Painting in Provence, France

Painting in Provence, France

Lavender Fields near Sault, with Mount Ventoux in the distance

Last year we were fortunate to travel from Sydney and spend a week painting "en plein air" with Julian Merrow-Smith in the Vaucluse area of Provence. Julian is well known for his blog featuring the daily auction of his small paintings  "Postcards from Provence" .

In addition to Julian's expert mentoring whilst painting this wonderful landscape, we were accommodated at La Madelene, and what an exceptional experience it was. It is a beautifully renovated 12th century priory near Malaucene.  

La Madelene 

Our hosts Philip and Jude are exceptional hosts.  Click to read more
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First Light MacDonnell Ranges - Finalist St George Art Award

Continuing on from my previous post about my trip to Central Australia a few of us rose early one morning to catch the sunrise at a hill behind our camp at Ross River.

The light was something very special and as the sun peeped over the Macdonnell Ranges it sent out its first rays illuminating the river into a sparkling sliver of light.  So when I arrived back home, it was one of the memories that had to be painted.

24 x 24 inches (61 x 61cm)
Oil on Canvas

The 2012 St George Art Award is a national prize which has the theme of "New Beginnings". My painting capturing the start of a unique new day fitted well with this criteria. Fortunately it has been chosen as a finalist for the prize.

The prize will be announced on Friday 19 October 2012, and the exhibition will commence on Saturday 20 October - Sunday 16 December 2012 at:-
Hurstville Museum and Gallery
14 MacMahon Street
Hurstville  (Tues - Sat  10am to 4pm, Sunday 2-5 pm)


I have just released some new paintings, inckuding these shown below.

 

 These paintings and the other new ones can now be seen at my website http://www.marshstudio.com./newpaintings.html

click here to contact me 

Painting Light - A New Blog featuring my Small Oils

Hope you all had a great Christmas and wishing you a very happy & prosperous New Year.

I have started a new blog "Painting Light" which will feature my new small oil paintings, released as they are completed.  Two paintings that will appear on this new blog over the next week appear below. Both are oil paintings and priced at $99.

Three Cherries on a Shelf

Vines near Mount Ventoux, Provence, France

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This blog "A painted Journey" will continue to feature drawings and travel sketches.

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Daily Paintworks Challenge - Red Onion

Daily Paintworks has been around for a while, featuring a group of  highly regarded representational painters who do a painting a day.

Recently they have started  "Challenges" in which they anounce a subject and invite artists to take the challenge by painting their version of the subject. One of the recent "Challenges" raised over $28k to  assist various charities with their Japan relief effort.

I took this weeks challenge to "Paint a Vegetable" and contributed a Red Onion. 

Red Onion
4 x 5 inches on Canvas

The painting  is available at Daily Paintworks for $95 plus $15 freight

San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice & Daily Paintworks

           

Size 12 inches x 10 inches (30.5 x 25.4 cm)
Oil on canvas.  

I've joined the daily painting artist group "Daily Paintworks" which offers original fine art daily paintings from a goup of talented artists  I will be posting this painting of Venice to the gallery of paintings that I have available from that site.

Click here to go my gallery at Daily Paintworks


 click here to contact me

Art on the Boardwalk, Lavender Bay, Sydney

Last Sunday I participated in Art on the Boardwalk for the first time. Despite the forecast it turned out to be a fine Sydney day. For those not familiar with Sydney, Lavender Bay is on the north shore, just west of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. It overlooks the Sydney skyline and it is a fabulous location for "plein air" painting particularly on a day like this with plenty of sunshine. It is amazing to realise that this location is only minutes (or 1 train stop) from the CBD.

About 30 artists participated with musicians and mime artists, and whilst the day was about painting on location it was nice chatting to the many people passing by. Mosman Daily newspaper  reported that there was 10,000 people who walked the boardwalk on the day. It kept us fairly busy chatting and answering questions about painting, etc. The interest people had in the paintings was very heartening, also  many people talked about wanting to learn how to paint. In short it was a great fun day and very well organised by the North Sydney council.

 I did not get my demo painting finished on the day. Too much chatting , but here is the finished painting below.

Opera House, Luna Park and Harbour Bridge from Lavender Bay
Oil on Board 10 x 12 inches (25cm x 30cm)

Working hard.

Chatting to people about painting 

If you are interested in purchasing a painting click here to contact me

Rue Mazarine Paris

My favourite area in Paris is the 6th arrondissement. I just enjoy soaking in its atmosphere. Rue Mazarine is in the heart & runs off the energetic and Rue Buci , running parallel with the colourful Rue de Seine

Oil on Canvas 12 x 10 inches (500x 600mm)
This painting is available with some of my other paintings of Paris at Edmonds and Greer, Oatley, Sydney. click here to enquire or contact me

L'escargot Rue Montorgueil Paris

Rue Montorguil is on the right Bank near Les Halles. It was the subject of a famous painting by Monet who painted it from a balcony in the street depicting it full of flags during the World Fair of June 1878. More info at this link

If you loo closely at my painting you will see the golden snail which is the sign for the famous restaurant L'Escagot.

