Historic Houses Galore

The stuff of dreams and television programmes. Historic Castle Howard is the family seat of the Howard family, who still live there, and has been used for location shooting for Brideshead revisited in 2007. I was definitely born in the wrong era.




It is hard to find a good view point of the house from the grounds. The Vanbrough building is immense and overpowering close up but from across the lake the vistas are delightful.
I found a spot where I could have painted from the shelter of my car as it was raining gently when I arrived, but I didn't think oil paint on the upholstery would be appreciated. Happily the forecast proved correct, it faired up and the sun even peeped through on occasions.
The sky changed from dramatic to plain to pretty then back again as quick as a wink. When one appears that you like you have to drop everything to get the sky in before it changes again.
The distant autumn colours came to life when the sun came out. It is hard not to go with the strength of colour, but I was happy with the soft mistyness that was appearing on my canvas.

I like this 8x10" format. I can cover the canvas within my 2 hours allotted time. Hopefully as I do more I will speed up so 10x12 and bigger with be within my time frame, but for now 10x12 is for warmer days and any bigger is for the studio.


Occasional sunlight, Castle Howard.
Oils on canvas board
8x10"


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Location:Castle Howard, North Yorkshire

n-n-n-Nunnington

First time out in the really chilly weather this autumn. I have driven past the gateway into the lovely National Trust property Nunnington Hall, only 6 miles from where we live, lots of times and thought what a nice plein air subject it would make, so on a promising day last week I set off.
I failed to take into consideration how cold it would be standing behind a huge pine tree which shaded me from the sun, so only managed to map out the composition and block in the basic tones before I had to retreat to thaw out.

Wet and miserable for the next few days, but eventually a day dawned with a forecast of sun after 11.00am. Off I trotted, albeit a little earlier in the day, but I preferred the mid day light as it cast more shadows. I quickly adjusted the light source on the original and painted on as quickly as I could muster. The sun remained resolutely behind the same tree, and this time there was a heavy frost on the ground for the whole day.
I managed to finish to my satisfaction and went home to peel off the gazillion layers I was wearing. At least I now know how much to wear to combat the cold, and also that it's best to choose simple subjects. This one was made a bit easier because the under painting was dry when I went back for the second attempt.

I am trying to restrict myself to two hours per painting, and this one came in at that, despite being in two one hour sessions.





Autumn afternoon Nunnington Hall
Oils on canvas board
8x10"



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Location:A170,Beadlam,United Kingdom

Walking the dog

I decided at the start of the year that I would only paint in oils for at least a year so I could get a bit more control. Sometimes though I fancy a dabble and it just isn't convenient to lug large amounts of kit around. This morning I was feeling energetic and Dexter the Dog wanted to go for a jog so I put my little watercolour box and a sketchbook in my backpack and we headed upwards. After a goodly climb we headed down a wooded track and found a wonderful tumbling stream. I can never resist running water, and it is soooo difficult to paint. This is my sketchbook page.


The location was completely inaccessible for an easel, I was perched on a tiny ledge, with Dexter patiently next to me fending off the curious gaze of passers by who were clambering up the very narrow and steep track.
I would love to do a studio version of this. One for a rainy day from sketchbook and photo references.


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Location:Route des Grands Prés,Pralognan-la-Vanoise,France

Not going far

Sometimes I don't want to wander far. These next two scenes are only a few hundred metres from our chalet. Our village, whilst surrounded by stunning scenery, doesn't present many immediately 'paint me' moments. I have discovered from looking at other peoples painting and their subjects that a good painting doesn't necessarily need a pretty view. That is a direction I need to follow more. I made a start this week by painting a rather unpromising looking public convenience (see "very convenient" two posts back).



This little chapel is very pretty, but finding a good viewpoint isn't so easy as it surrounded by typically French buildings, which don't always comply with our expectations of what you would find in an alpine village. (Diplomacy speak here).
I can't remember what it is called! I will fill that in later but I always think of it as
La Chapelle des Granges.
Oils on board
8x10"



And this is a relatively modern chalet just up from the shops, I pass regularly on my way home from doing retail related jobs
Chalet l'Orchis
Oils on board
8x10"


You may notice that most of my plein air oils are 8" x 10". That is because my pochard box, that carries my kit, has slots that carry wet paintings. I occasionally go out with slightly larger supports, especially if I have a car available and I can lay the wet painting down flat in the boot, but mostly I am on foot, or on my bike, which makes carrying a wet oil painting a bit fraught!


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Location:Pralognan la Vanoise

Stairway to heaven

I was immediately attracted to this scene because of the strong shaft of morning light coming between the buildings and illuminating the hanging baskets and bits of greenery. I started it on location, it was fine early on, but as the morning progressed more and more people climbed up the long steep path which leads to the hamlet of les Fontanettes. The path was so narrow I had to keep moving out of the way to let people past, and I was standing in the doorway of a house where I was sure the local resident had gone to work, so after getting the basics in place I retreated to the solitude of my studio with sketches and reference photos. I much prefer being in the great outdoors, but sometimes the location is simply untenable.





These old buildings crowd together, their roofs almost touching in places. They form part of the original village of Pralognan, which developed as a via point on the route from Italy into France for transporting salt. It originally was part of Italy belonging to the Ducs of Savoie. Higher up this path, some 30 minutes hard slog, is a tiny hamlet only accessible in the summer, and much painted by me over the years, then onward and upward to the Vanoise Pass into Italy. Only a (relatively) short distance for the intrepid trekker, but a long way by road as there are a lot of very high pointy mountains and unfriendly terrain to go round.

Rue d'Eblet, Stairway to Heaven
Oils on canvas
27x35cms






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Location:Pralognan la Vanoise

Very Convenient but no tissue

Some time ago I decided to keep a Facebook Janet Poole Artist page in preference to maintaining this blog. I figured that not many people ever saw this, and as I really need to promote my art presence it would be more effective on a platform where I know people do look. However, I missed the opportunity to chat about my process and thoughts about what makes me paint, so I am back. I will slowly catch up and insert posts about what I have been doing this busy summer. Excuse me please if some seem out of sequence, but probably I will be the only one that notices (especially if I am the only one who reads this).




We are back in Pralognan for a week only, and as we flew here only with hand baggage I have only watercolours. That put paid to my vow to do 12 months of oil painting (in order to progress my facility with that medium). Nice day so jobs can wait until tomorrow when there is a dreadful weather forecast.

It is so long since I painted plein air with watercolours that I completely forgot to take a pencil or kitchen paper for blotting and water control. Halfway up a mountain, no car (D gave me a lift up), will have to manage.






It is jolly cold in the shade (5 degrees centigrade) so had to sit in the sun, which in October limits the options. This is a public convenience on the trail up to Prioux at the Pont de Gerlon. Not a very inspiring scene in itself, but it was in full sun, I did have to keep moving around because the inconsiderate sun kept hiding behind monster pine trees, but those same trees provided some shadow patterns that helped make the composition more interesting.
A few groups walked up the track behind the building and I toyed with the idea of including them but I had already painted in the darker shadows and not having the wherewithal to lift out the dark paint I ducked out. What do you think? Would it be better with people in?

I had forgotten how much I enjoy painting in watercolour.

'How convenient'
Watercolour
10x8"


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Location:La Vanoise natural parc