Paris Petites

The month of May--what a marvelous month to be in Paris!  I tried to soak up every bit of the French capital that I could.  In addition to croissants and delicious stinky cheeses and visits to museums, I spent hours out and about with my easel, painting.  Painting on location is a way to really SEE.  It forces you to slow down and take in all the aspects of your surroundings. 

"Seine Reflections", 9.5 x 7.5 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel

One of my favorite places to paint in Paris is along the quais of the Seine.  The river is always a different color, depending on the sky, the sun, the winds, and the time of day.  So no painting of the same spot is ever the same!  And did I mention the beautiful bridges, and the reflections they make in the water?

"Louvre, Morning Effect", 6.25 x 9.5 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel

I also love to paint in the gardens.  It's hard to say which is my favorite--the Luxembourg Gardens or the Tuileries.  Both have wide passages of white-ish sandy gravel, creating shapes and angles that are very appealing.  Both are punctuated by monuments of quintessentially French architecture (the Sénat building at Luxembourg, or the Louvre at the Tuileries).  So much to savor!

""Pont Marie, Soft Light", 8 x8 inches, Oil on Linen, mounted on panel

I'm illustrating this post with several paintings I did on location in my favorite spots.  These and more are available at the time of this post (July 7, 2025) on my website, here.  Take a look, and enjoy this virtual trip to Paris!

Home from France

If you've noticed a slowdown in my usual pace of posting, it's because I have been away in Provence, on a painting trip.  So wonderful to get back, after a hiatus of two years due to COVID!

"Murs Overlook"

9 x 14, Oil on Linen

(c) Lesley Powell 2022

The world continues to change, but the land endures.  This trip, I found myself drawn to paint the landscape just as often as the village scenes.  As a city dweller, I don't often get to see sweeping vistas like those provided by the Luberon area of Provence.  Or to enjoy the fruits of local agriculture! Looking out at the patterns of cultivated fields is a joy--as is eating the cherries, apricots and other delicacies that spring from them.

"Lavender and Clouds", 10 x 10, Oil on Linen, (c) Lesley Powell 2022

This trip happened in a heat wave ("canicule"), but we endured. Painting outdoors was possible, even comfortable in the mornings, but afternoons were often unbearable.  Temperatures often neared 100 degrees. After lunch siestas became the norm.  One plus of the heat is that it brought out the lavender much earlier than normal.  It's hard to beat the experience of standing amidst the lavender and inhaling that wonderful aroma while painting,

"Villars Hillside"

8 x 8, Oil on Linen

(c) Lesley Powell 2022

Once the jet lag abates, I plan to post more work from the trip, so stay tuned...

Fast is Fine

 

Faithful readers know that quotations are sprinkled liberally throughout this blog. Some are worth revisiting, and this is one:

"Fast is fine,

but accuracy is final.

You must learn

to be slow in a hurry."

The words are attributed to none other than the famous gunslinger of the Wild West, Wyatt Earp. You can imagine what he meant when he said that accuracy was "final". 

This quote seems especially instructive in the context of plein air painting. When painting outdoors, many things (light, clouds, temperature) are constantly changing, and the painter has to work fast. But being fast is not enough--the painter must also get the right colors, in the right shapes, in the right places on the canvas. It's always a eureka moment when you put down just the right stroke of paint--it works!--and you can lay it and leave it. That's what I'd call accuracy in painting.

"Quiet Hamlet"
12 x 8, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell
(SOLD)

But how do we achieve that accuracy? By being "slow in a hurry". It's a great example of a paradox--it appears to make no sense, but it actually holds a powerful truth. While working very  quickly, the painter must still take time to look deeply, to analyze what he sees, to compare each color to the next.  In other words, he must slow down enough to make careful decisions, but still work at a hurried pace. Doing things quickly isn't very helpful if you're not doing the right things!

"Atmospheric Hills"
7 x 14, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019
(Available)

And how do you go "slow in a hurry"? I suspect it has  to do with sustained practice--repeating certain challenges so often that the approaches to them become second nature. Such practice allows us to develop painting skills that become almost instinctual. They become part of our artistic DNA. They can be summoned in an instant.  When we slow down to make the decision about the next brushstroke, the decision can be taken relatively quickly. And the entire series of decisions can be made in a hurry. And so we "go slow in a hurry".  A useful goal to keep in mind.

"Paris Pont"
10 x7, Oil on Carton
(c) Lesley Powell 2019
(SOLD)

I'm illustrating this post with a few favorite plein air paintings from my archives.  These are the miraculous ones  that came together completely in the field, and required no adjustments back in the studio. Final!

