Huelgoat - pen drawing

1st prize - Hueltoat

Huelgoat

Guerlesquin - dull miserable day. 

Lizio - runner up, but I did manage to sell this - very pleased.

Malestroit

Malestroit - where it rained continually shortly after I finished the drawing.  Managed to get  1st prize!

Just found some pictures on CdB site -
 this is St Allouestre where it rained all the time

Tremeven - found this picture on CdB site

Ploermel - what a disaster.  Went totally wrong.  Threw it away, then retrieved it with a bit of finishing off and cutting down.

Tredion - les Landes de Lanvaux - painted this just behind the dustbins!  A little secret pathway - would have been better and easier with a bit more sunshine.

more champagne

launching Robert and Christiane's new van - loads of fun celebrating their new van - a huge Le Voyageur

St Allouestre
It rained ALL day - had to finish in the van.  Got a 2nd place.  Maire reainted picture, hope I sell this one as well.

Bignan
Found a ruin in a farmyard - farmer left all his rubbish around it.  It was the former Palais du Justice, built 17th century.  Maire retained picture - hope I sell it.

End of May begining of June

Becherel-not my favourite place, and as it was incredibly dull and grey, I decided to just have fun painting.In the afternoon watched the Jubilee Thames Flotilla.  I even managed to get a prize - the Sennelier prize.  I am really chuffed got a paintbox with the new Sennelier paints which is worth more than £160.  How about that!

Chateaugiron - well we're now in June.  Rain held off at least until the afternoon.  Competition was really hot.  There were some fantastic paintings.  Screwed up the vegetation.

St Fiacre du Maine - decided to avoid buildings, so did the peaceful river. Nice ambience at this venue, but there were about 80 painters hidden around the place.

Piriac su Mer - Boy was it hot here.  Not the most exciting of  places - I didn't manage to get the narrowness of the street. However, when I'd finished we managed to have mussels and chips in the restaurant on the left.  Very nice.

Rochefort en Terre - well it was very hot the day before painting, and much milder for the actual painting day. I was the only one painting this view, but about 50 painters were facing me painting the opposite view!

Well here's my effort - again a bit dull (that because it was dull), but at  least  the painting didn't get wet!

Sunday therefore it must be Ploumanac'h near Perros.  Again very cold and there was a nasty black cloud brewing, so I painted very very quickly.  Finished at midday just as it started to pour!  Rest of the afternoon was a right off.

Paimpol - boy was it cold here and very dull (unfortunately so was the painting).

This was our last walk before departing for France.  Bertie looks as bonkers as usual and it was a bit cold and windy.

Rylestone Manor Gardens - this was my last outdoor painting on the Isle of Wight.  Fortunately it didn't rain in the morning.  I finished with a yummy piece of cake. 

news from the Isle of Wight

 Second outdoor painting session - this time Carisbrooke.  Although it didn't rain, it was very overcast in the morning.

I painted at Wooton alongside Meryel.  This picture shows her working away.

My first plein air of the year - Wooton Bridge.  Although it was very dull and overcast, and a huge amount of traffic, it was fun to get outside again.

Here are the three paintings I submitted to the Isle of Wight Art Group Exhibition held at Quarry Abbey during Easter.

                                  Sold

Sold

Amazingly I managed to sell two!  How about that.  I painted from photos, which I don't normally do, following our very cold walk in Freshwater. I will be updating the sketches soon.  In the meantime I have joined the Isle of Wight Art Open Studio.  As I progress I will include a link.

Here are the sketches I have done so far.  It has been difficult, and unfortunately I haven't been able to paint outside due to the weather.  I have been doing them in an A4 bound book, Sanders Waterford 140 lb (300gsm) NOT paper, book available from Heaton Cooper.

 Appley Tower - interesting folly near Ryde.  Dull day.

 Interesting church at Brading, but more interesting was the graveyard!  Enormous, I think they must have transported all the bodies on the IoW to this graveyard.

 Carisbroke Castle - well at least the entrance.

 Downend - Hare and Hounds pub (yes, we lunched there as well).  Interesting building, but difficult to get a nice picture of it.

 Fishbourne - well actually a view from the Royal Victoria Yacht Club where I have been lucky enough to get the opportunity to paint every Friday morning.

 Garston's Down.  Boy was it windy and very steep when we walked up this hill, and when we got there it was all a bit misty.

Easton, near Freshwater.  The church is actually St Agnes and is thatched.

Well that's A to G so far (they were painted in order, but somehow the photos got mixed up).  I've started H and I, but J is proving a problem.  Will put more sketches up later.  It's been fun trying to find these different places on the Island and we are now beginning to know our way around.

We've been here since November.  It's great - we're in the East Cowes Marina development, so boats and seagulls all day!  I've joined two art groups.  A small one which meets in the Royal Victoria Yacht Club house, the views are fantastic, very inspirational.  The other one is Isle of Wight Art Group, which I initially joined as an Associate Member.  However, yesterday I presented some of my work - framed paintings, portfolios and a couple of sketch books and was promoted to Full Member - I am so pleased. I am now "confirmee" in France and England - how cool is that!

I suppose I had now better produce some pictures.  I am compiling a book of watercolour sketches as an alphabetical listing of places we have visited - so far I'm up to D - unfortunately the only place starting with D is Downend, which is where the dump is, and no I'm not painting that! Chose the pup instead.

and the other bits I forgot to add...

 Thank you Josette and Michel..... you can't imagine how many pumpkin soups I have made!

Our Wednesday evening painting group's exhibition at Le Pas at the beginning of October.  This is my contribution - and I even sold one!

September update

I've been a bit busy, but here are the last painting competition updates.  Next stop, Isle of Wight!

La Chabotterie, Vendee.   Couleurs de Bretagne got first prize and I got an individual 3rd prize! and I sold it...

La Meziere - our last painting venue, loads of people and very hot

and here we are relaxing and celebrating the Mason's 39th wedding anniversary as well as the last painting session for quite a few of us.