No painting this weekend.  However, went on a trip with Angie and Ruth (near neighbours) to the coast at Vivier Sur Mer (near Cancale).

Parked up at Vivier sur Mer - waiting to rush next door to the hut for mussels and chips.

Hut is open - and we're ready to eat!

After lunch, struggling along the walkway with Bertie.  As is clearly evident the training not to pull on the lead is working well (I don't think). It was also very, very windy, and not too warm either.  Had a couple of days here, then went on to Dinan to check out the painting venue. So busy, and the place the vans were allowed to park was not evident, so we moved to Taden for the evening.  Rained in the night, and very damp in the morning, so I felt we would be better off going home.  Which we did.

Friday 14th June - left for Taupont.  Quite warm and parked in a field which had been set aside specially for the painters

Saturday 15th June - well we're off.  Bit fresh, not a lot of sun at first.  Here is Pierre and Francine working away (actually there was a lot of chatting going on).

Me giving instruction to a chum.  I am not actually sure he took any notice of me.  By now the sun is starting to come out, but it was still a bit fresh.

And here is my effort.  Experimenting again!  However, it was a lovely village, and very welcoming.  Ended up quite sunny and warm.  Had to leave to drive the 100km to Guerande.  We ended up at the parking spot first (unusual for us), Robert and Pierre arrived next - got held up at the bridge at La  Roche Bernard.  Some considerable time later Jo and Francine arrived - they had got stuck in the field - mud up to their axles, and had to be towed off!  Not very happy bunnies at all.  It was very noisy where we parked, so it was no problem getting up on Sunday and leaving for the venue.

Sunday 16th June - I really don't like this place.  Started off cold and windy - what a surprise.  Eventually the sun made an appearance.  Although I chose an interesting spot, everybody who passed had to have a chat, including other painters.  So progress was a bit mixed, and I didn't really concentrate on what I was doing.  After i had finished it really did get quite warm.

Just checking up on what Robert is up to.  Richard in the front scratching away at his paper! Jo was also in this little group.

Well here's my effort.  Not very special at all.  Perhaps this had better go on the fire!

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Sunday 9th June - Esquibien.  We left home Saturday morning, lovely and warm, but when we arrived here in the afternoon, it was a bit cool and windy.  Parked next to Jo and Francine Marc and checked over their new super duper new Rapido van.  Then our problems started!  The TV didn't work - major disaster.  Problems getting the fridge lit .. finally managed that! Others chums arrived later and parked alongside. Evening was starting to get very cold - and I'd put the summer bedding in the van! Woke up on Sunday morning to a very grey, cold  and windy morning.  However, signed on, and got started.  I was the first to start doing a picture of this street - and then another 8 turned up!  The above picture is me having my teabreak and chocolate cake, while waiting for the first part of my painting to dry. There was a lady working on my right and when we had a particularly nasty  gust of wind her board lifted off her easel and landed in some dog pooh!  Yuk!  Unfortunatley I managed to tread in it later!

My favourite picture - Si Phol and Jo off to find somewhere to paint - yes, they were a couple of the 8 who did the same street!

Daniel Gifard got first prize in the Morisot Class for his picture of  - the same street! 

Francine (Jo's wife), got first prize for her drawing of - you've guessed it, same street.

Jo got first prize for his coloured drawing of - the same street.

And me - guess what, I got first prize in the watercolour class.  Wow!  I was so, so pleased.  Even better, I got a whole pile of goodies to eat. All sorts of Biscuits and toffees and caramel stuff, all in an absolutely huge box.  I was so pleased because I thought it was not a very good picture at all.

I was so confident I wouldn't win anything, that this time we hadn't taken a picture in advance, so I had to take one of the picture on exhibition.  I was being pushed and shoved a bit, so the end result is a bit lop sided.  Long journey home, but we stopped for the night at Josselin.  Arrived home Monday morning.  Perry started working on the van to fix the problems - which have now been sorted.  The problem with the TV was that a church spire was in the way.  The problem with the fridge, was a bit of soot in the gas flame.  So now everything isback to normal.

Saturday 1st June - Chateaugiron.  We left home Friday early evening.  Although sunny it was a bit cool as there was a strong wind blowing.  Managed to get lost when we got off the motorway and ended up about to drive under a badger run - not too good for the van, had to do a rather long "bat turn".  We managed to get here OK with no further mishaps.  A bit fresh, cold and overcast to start the painting on Saturday morning.  Thought I would try yet another technique.  The results speak for themselves - I shouldn't have bothered!  However, the final drinks at the end were good because they had loads and loads of tasty little morsels...yum, yum.  Sun only came out after painting was submitted. The picture at the top is of Bertie and Perry at Becherel, but for some unaccountable reason I can't put it in the correct place!

Picture of a few of the guys at the lake at Chateaugiron - Chrtianne, Sylvain and Claud.

Having a walk round the lake after having submitted the painting. Foot still hurts though. Notice I am still wearing a coat!  This is a lake at the base of the Chateau at Chateaugiron.  Apparently some high up military guys Anquetil, Giron and Gildoin employed by the Marshall of Brittany and based at the Chateau, were killed by the English at Pontorson in 1427.
 

 

Sunday 2nd June - Becherel.  Normally not a favourite.  A really dull town - normally rains here - except for today.  So after signing on moved the van to the lavoir at the bottom of a very steep hill. Scene was very pretty.  Perry tied Bertie to the van, but it does look as though he's trying to drag it off down the road!  Becherel used to be a place that wove hemp and dyed it all sorts of colours in some small man-made lakes.  After a few hundred years the trade dried up (only about 50 years ago), so the place has reinvented itself to copy Hay on Wye and is now a "book town".

Here I am again, hard at work.  Although Perry took this picture, what he left out was the fact that every minute, half a dozen mountain bikers would whizz down this lane, screaching brakes and shouting at us. There is a bloke in front of me doing a pastel, and he was so worried that he put a sign a few yards in front of him (which you can just see), warning the mad cyclists that there were painters in the road.  In the small area I was painting, there were in fact seven painters!

Still working away.  cold, but sunny.

Again tried something different - and again I shouldn't have bothered.  However, I have decided I no longer dislike Becherel as we managed to find quite a few spots that were very painterly and avoided the grey, miserable centre of town.  By the way, if there is anyone who reads this besides Perry, please make a little comment in the comments box  at the end of this page.