Le Clos du Buis's garden by the pool inspired this drawing as the Luberon hills an Mount Ventu beyond the inner hedge roll out beyond the outskirts of Bonnieux. This very large glazed urn filled with their version of red geranium (has very tiny blossoms)looks out on the pool level before the grounds fall away into the lower garden.  I worked o this two afternoons in my multimedia sketch book.  No wc cp under-painting 100% cp.

The day before we went to Arles (a 1.5 hour trip) to see the Van Gogh Museum and had lunch at the Cafe name after the painting he did of it at night.  I had the Van Gogh salad and it was as colorful as his paintings. The museum was closed and with the warning symbol written in French on the Peugeot I was driving (saying "Get your engine fixed now!") had us having a difficult day..  We located a Hertz office in Arles which had us driving to Neems airport (farther west) to exchange it for a brand spanking new Chevy Captiva.  Ya!!!!!! American!.  It drives so much better but is so much bigger that we named it Bubby.  I'm the largest car in our hotel parking lot..  Scary to drive these perched towns with when you meet a bus/truck or fast driving car in your lane but it handles the mountainous country roads so well with our foursome.  As the appointed driver I am the one who has to maneuver these roads but without Kathy our only French speaking artist navigating for us we might never get there.

Oh, and I am now along with my car mates working on finding the best sorbet in Provence.  So far the best has been here in Bonnieux with the tea shop down the street and at the La Flambe restaurant..  The tea shop has Lavender sorbet which pared with raspberry is lovely., La Flambe has Cassis (Kir liquer) flavor and paired with lemon or citron sorbet is the best palate cleanser after a meal.

There you go one post to catch you up and another one yet to come with yesterday's trip and drawing.  Have to charge both the battery on the notebook and by tummy.  Have a colorful day!

Gloria 
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Our Hotel/B&B "Le Clos du Buis" front view.  Today we recovered from several sleepless nights, jet lag and scoped out Bonnieux our temporary home town.  A hilltop village is so picturesque, friendly  and so  quintessentially French.  As typical, the streets are narrow and busy, but the pedestrian streets may offer some good set up areas for Plein Air painting tomorrow.  Or at least the quaint doorways along it were easy painting targets.  Lunch at a terraced brasserie was a salad with small crispy tomato pizza on top, looking over the Luberon valley below.

We were invited into a home with a rental apartment in it which was 12th century and part of the original ramparts of the walled town.  Most of the place was below street level (down 3 levels), the rooms were catacomb like and a cool earthen temperature.  The woman/owner had the cutest little Jack Russel terrier was very interested in our group of painters.  Her rear balcony overlooked the valley and the hill-town across named Lacoste.  A view to savor with a cup of morning cafe'.       

So there you have it my first full non travel day in Provence.  Dinner tonight is at the Hotel, family style with all 20 of us and the kitchen is smelling wonderful.  Garlicky yummy! Mmmmm.  I think my all day walking up hill has made for a good appetite.

Au revoir my followers,

Gloria  

Pre-Plein Air trip to France Carry Ons for a Colored Pencil Artist

Here's what my large carry on bag looks like packed with my takings for the Plein Air Painters trip to Provence, France.  And if you notice the time of this posting you'll realize I'm having one of those sleepless pre trip nights.  So I got right to starting my trip Blog with a "Here's what I'm taking for colored pencil art".


Carry On Luggage to France has to be an exact measurement (which I won't boar you with here) but suffice it to say, my laptop/camera backpack meets that and bags also can weigh no more than 26 lbs.  Fully loaded it is 18.8lbs. so far, but I will add my ziplock bag of liquids (via TSA requirements) and maybe an additional treat for the trip.  The laptop part holds my notebook easily and the padding protects my Prismacolors.  And since they can't be purchased in Europe I need them safe.

The camera is missing as I'm using it for the photo, but you'll see my hot pink camera bag with sd cards, extra battery with charger and a bigger lens next to it.  This all fits in the camera location of the bottom of the bag along with some power bars, Garmin (loaded with Europe Maps) and it's cords, card reader, and French power converter.

My Prismacolor CP pencils are in a 120 count leather organizer, and working clockwise around the table top is:
A few scrap sheets of UART in very small sizes;
Several 5 X 7 ampersand pastelboards and (2) 6  X 12 ones;
My little notebook (for blogging to you all and sending much needed responses to home that I'm doing fine);
A 5 X 8 multimedia sketch journal, with envelope glued to the back inside cover for ephemera from the trip;
A few loose sheets of watercolor scraps to use as a palette for the watercolor cp's;
In the black organizer, a set of 40 Caran d'Ache Supracolor wc cps (I'm trying these out since they wet nicely and also layer dry nicely too!);
Some dry cloths for blending;
Michelin map of Provence, France;
Small bundle of brushes for blending;
Extra Prismas in my favorite colors;
Battery eraser;
Extra batteries for my last Panasonic battery sharpener;
Scotch purple tape for lifting color and watercolor tape for taping down drawing paper;
Small kit with stumps, eraser, mounting putty and 2 Caran d'Ache Neocolor water soluble crayons; Garmin;
Bug wipes and Wetwipes and more Power bars.
Oh and a nifty little hat behind the green kit that stuffs into itself and can clip onto my pack.