Rue Montorgueil Paris

Oil on Canvas 12 x 10 inches (500x 600mm)

This painting and some of my other paintings of Paris & Venice are now on display & for sale at Edmonds and Greer, Oatley, Sydney. This painting has now been sold. However prints are now available here at Redbubble.com


click here to contact me

Minnie Waters, Coincidence and Nicholas Harding

Click on Image for a larger version

Oil on Canvas 12 x 10 inches (500x 600mm)

Before a recent painting session with my friend Steve we were discussing coincidences and instances of chance that had happened recently. As a topic for the days painting Steve picked a photo of Minnie Waters that I had taken on a recent trip to the north coast.

The next day we went to the Nicholas Harding exhibition entitled "Drawn to Paint" at the National Trusts SH Ervin Gallery, and coincidentally Minnie Waters makes more appearances in this exhibition.

I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition which covers the last 25 years of Nicholas practice. We see a wide range of subjects encompassing still lifes, beachscapes, portraits and urban scenes executed in his trademark thick oils and wonderful drawings in ink , charcoal etc. His composition skills are exceptional, & the drawings which don't play second fiddle to the paintings are exceptional. In them we see how he breaks through the surface to add new dimensions to the tonal qualities of the surface.

Magnolias - Nicholas Harding

It was interesting to see the evolution of his work from a murkier colour seemingly painted straight from the tube in "strings", to the current energetic light flooded works with large planes of thick luscious colour applied with a large palette knife. Well worth while visiting to see the large painting of the concourse at Central Station alone. More Nicholas Harding paintings at his website here

My painting of Minnie Waters is for sale click here to contact me , or click below to buy it unframed for Aust$295 (approx US $265) plus shipping and insurance (A$20 in Australia or A$40 (approx US35) overseas).

Inc shipping & insurance -Aust $

Within Australia or NZ $315.00 All other countries $335.00

Leonard Cohen in Sydney - Oil version

Leonard Cohen in Sydney

Oil on canvas - 10 x 8 inches

Oil painting based on the watercolour sketch done at the concert. Click here to see that post

This painting is available from my website , click to see a larger image. at my website www.marshstudio.com

Sketching a Spring Frost by Elioth Gruner - Art Gallery of NSW

Sketching a Spring Frost

Oil on Paper -by Barbara Gray
5.25 x 5 Inches (13.5 x 12.5cm)

The painting is the second work in a triptych which comprises 3 paintings of people reacting with the paintings in the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney. An artist sketches the painting entitled "Spring Frost" by Elliot Gruner.

The triptych features 2 paintings by Fred Marsh and this one by Barbara Gray, & will be available from marshstudio.com soon

The first painting "Couple in Blue" featured Fred Williams painting "My Garden" & is at this previous post

click here to contact me

Couple in Blue at Art Gallery of NSW

Couple in Blue

Oil on Paper

6.5 x 5 Inches (16.5 x 12.5cm)

This painting is part of a triptych which comprises 3 paintings of people reacting with the paintings in the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney. This painting features one of my favourites by Fred Williams entitled "My Garden".

The triptych will feature 2 paintings by me and one by Barbara Gray, & will be available from my website in the coming weeks click here to contact me .

Patti Smith at the Sydney Opera House

Sydney Harbour is one of my favourite subjects to paint, & I have painted the opera house from many aspects in a range of its differing moods. The sails of the yachts on the harbour are mere appetisers for those that crown the Opera House.

It is a great icon to paint, as it yells Sydney whilst contrasting its luminous light against the deep ultramarine blue of the harbour.
A few days ago I changed my usual viewpoint & went inside to see another icon - Patti Smith play in the concert hall.

Over the years I have heard Patti's music. It was OK but apart from a few songs it never really grabbed me. So I wondered about the legendary status & went along to see who the press have entitled"godmother of punk" - with my expectations subdued.

BUT I quickly found out this was because I hadn't seen her perform live before. Patti the legend was there and she blew the roof off the opera house. It was a magnificent live performance full of energy, character, emotion & passion.

At times Patti wandered into meet the audience, & on others she left the stage to dance with them whilst her superbly musically endowed band played on. The audience just loved it.

What I saw was one of those few artists who can elevate their live performances into an artform. A recording can't capture anything like the electricity she generates on stage. My expectations were very pleasantly blown sky high.

Bernard Zuels review in the Sydney Morning Herald says it all & can be seen here

Click here to view transcripts and podcasts of her interview on the ABC 7.30 report

click here to contact me

Sailing Cremorne Point, Sydney Harbour

Oil on Canvas 5 x 3 inches (127mm x 76mm)

This small painting started out as a study for a much larger commissioned painting . I finished it off and it stands up well as a work in its own right. Yachts are leaving the bay for a days sailing in the main harbour. The view shows the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge behind Cremorne Point.

I recently took the walk with friends up to and around Cremorne Point then onto Mosman Bay. It is a very picturesque walk with stunning views of the city & harbour

This painting now sold.

click here to contact me.

The Reader

5 x 4 inches (127 x 100mm) - Oil on Board

This painting was done from a photo posted on artist Karin Jurick's “Different Strokes From Different Folks” blog. Karin posts a photo and other artists do their interpretation of it. Its great to see all the different versions.

I felt the man was a bit lonely and needed some company.

Visit Karin Juricks “Different Strokes From Different Folks” Blog

Also have a look at the great small paintings on Karin’s ”Painting A Day” blog

This painting is sold