Insurmountable Opportunities

You may be familiar with the quotation from the cartoon character Pogo:  "Gentlemen, we are confronted with insurmountable opportunities."  The quote was elaborated on beautifully by the acclaimed photographer Sally Mann, in her memoir entitled Hold Still.  Mann writes, "It is easier for me to take ten good pictures in an airplane bathroom than in the gardens of Versailles."  So true.

There is something about limitations that forces us to delve deeply into our creativity.  And conversely, there is something about endless possibilities that can be paralyzing.  In fact, I  confronted "insurmountable opportunities" recently on a painting trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Staying at Old Orchard Creek Farm for a few days, there were beautiful sights in every direction. Paralysis almost set in--what should I paint--the distant ridges? nearby apple orchard? charming Victorian house? striking red barn?  I was ready to hyperventilate, just considering the overwhelming array of options.

Thankfully I was able to settle down and focus.  I got a few paintings that were very satisfying.  I just kept repeating my mantra:  "Shapes of Color, Shapes of Color".  And trying to focus on simple shapes, rather than on "things".  But still--sometimes it's easier to make something from nothing, than to face a gorgeous scene that is surely more beautiful than any painting of it could ever be.

I'm illustrating this post with some shots from the trip.  Hope you will enjoy these.  Finished paintings to go up on the website soon...

"Old Orchard Creek Farm"

12 x 12, Oil on Linen

(c) Lesley Powell 2021

Fast and Slow

Faithful readers know that quotations are sprinkled liberally throughout this blog. I recently ran across a startling one that I had never before heard. It goes like this:

"Fast is fine,

but accuracy is final.

You must learn

to be slow in a hurry."

The words are attributed to none other than the famous gunslinger of the Wild West, Wyatt Earp. You can imagine what he meant when he said that accuracy was "final". 

This quote seems especially instructive in the context of plein air painting. When painting outdoors, many things (light, clouds, temperature) are constantly changing, and the painter has to work fast. But being fast is not enough--the painter must also get the right colors, in the right shapes, in the right places on the canvas. It's always a eureka moment when you put down just the right stroke of paint--it works!--and you can lay it and leave it. That's what I'd call accuracy in painting.

"Quiet Hamlet"
12 x 8, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell
(SOLD)

But how do we achieve that accuracy? By being "slow in a hurry". That's quite a paradox--it appears to make no sense, but it actually holds a powerful truth. While working very  quickly, the painter must still take time to look deeply, to analyze what he sees, to compare each color to the next.  In other words, he must slow down enough to make careful decisions, but still work at a hurried pace. Just being fast isn't very helpful if you're not doing the right things!

"Atmospheric Hills"
7 x 14, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019
(Available)

And how do you go "slow in a hurry"? I suspect it has  to do with sustained practice--repeating certain challenges so often that the approaches to them become second nature. Such practice allows us to develop painting skills that become almost instinctual. They become part of our artistic DNA. They can be summoned in an instant.  When we slow down to make the decision about the next brushstroke, the decision can be taken relatively quickly. And the entire series of decisions can be made in a hurry. And so we "go slow in a hurry".  A useful goal to keep in mind.

"Paris Pont"
10 x7, Oil on Carton
(c) Lesley Powell 2019
(SOLD)

I'm illustrating this post with a few favorite plein air paintings that I've done over the past year or so.  These are the miraculous ones  that came together completely in the field, and required no adjustments back in the studio. Final!

Close to "Home"

"Just Down the Road"
8 x 8, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019

On the recent painting trip to Provence, my husband and I stayed in a tiny hamlet in the countryside of the Luberon. The valley there is dotted with small settlements of just a few families. Such a little group of houses is often called a "hameau", or hamlet.

During the heat wave, I would get started early in the morning, while the temperatures were still cool (well, at least they were cool-er!). To save time and energy, I would often set up my easel just down the road from our rental house. I painted several scenes in our own little hamlet--which turns out to be a wonderful way to meet the neighbors! 

"Road Shadows"
12 x 9, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019

Everyone was fascinated that I would paint his street or her house. One fellow told me that there were far more glamorous and eye-catching things to paint nearby, like lush lavender fields, or sunflower fields. I don't speak enough French to explain that I was looking for shapes of light and dark, rather than a particular subject--and that it's way more fun to take a plebeian scene and make a beautiful painting out of it, than to take a gorgeous scene and try to rival nature's own beauty.

"Gated House"
16 x 10, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019

One of the amazing things about plein air painting is that the painter absorbs so much of the environment during the painting process. Neurologically, there is something about the heightened awareness involved in painting that causes sounds and smells to become permanently a part of your consciousness of the moment. In fact, I really enjoy hearing all the local noises when I am painting. On this trip I even joked that I should name my paintings for the sounds I heard while painting them, which are indelibly etched in my mind: "Glee Club Practice ('Come to the Cabaret')"; "Mowing the Hayfield"; "Bullfrogs Splashing", "Game of Boules", etc.  And I'm not kidding!

