Doronne de Chaviere at Roc de la Peche
Parc National de la Vanoise
12 x 9" oils on board
Walk, wine, weather. A heady mix, but what better way to spend a late summer Saturday in the Alps. We hiked up to Roc de la Peche for a delicious lunch, happily my lovely husband helped carry my gear (note to self - organise lighter kit for next trip). After lunch I went down into a ravine to paint at the side of the river (the very same that lower down the mountain was the subject of my last post). I only had a couple of hours until the sun sank behind the very high cliff alongside me, so I made haste and tried to cut short chatting to curious bypassers.
I made a good start, got the blocking in done, noted the colours of the river, which were spectacular, and the fantastic hues of the cliffside reflecting light from the water and the hillside across. I probably got 75% of the painting under my belt before the sun slipped behind the mountian, probably sooner than it would have done had I been in a more open situation, but perhaps as well as I still had an hours trek down to where my car was parked.
I am now starting to get used to working with my limited palette of six colours plus black and white, and I think it helps give unity to the finished work as all the colours, shades and tints consist of a really small and common collection of pigments.
I hope I get lots more opportunity to get out to paint plein air before winter closes in. For the next four weeks I am doing an online study course dealing with values, so mostly I will be doing exercises rather than finished paintings. Expect a short hiatus, then hopefully some improvement in my value studies!
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