If your wondering I have an assortment of papers and a small drawing board in my large check in bag.  I'll add sunscreen from my ziplock bag of liquids when we get there.

And for my personal items (see left hand upper corner) I'll carry my hip slung mini purse loaded with a watercolor cp mini set in the small pencil tin with water brush and larger travel brush for washes, mini journal book, sunglasses, passport, Intrn'l Driver's License, tissues and a few personal items.

In my Italian large bag (on the right) will fit my small mini purse, Paris travel book, hand sharpener so I don't wake sleeping passengers, ziplock bag for pencil shavings, vitamins, business cards ( you never want to miss a chance for a connection) purse size toothbrushes for a fresh mouth during the long 9 hour flight, mini hair clip and 4 X 6 multimedia journal for on plane journaling. 

There you have it, no kitchen sink but enough to keep me busy, drawing, and manageable.  I haven't shown you a few personal items in the big bag but then again a girl has to keep a few things to herself.

Until I sign on in France to tell you about our trips beginning, have a colorful day!
Gloria



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Backlit Berries 6 X 18 Colored Pencil on Ampersand Pastelboard

OK everyone you get 2 entries on the blog today due to my lack of getting anything posted in a while.

Second in my Backlit series to be completed, although this one took me a while since I've had 2 classes running for the last 6 weeks.  Amidst many family obligations this was a fun one to work on.  I again like the size of this piece as it looks great on a small easel on my kitchen counter while I wait for the frame to be delivered.  A more stretched out version of this one at 6 X 18 versus the 6 X 12 of the citrus piece a few months ago was also intriguing.  The glow of the light through these strawberries and the juice droplets on the surface plane convey everything I love about strawberries.

I hope you like them!  Have a colorful day!

Gloria

Spring Colored Pencil Painting Class Finished

These are just a few of the finished or nearly finished "Pick A Pepper" projects from my spring students in the beginner colored pencil classes.  All with their own unique style and variations.  I can't tell you how proud I am of these adult students.  And also how wonderful they all are as artists and people.  It's the best part of teaching getting to know other artists, despite what they are constantly teaching me.  I am also constantly thinking what else can I show or teach them?

They will currently be working on their 3rd project, their personal one.  Each with an image of their choosing.  Many will continue until mid June when my open studio session is over.  And I can't wait to see how they finish their work or start another.

New classes for beginners Painting In Colored Pencil will start in the fall (Sept. 6 - Oct. 11 1:00 - 4:00 pm) and for my continuing or experienced students a new class in Sanded Surfaces with Colored Pencil, Sept. 6 - Oct. 11th 9:30 - 12:30.

Contact me at my gloria@gloriacallahan.com email address if you'd like more information.

Have a colorful Day!
Gloria

Backlit Citrus

                                            6  X 12 Colored Pencil on Ampersand Pastelboard

Here's a new piece I finished right before we took a short trip to Florida and my spring classes started.  A small one, that really looked good in the black frame with gold inside trim, I placed it in.  And especially on an easel on my kitchen counter top.  I left it there for a few weeks, one because the under counter lighting made it look so luminescent and two because I've been very busy working on teaching my current two classes of new colored pencil students.   And I have some great students!  Who are 2 classes in and doing so well.

I'm currently working on a slightly longer new piece with the same theme of back lighting.  One that I've worked on setups for during the last 4 months.  The thin format should make these great pieces for kitchens, under cabinets or in a grouping.  But really I'm playing with this layout and lighting,  planning for a larger work yet to come.  No drama here, I'm just working things out in my head and in photos first.  Testing palette colors and playing with my cp's. 

I hope you enjoy this piece and I hope to be posting the new one soon.  Oh, and have a colorful day!
 

Shrooms and 8 X 10 Colored Pencil on Pastelboard

This small new piece was finished last week.  The reference came about on a wonderful August day which was spent with my oldest Granddaughter Cora on her first Plein Air Painting day with me.  At the time she was just 7 and really enjoyed our day at Sunday Park in Brandermill.  These colorful little mushrooms were growing after a pretty wet week here, just loving the moist understory of oak trees sharing the spot with a small creeping ground cover.  (of which I haven't identified)

I actually started this piece as a demo back in Sept. at an outdoor art show, and worked on it for just minutes that day and on each of the 3 consecutive shows thereafter.  I find that having a sample of my artwork helps people to understand that it is indeed colored pencil on board.  Some have actually argued with me that it's not.  So this is much easier.  Since I was busy with the holidays and commission pieces this little gem was neglected until now.  The original reference was great on the details of the mushrooms but really bad on the dark forest floor, so I had fun winging it, and just plain old recreating the area from my mental notes and sketches from that outing.  I just love turning a leave and drawing folds.

So here you go, it always bugs me when I don't immediately finish a piece.   Enjoy the small things in your life today!