MsAdventures: doorway

Showing posts with label doorway. Show all posts

Friday, May 08, 2015

Chateau Lantilly

We were staying in a little town in Burgundy, Corbigny, that had about 2000 residents within the actual town boundaries and quite a few more in the surrounding countryside. The little hotel that we were staying in had 14 rooms. Our little group occupied 10 of them, which gave the entire stay a sense of being in a family gathering. In the morning we would gather in the tiny breakfast room for our croissants and/or baguette and whatever specialty bread they were offering that morning and some very good coffee. Good coffee is a rarity in France, but the hotel had some.

Certain days, we elected to remain close to "home" and on this day, particularly after such a long drive the day before, we decided to pay a visit to Chateau Lantilly. It was still in private hands and not open to the general public, but with our French cohort, we were able to obtain permission.

Chateau Lantilly moat, Corbigny, FR

from Tours de France,

sketchbook journal entry dated 7/16/04

Here is a classic case of a less-than-successful attempt. It is true to what I saw and is a very accurate depiction. That is the crux of the problem... I most likely should have used artistic license and toned it down a bit. See the dark slanted bit on the moat's bridge? That is an actual shadow being cast by the building itself. See the golden and green reflections in the water? That is an actual reflection from the building and the trees in the background. See the dark -- very dark -- shadows cast by the arches under the moat bridge? I checked the value, i.e., the "darkness", a half dozen times before I painted it. Bottom line: I should have "prettied up" the scene by merely suggesting it, not painting it precisely as it was. Lesson learned.

Oh, and look! I painted another doorway!

Chateau Lantilly, Corbigny, FR

from Tours de France,

sketchbook journal entry dated 7/16/04

Since we were in our home area we had extra time to spend here... I decided to do the painter-paints-another-painter-painting thing, so I moved my stool closer to Uschi and painted her while she painted the fountain and garden inside the garden walls. Uschi works in oils, so I knew she wouldn't move before I finished!

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Apremont

The gardens of Apremont were quite some distance away from our tiny village in Burgundy; we left very early and took what seemed to be hours in a little minivan. We went though Nevers and across the Loire River and finally arrived at a botanical garden.

When I first arrived, I wasn't too enthused. Yes, it was lovely and there were some nice views, but I tend to favor man-made structures --architecture, bridges, sculptures, fountains and that sort of thing over a simple landscape. There was a Japanese style arched bridge over a stream, but my attitude was, "Why would I paint a Japanese bridge in France?"

Botanical Garden, Apremont

from Tours de France,

sketchbook journal entry dated 7/15/04

So I left our little group to find something more to my liking and settled for the caretaker's cottage, instead. Certain things show up in my paintings again and again. I love repeating angles such as the repeat in the stairway wall and the roofline. And yes, there's that mysterious dark doorway, this time balanced by a white door.

We had a lovely do-it-yourself picnic lunch from a few loaves of crusty baguettes and assorted meats, cheese and condiments plus of course a few hearty jugs of Burgundy that we brought along. No, I am not kidding! We literally had jugs of some of the finest Burgundy wine I have ever had and we purchased it for a few euros apiece at the convenience store across the street from our little hotel. The old saying is true: They keep the best wine for themselves.

After our lunch break, we decided to do an afternoon session. I wandered off in search of another subject, but nothing captured my interest. Finally, I spotted some roses beginning to bloom. Please note that I had to "borrow" a bloom here and a bud there to paint this. No one part of the rose bush contained all of the parts.

Capa Magna Rose, Apremont, France

from Tours de France,

sketchbook journal entry dated 7/15/04

Finally, today is my birthday! I received a dozen red and white roses from my husband, so it is only fitting that my post today would include a rose!

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Mme. Berrier's Jardin

Not to be outdone by Madame Widemann, Madame Berrier invited us to paint in her garden. She had the advantage of having a day when the sun was shining; at Mme. Widemann's house it was drizzling nearly the entire morning. Mme. Berrier took advantage of the fact and spent most of the morning out in the courtyard with us where she sat at a patio table with her companion, Pierre, and chatted with those close to her.

Madame Berrier's Jardin

from Tours de France,

sketchbook journal entry dated 7/14/04

In this particular instance, I was fascinated by the deep doorway of a barn-like building at the back of the garden and the huge millstone leaning against it. There was a watering trough next to that which Madame Berrier had filled with soil and had planted asters. Just about everywhere you gazed there were vines or espaliered trees against the buildings or there were pots filled with flowers.

Since I finished earlier than the others, I moved closer toward Mme. Berrier (Josette) so I could at least overhear the conversation. While I sat there, I painted a clematis that was clinging to a trellis on the garage wall.

Madame Berrier's Garden - Clematis

from Tours de France,

sketchbook journal entry dated 7/14/04

Later, after we had all finished, Madame Berrier invited all of us into her salon where she gave details of various artpieces located on the walls and furniture tops. It turned out that Mme. Berrier was once the mistress to one of France's foreign ministers and had lived in Paris, where she collected most of the pieces.