An Apple a Day

"Apples VI"
Oil on Linen, 7 x 10
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

It's official: the apple is fast becoming my own little "Mont Sainte-Victoire".  That's shorthand for saying that I am nearly as obsessed with the apple as Paul Cézanne was with his beloved Mont Sainte-Victoire. You may recall that Cézanne is known for the vast number of paintings in which he portrayed this mountain, which is located near his hometown of Aix-en-Provence (France). Cézanne returned to this motif time and time again, painting the mountain from many different points of view. His work on this subject spanned twenty four years, and he never seemed to tire of it. 

"Montagne Saint-Victoire"
Paul Cézanne, 1890

I may not have mountain vistas near my studio, but I do have apples! [Coincidentally (or not?), apples were another favorite subject of Cézanne]. I have become enthralled by the possibilities of these little spheres. They may seem quite simple, but they are nothing of the sort.  I've especially enjoyed painting the "Honey Crisp" variety, which are a bit variegated, and have swaths of different colors. A good challenge to the eye and to the color mixing skills!

"Apples III"
Oil on Linen, 6 x 9
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

Let it suffice to say that I have run through as much red paint over the past couple of months as I usually use in almost a year. It's been a rewarding time of exploration in the studio. I've used different sources of light--sometimes all natural light, sometime adding an artificial spotlight. I have painted the apples straight on, as well as from different angles. 

"Apples, Backlit"
Oil on Linen, 9 x 9
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

One of the most challenging approaches was the backlit apples (just above). I did a lot of squinting and trying to see colors, which was difficult for these old eyes, given the strong light shining right into them. 

"Apples and Creamer"
Oil on Linen, 8 x 12
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

I doubt I will tire of the apples any time soon. I have started adding an occasional supporting player to the compositions, such as a little cream pitcher, or a pear. Stay tuned to see how this develops...thanks for following along!

Working Space

Table in Cezanne's studio, Aix-en-Provence

Paul Cezanne, Still Life with Fruit Dish

I am always fascinated by painter's studios. It's especially intriguing to visit "preserved" studios of some of the great masters in the history of art. If you know an artist's body of work, seeing his or her studio often brings a shock of the familiar. What art lover could possibly visit the studio of Cezanne in Aix-en-Provence (seen in this post), and not recognize some of the objects that feature so prominently in his wonderful still lifes? Not to be missed, not if you love Cezanne, not if you love those apples!

Paul Cezanne, "Still Life with Plaster Cupid"

And of course Cezanne's huge north-facing window makes my heart go pitter-patter. That exposure provides ideal light for painting. I noticed that he had curtains specially arranged

Stalking Our Quarry

Photo (c) Lesley Powell 2014

The area near Roussillon, France, has long been noted for its amazing red, yellow, and orange earth. In fact, mining and exporting ochre pigments was an important industry in Roussillon until the early 20th century. Nowadays the mines are closed, and the sites of the former excavations have left huge, colorful gashes in the hillsides. Our workshop group went to one abandoned quarry to paint. What a sight!

Workshop group in the quarry (c) Lesley Powell 2015

The terrain looks quite extra-terrestrial. The first time I painted there, I was not keen on the motif. I figured that no matter how good my painting, nobody would ever know what it was. The next time I painted there, I was thankful that it was an un-knowable scene: its very strangeness freed me up to focus on SHAPES and COLORS, and not to approach the painting in terms of rendering a subject. This year, some of my favorite paintings from the group came from the ochre quarry. 

Bob Dodson, (c) 2015

It's not easy to find your footing in the quarry, or to locate a flat spot to set up an easel. The intrepid Bob Dodson and Richie Carter both hiked quite a distance to find their spots. And both of them painted wonderful paintings. Bob's painting is above. I wish you could see it in person--the colors and textures of the foliage make a gorgeous pattern, and the jump in space from the foreground to the distance is breathtaking.

Richie Carter, (c) 2015

Richie's painting (above) is another knockout. His colors for the rocky soils are spot on. And I love the juxtaposition of the hard rocks and the soft trees. Another favorite came from the easel of Susan Guthrie (below). Susan told me that she was concentrating on volume, and boy did she succeed in showing the 3D nature of the rocks. I love the way her painting focused on just the rocks. Such an original take!

Susan Guthrie, (c) 2015

My painting is below. I was pleased with the ochre cliffs, but the trees were a real struggle for me. I need to take heed of the beautiful approach to the foliage in Bob's and Richie's paintings! 

"Ochre Cliffs"
Oil on Canvas, 13 x 6
(c) Lesley Powell 2015

While looking at our paintings, I could not help but recall some wonderful precedents from the great masters. One of the precursors of Impressionism was Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot. Corot was one of the first painters to work outside on location. Though he was a Frenchman, much of his painting career was spent in Italy. His early works are especially appealing to me. Here are a couple of his paintings from the 1820's, featuring rocks and trees very similar to those we saw in Provence:

"Rocks at Civita Castellana I
Camille Corot, 1827/27

"Trees and Rocks at La Serpentara"
Camille Corot, 1827

Finally, I would be remiss to write about the ochre quarries of Provence without mentioning the great master, in whose steps we all follow: Cezanne. These quarries were one of his  favorite motifs. I close with one of his paintings. The planes of the earth are so convincing you can practically feel yourself slipping and sliding on them. Enjoy!

"Bibemus Quarry"
Paul Cezanne, c. 1895

Flower Power

"Lilacs in a Window"
Mary Cassatt, 1879

Up now at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond: "Van Gogh, Manet,and Matisse: The Art of the Flower". I recently saw the exhibit, and was impressed with its breadth. There were masterworks from museums such as the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It's definitely worth a detour to catch this one. One might ask, "How many pictures of flowers can a person look at in one show??". No problem for me--the subject matter is not so important, because

Copycats?

"Self Portrait with Vase of Flowers"
Emile Bernard, 1897

I recently saw a wonderful exhibit at the Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris--a retrospective of the works of the French painter Emile Bernard. Bernard lived from 1868 to 1941. Lots of water went over the artistic dam in that time period, and Bernard did his fair share of experimentation with various styles that came in and out of vogue. Eventually, he developed a strong affinity for 

Perched Village, Part I: Murs

Murs, France (c) Lesley Powell 2014

I wrote earlier about painting inside one of the perched villages of Provence. Now it's time for an even bigger challenge--painting the village itself, from below. Our intrepid instructor, Maggie Siner, would say that there is danger in these villages. Inside, there lurks the danger of succumbing to the charm of the subject and making a cutesy, corny painting. Outside, from afar,

Painting the Quarry

As I wrote in my last post, I was recently part of a workshop group, painting in the Luberon area of Provence. Our group consisted of nine painters, under the instruction of the talented Maggie Siner. We started the week as strangers,