The Strange Intruder

This past summer I stayed at a Bed and Breakfast and all of the books in the room were sea stories. I love sea stories! But there was this one addition which was very curious.

Rabbit linocut

I’m moving along on my rabbit linocut. It’s another in my series of three, as in three rabbits, crows or sheep! The background will be somewhat similar to the others but I’m just not sure what to do yet. I do plan to figure that out before the week is over. So anxious to see how it comes out!

Avignon Adventure at Musee Angladon

After my art workshop in September near Venasque in Provence, France, I went to the nearby city of Avignon for a few days before returning home. I didn't want to go home after such a short stay :-(
So many interesting things to do and not enough time! Free to do whatever I wanted, I was feeling pretty spoiled. This is one of the museums I visited. I couldn't believe that there was a Picasso exhibit of etchings. How fortunate for a printmaker!

Painting Provence with Tess #2 in Roussillon

My watercolor teacher, Tess, took my class to a pretty hilltop village called Roussillon. When I visited ealier, I was fascinated with all of the warm colors of the landscape and buildings. It is noted for its large ochre deposits found in the clay surrounding the village. Large quarries were mined there from the end of the 18th century until 1930. Now mining is prohibited in order to protect the site from being ruined. :-) And tourism has become an important source of income. Imagine that!

Le Sentier des Ochres

Usine Mathieu, an old ochre factory, now a workshop museum

A scene we painted from the cafe across the street.

I like this studio!

Painting the rocks along the path.

My Sheep Linocut

I happily and finally finished my sheep linocut! I struggled with how to cut out the sheep's fleece but I think I came up with a pretty acceptable solution.
I used two separate linocuts as a background for color and printed the sheep black on top.
Next I'm thinking of rabbits!

5" x 10"

Putting ink on the plate

All ready for printing on the press

Painting Provence with Tess

Sleep has escaped me in the very early hours of the morning since my return from my painting adventure in Provence, France a few days ago. So here I am, finding it a good and quiet time to add something to my blog. When I visited Provence a few years ago, I saw why some of our most famous artists loved painting there. The landscapes and the light are so alluring. When I saw a workshop on line, it seemed just right for a visit to the area. There went my resistance! My workshop was located in the commune of Venasque. We spent time both at the house painting and at several villages like Roussillon and Les Baux.

I loved staying here! I called it a chateau (more fun) but I think it's actually a country home.

Painting lesson at the house