"Pink House"
16 x 8, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019

I also ventured pretty far off road to paint some landscapes--devoid of human structures, these are pure earth and sky. They'll be coming up in a future post...stay tuned...

Unpacking France

Greetings--if you have noticed a hiatus in my normal posting schedule, it's because I have been traveling and painting in France. I spent the first week in a landscape workshop with the inimitable instructor Maggie Siner. Then I stayed on in the Luberon area of Provence to paint independently for two more weeks. Such a treasured time!

"Murs, Top"
10 x 10, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell

There are lots of "cute" scenes in Provence--quaint little houses, colorful window boxes of flowers, pretty blue shutters, charming cafés. They are tempting subjects, but I also want to paint other things. I remind myself of the words of Ranier Marie Rilke: "Avoid those forms that are too facile and ordinary". And Frank Hobbs: "You have to experience a place deeply in order to get past the obvious exoticisms that captivate tourists."

"Murs from a Distance"
10 x 16, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019

Though I am still a tourist, after eight summers in Provence, I am starting to get past the surface and feel a deeper connection to the land and its habits. The sounds of the birds and the cicadas, the rising of the moon, the cooling of the earth overnight, and its warming through the day. I am drawn to the subtle shifts in colors seen from a high vantage point, as the fields and mountain ranges slip further and further into the distance.

"Atmospheric Hills"
8 x 16, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019

I love to see the marks of centuries past that are still visible in stone villages today. The perched village (village perché) always draws me in. I like the cubist look of the structures, and the way they tumble down the hill. Their drama stems from the fact that they were built on high for defensive and fortification purposes. Often topped by a church or a chateau, they all have a stories to tell, sometimes dating back to Neolithic times, often to Roman times.

"St Martin"
15 x 10, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019

From exploring village life, to going far "off road", my sojourn in Provence has been deeply satisfying. Stay tuned for more details as I unpack...

So Sonoma!

I have recently returned from two weeks in California wine country--Sonoma, to be specific. My husband and I were lucky enough to be invited to house- and cat-sit for friends  who live there, while they were traveling abroad. Not a bad gig!

"Villa View"
8 x 16, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019

Faithful readers know that one thing I am constantly seeking in my landscape painting is SIMPLIFICATION. And the landscape of the region around Sonoma provides ample opportunities for this quest. But what sounds "simple" isn't necessarily so! This approach involves looking for interesting shapes, and composing a painting whose shapes marry together in a wonderful harmony. 

"Near Kenwood"
8 x 16, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019

It's hard enough to see good, strong shapes in a chaotic world. But it's an entirely more challenging endeavor to compose a painting in which the the shapes all work together in harmony. I want the big shapes to feel like arms wrapped around each other, or lines of a poem that rhyme.

"Sonoma Estate"
12 x 16, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019

Shape on shape, color on color. I work to fine tune the color relationships, always mixing and re-mixing, until the colors are just so. Often I brush a color on the canvas, and realize that it is not right. Then it has to be scraped off, and the color tweaked on the palette, and then reapplied--until the color is in the right relationship to the surrounding colors. Sometimes this trial and error process happens several times in one passage of the painting. But by scraping down and applying the paint anew each time, I try to retain the freshness of the brushstroke.

"Keiser Ranch Road"
8 x 12, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019

I'm illustrating this post with paintings from my trip. Most of them have just been uploaded to my website (lesleypowellart.com), so take a look there for more paintings from the trip, as well as more details and prices. Thanks!

Behind the Scenes

"South End Drive Through"
12 x 12, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2019
(Private Collection)

I've been taking advantage of the warmer spring temperatures over the past several weeks, and have been painting outdoors. My studio is located in Charlotte's historic South End, so I can just walk out my door carrying my portable easel like a backpack, and I don't have to go far to find lots of interesting things to paint.

"Miller Services, Midday"
12 x 18, Oil on Panel
(c) Lesley Powell 2019

Walking along the light rail line, I usually see the backs of buildings. It's become a favorite motif for me. I know what time of day the facades are in sun, and what time they are in shadow. I can arrange my schedule to get the best view for the painting I have in mind. It feels like these latest works

I'll be Brief...

"Fresh Cut Fields"
7 x 14, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2018
(SOLD)

On my recent painting trip, the focus was the landscape. I spent a great deal of time and effort breaking the landscape down into its simplest elements. I have learned this much from studying with the wonderfully talented Maggie Siner: if you get the foundational aspects of the landscape down correctly, the "details" practically take care of themselves. And on the flip side, if you DON'T get the foundational aspects in place correctly, no amount of tinkering with details can save you.

"Murs Hilltop"
7 x 14, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2018
(Available)

I have written a great deal in this blog about "simplification"--so much, in fact, that the phrase is probably growing tiresome.  I have been thinking of a new way to express this concept, and have come to call it "brevity". I want to convey the landscape with brevity--telling you enough, but not too much. I want to involve the viewer in the painting, so that the

Home from Provence....

"Murs, Beyond the Wheatfields"
12 x 16, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2018

There is nothing like a total immersion painting experience to re-charge your batteries! I have just returned from three weeks of painting in the south of France. The first week was devoted to a workshop with the immensely gifted painter and teacher, Maggie Siner. The next two weeks were consumed with independent painting--a perfect time to cement some of the lessons from the workshop.

"Fields off Chemin des Pradelles"
12 x 16, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2018

We missed the lavender this year--it had all been harvested by the time we arrived in Provence. But on the bright side, the wheat had also been recently cut. That meant that we got

Hot TownI!

"Uptown Silhouettes"
8 x 8, oil on linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2018
(SOLD)

I don't know about your locale, but mine has been suffering unbearable heat and humidity over the past few weeks. The sixties song "Hot Town, Summer in the City" (remember the Lovin' Spoonful?!) keeps running through my head! Along those lines, I just delivered a new series of paintings to Shain Gallery in Charlotte--urban landscapes, featuring the skyline of Charlotte. 

Lesley at work along the Light Rail

The paintings were actually painted earlier this year, before the extreme heat set in. My studio is near the light rail line that runs from south Charlotte to Uptown. There is a wide walking and biking trail alongside the rail line, which provides a great place to stand, with a fine view of Uptown. Just above is a shot of me at work there, and below is the finished painting. I love this scene, because it shows both the

Driveritis

"Sloop Chapel"
12 x 8, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2017

Are you familiar with the ailment "driver-itis"? It's a very common affliction among plein air painters. It is characterized by an incessant driving around, looking for the perfect spot to paint. If you have a severe case of driver-itis, you might drive for hours, constantly thinking the the "right" spot is just around the corner. In the end, you don't get any painting done, and you spend the whole day in your car.

You may think this is funny, but it's true! I recently traveled to the North Carolina mountains to participate in a Paint Out to benefit The Crossnore School & Children's Home. Unlike some of the painters, I do not have a home in the mountains, and I am not very familiar with

Necessity is the Mother....

My Setup in the Luxembourg Gardens

We all know the saying that "Necessity is the mother of invention." I have always loved this saying. It's a testament to human imagination and to the things we can concoct when there's a pressing need. Do you remember Apollo 13? After the spaceship was crippled by an explosion, the NASA crew and astronauts figured out how to use a mish-mash of random  materials to hook up a carbon dioxide removal system. Amazing!

I would not dare compare my efforts to those of the astronauts. But I recently did some improvising of my own, which allowed me to paint on a trip to Paris. I had promised my husband that this trip would be VACATION--no painting! But after ten days of withdrawal

Simplifying the Landscape

"Tree Silhouettes, Hazy Morning"
Oil on Canvas, 7 x 14
(c) Lesley Powell 2017

Simplification is a major factor in my approach to painting. I am always trying to eliminate unnecessary details in order to get to the essence of my subject. I often think about what one critic wrote about the great artist Eugene Delacroix: that Delacriox had a precious gift in his "capacity to sacrifice details in order to attain a more durable reality." 

"Lavender and Clouds"
Oil on Canvas, 10 x 10
(c) Lesley Powell 2017

I completely agree that simplicity gets at the heart of the subject. It produces a form of reality that detail cannot rival. There is a power and a beauty in simple shapes that can take your breath away. 

During my recent painting trip to Provence, I spent a great deal of time working on simplification of the landscape. The number of fence posts, or trees, or rows of lavender is not what matters. Rather, my goal is to capture the scene in a handful of major shapes, and

The Places I've Been...

Dear Readers, If you noticed that I have allowed more time to elapse than usual between posts, it's because I have been in France on a painting trip. It has been such a joy to paint in the vast and beautiful landscape of the Luberon, where new sights delight the eye at every turn. In fact, the beauty of the place is something that I try not to be too swayed by. Just because a scene is beautiful does not necessarily mean it will make for a good painting!

In the Luberon area of Provence, the land itself is a wonder. Mountain ranges countered with fascinating crevices, sweeping valleys filled with agricultural fields, ancient perched villages, stone structures that date to Roman times--so much to see and paint. I was there