I enjoyed painting the sky with freedom with big brushes and generous amount of paint, without thinking too much about what I was doing (not that I ever really know what I'm doing!). I'm quite pleased with the result and might try a few more from the same series.

This painting is for sale on my website here with worldwide shipping:

http://www.valeriepirlot.com/france/the-rain-is-coming-lacanau

Detail

Detail

First painting since the baby's arrival!

Yeah! I'm back at the easel! It is now two months since my little boy was born and I have missed painting ever since I had to stop in late pregnancy. I have been blessed with a baby that sleeps well so during his naps, and when the eldest is at preschool, I can sometimes manage to sneak in the studio in my home for a quick oil sketch. That means that I have to rush in the studio as soon as he's asleep and put the brushes down when he wakes up, so I end up working on the painting over a few naps sessions. Obviously we are not talking about plein air painting or large work, but small studies from photographs instead. Still, it feels good to paint!

The painting below was done from a photograph of Lake District (UK). I had fun painting those distant hills contrasting with the darker foreground. 

Lake District view  10"x8" oil on board

If you spot a few shaky lines here and there, that could be because I was so eager to finish the painting after my boy woke up that I completed it while rocking the bouncer with my foot as he watched me paint with interest (I know they can't see that far at that age but let's pretend he's interested shall we).

Here are a couple of detail close up below.

The painting is available for sale on my website here. 

Detail

Detail

I hope to be able to post more naps paintings soon!

Baby, shows and calendars

I haven't posted much recently but I think I have a good excuse; we've just welcomed to the world our baby son Sebastian, born on the 28th of August. So I'm temporarily swapping paint brushes for milk and paints for nappies until I get back behind the easel in a few months' time - or maybe before? My husband found it funny that only a couple of hours before I gave birth, I was still sorting out a painting delivery between the contractions! Artist and mother go together! :-)

I just wanted to keep you updated on a few things here. First, for those in Belgium, I wanted to let you know that my exhibition "The Battle of Waterloo in paintings" held at the Waterloo Tourist Office has been extended until the end of September. So you still have a few weeks to view it. See my original post for more details here: info about the show

Talking about shows, it seems I will be exhibiting some of my work next year 4 March - 29 April 2017 at the Galleries Shop and Café venue in Freshford, Bath. I'll give more details soon.

And another good news to coincide with the new arrival: my new calendars 2017 have arrived! If you want to spend 2017 with my latest favourite selection of paintings, then you can order yours now on my website here: http://www.valeriepirlot.com/shop

As usual, there is a wall and desk calendar option and they can be shipped worldwide.

See below to have a preview of the selection of paintings.

  

Wall calendar cover

January - Note the original painting is available for sale here.

February

March

April

May - Note the original painting is available for sale here

June

July

August

September

October - Note the original painting is available for sale here

November - Note the original painting is available for sale here

December - Note the original painting is available for sale here

The same selection of paintings is displayed in the desk format:

For more info, go to my website: http://www.valeriepirlot.com/shop

Clouds, sheep and boats

Here are a couple of paintings done in plein air in the countryside between Trowbridge and Bradford on Avon a few weeks ago. These outings have become rather rare lately because it is getting harder to carry my painting kit at the same time as my ever growing baby belly, not to mention the risk of breaking my chair! I would love to say I'm being inspired by this pregnancy and doing some interesting studio self portraits, but the truth is I'm spending my evenings instead watching the sound of music and eating chocolate... Still, the optimistic person I am just thought it was the perfect time to buy a new easel so I will do my best to use it before the new arrival end of next month...

For the first painting below, I wanted to use big bold strokes and keep things very simple, using the minimum amount of marks possible. I had fun painting the clouds and suggesting the sheep with a few brushstrokes.

Clouds and sheep, near Bradford on Avon  10"x12"  oil on board 

The painting towards the end

A few close up details below:

Detail

Detail

This painting is available for sale on my website with worldwide shipping. Click here to view it.

Below is my second painting of the day, done just a few minutes drive from the first painting location. What caught my eyes was the variety of greens and the light piercing through the trees and hitting the roofs of the boats.

Narrow boats near Bradford on Avon   10"x8"  oil on  board

As you can see below I like to live life dangerously as I was painting pretty close to the edge. Anybody that didn't like my painting could have sent me in the water with one push!

The painting towards the end

Detail

Detail

This painting is available on my website with worldwide shipping. Click here to view it.

During a walk in Bath...

Here is a painting I did in the studio a few weeks ago but forgot to post it. It is the view from the path I often use to go to the local shops. I was with my daughter when I saw this beautiful light so I couldn't stop to paint but I took a picture and rushed home to produce this painting in the studio.

Bath from the Linear Park  10"x8"  oil on board

This painting is for sale on my website here:
www.valeriepirlot.com/englandmainlyinbath

Detail 1

Detail 2

By the way, I finally signed up to Twitter so you can now follow me on @Valerie_Pirlot

I have also launched a brand new newsletter so if you want to be kept up to date then please enter your email address here: www.valeriepirlot.com/mailinglist

Show now on in Belgium: The Battle of Waterloo in paintings

After 10 years of showing my work in UK since moving in England, I'm finally doing a show in my homeland, Belgium. For those who follow my blog, you might remember my series of paintings done last year around the Battle of Waterloo and surrounding countryside at the occasion of the 200th anniversary event. Well I'm glad to say those paintings are now on display in the Tourist Office of Waterloo and the show is on until the end of August.

The tourist office is situated in Waterloo centre, Chaussée de Bruxelles 218, 1410 Waterloo. Click here be directed to their website. They have put large banners on the facade so you can't miss it! This is me posing proudly in front of it! 

This is a small exhibition but it includes a variety of things such a paintings, sketches, artist material and original antique objects from the battle:

And this is me during the opening reception that took place a few weeks ago. In case you are thinking I have eaten a bit too much belgian chocolate, you are partially right, but I probably should mention that this growing belly is also the sign of my next big creation that we will be welcoming at the end of the summer :-)

Here is below a sample of the artwork on show. Most paintings on display are for sale and can be purchased on the day at the venue. For those who can't make it to the show, it is possible to purchase the available paintings directly from my website. They will then be reserved for you during the show and shipped at the end of the exhibition. Click here to go to my website.

And to finish, some pictures of the re-enactment that took place last year: