Sunday, 6 April 2008

Lavender, La Magnatoia, Italy


Lovely lavender was what greeted us when we arrived in a farmhouse in Umbria after an exhausting drive till two in the night. As nobody was awake, we decided to sleep in the grass, some of our compagnons preferred to stay in the car and have a sleep there.

Lovely to find bright sunshine in the morning with sounds of birds singing in the orchard of olivetrees and the fragrance of lavender greeting us when we finally got sit in the sunshine and relax.

The aquarel is photoshopped, while the colours stayed the same the shadows and profiling help to get a better impression of this voluptuous bush of lavender flowers next to our breakfast table.

Monday, 17 March 2008

Blossoming Apple Trees, France

These blossoming apple trees in a garden near Noyer sur Serein were painted during late spring. I struggled a lot with the background of huge trees towering over this idyllic sceneand finally was helped out by a knowledgeable master painter, who not only taught me that the pines of christmas trees grow in triangles, but also that you can make more when you take something away. This is how the long small stems of the trees in the background of the total picture came into being. This fragment is an absolute favourite of mine.

Thursday, 21 February 2008

Avila Beach Hotel Curacao

This pier of the Avila Beach Hotel is a portal to the seas surrounding the island of Curacao. Spending two weeks with my friends in their house and participating in the life of an expatriate family was a tremendous experience on this beautiful island. I just love the usaturated colours of the Caribics and it took my quite a while to get the right palet. Once found it was great fun and excitement to get into the blues of the ocean.