recent painting sessions

Without wishing to make this a specific art gallery, we'd like to express thanks to all those who have visited
"Les Lavandes" so far this year (remember - we are open ALL year - Christmas and New Year, too) -
and who have worked hard to create many fine pieces of work, usually in all too brief a time scale.
Here, we'd like to display some examples of their works alongside Colin's!
People . . . a week is just too short to do justice to 'les beaux arts' . . . I did tell you . . .
but we've had fun doing what we've done, have we not ?!?

So, the pictures* we feature here, are by YOU** and ME:-
and are works made so far, this year (2006). Enjoy!

They are styles, types, interpretations, observations resulting
from sitting together to produce a variety of work-types.
Created for a variety of art-tuition disciplined reasons from Colin's point of view -
whether anyone listened to him or not !

And yes, 99% of the time, surprise as it may be, Colin does sit and work alongside you,
doesn't he ?!?

In fact, a large portion of Colin's own artwork is produced and derived from
the shared energy YOU bring, along with your genuine desire to create.
So thanks for that! It's also driven, of course, by the locations visited, when weather permits -
and what is set before us . . . scenes and objects featuring;

Whether created at speed, or with certain information discarded,
produced slowly, with all due consideration, or copied, interpreted,
worked in single colour, or fully coloured up - you name it - we do it.

So far this year, we've watercoloured, acrylic(k)ed (??!!), brushed,
palette knifed, coloured 'indian' inked, and colour chalked (on our external covered plinth).

Left: Preparation drawing for plinth chalking. Right: the finished article - a real moment in time . . . just wait for that rain!

Plinth chalking (see above) is huge fun . . . Colin and Matt R (from the outskirts of Geneva), a client-guest this Summer, researched this wonderfully inspiring piece of art by the famous Roger Dean from an old Yes LP album, and transferred it to the plinth outside the house.

There, it was chalked onto the somewhat textured concrete surface - and well . . . we thought it worked well enough! Now to devise our own 'surreal' situation compositions!

Small hiccup, 'though, came during the actual process of chalking and colouring up - they didn't include a black in the chalk packets!!
Fortunately, the BBQ charcoal wasn't a million miles away, so we used that!

A big "up" to Julian Beever, the street artist, who inspired me to do this with the art student concerned!

Below, left and right: "Lac Vouglans" by JH, July 2006. Acrylic, pallette knife, on board.

One of the things I like about going 'plein-air' painting is to see how different people react to looking at expanses of shape, form and colour.

This Summer we took another look at Lac Vouglans. I think our client-guest JH (who claims not to have been able to draw or paint) made a really good fist of this rendition of a subject matter that, in terms of light alone, was altering by the minute - sun in - sun out etc..

And - she also captured that water colour perfectly (how did she do that??!!). That mass of woodland on the left really creeps round the corner and certainly the other hills are definitely disappearing (to the other 33kms of the lake!).
I'm still waiting for the paddle steamer to come round that corner!

It's quite hard sometimes, to know how to treat a subject, when you arrive at a venue that on the face of it features little or no detail. This is the exact reverse of the hanging basket situation where one is tempted to try to detail each and every flower. My stance is that you will either drive yourself mad (unless you are a botanical illustrator) rendering each and every flower and stem or start looking, for example at the lake, in terms of non-detail - searching for forms and shapes which can be more easily and satisfyingly expressed in bolder, general terms.

It's true we're always looking at shape, form, colour - not necessarily for detail. Blocks of form?
Well, why not represent them as blocks?
Shapes changing hue and uncovering previously unseen textures, too?
Good - let this be your inspiration to convey that - finger paint it if you like . . . I don't care, just express it!

So, how do you/we 'look' at this enormous mass of visual matter?
My approach is now to try to 'feel' something for the subject.

What is it? What do I think about it? Why does it exist the way it does? How does it seem to 'me' in the way it sits, moves or changes? . . . and . . . importantly . . . How can I represent that on board, canvas or any surface?

Above: Colin's 'geometric'
interpretation of a scene at Lac Vouglans. Brush applied acrylic on paper. July 2006.

Mind you, when at the end of your painting session you know you can just walk into these lakes without temperature shock and swim in complete peace, who cares?!

Round the house and in the local environment (see our photo gallery), we're lucky enough to have several hard landscaping features and garden elements which we take advantage of when seeking to pursue certain disciplines (study of surface texture, form, light etc..).

One is the super little ancient millstone set that exists in the garden at "Les Lavandes", which change in appearance as the seasons dictate to what depth and colour lichens and mosses cover their surface.

Taken as a photo from ground level (left), we could believe we are into Stonhenge proportion installations (or something out of Asterix the Gaul to be more politically correct!) - but they're not that huge in reality but
interesting to view and look at from close quarters.
One way of practising tonal values is use just one colour of any medium - and in the case of the illustration on the right, I used only white chalk on black paper.

Above: Tonal value study of millstones
by Colin Winn. Chalk on black paper, July 2006.

My client friend Matt R, being young, used his energies with
great gusto using acrylic and palette knives (for the first time I believe?),
to produce a very colourful rendition of this same subject in acrylics (below)
- the elements, backed by abundant flowers and shrubs 'live', don't they?!

Millstones and shrubs by client-guest Matt R, July 2006

Study of texture is another vital ingredient of painting at "Les Lavandes"
( for other organic ingredients, Burgundian cooking recipe suggestions, and
information from a female perspective about life in Burgundy, please see Cathy's 'Blog' ).

If you choose to stay still long enough to really look, then it is fascinating the way light
and texture creates so many wonderful surfaces.

Below: Study of Tree Trunk Texture at "Les Lavandes" by Colin Winn. Oil pastels on paper. July 2006

The tree trunk study I made recently from the garden at "Les Lavandes" (right), shows I have used (oil) pastels.

I considered and found these suitable as the treebark in question is 'riven' - that is to say the bark is channelled and the subtle choice of colours, the type of application-to-paper I could achieve just seemed to me to be perfect with the crayons.

Not too much detail, but enough to convey the surface texture and the way in which the light wrapped round the trunks.

*THINGS FOR VIEWERS TO NOTE
Copyright exists in all the works displayed.
The copyright belongs to the respective artist.
If you have an interest in any of the artworks produced here by client-guests,
please contact Picture Burgundy at its e-mail address (info@pictureburgundy.com)
so that we may establish if the artist concerned wishes to negotiate on sale/use of his/her artwork.
In the case of artwork by Colin Winn of Picture Burgundy, his artwork can be or purchased as originals,
purchased as a digital download, or he can be commissioned by e-mailing Picture Burgundy at the above link.

**NB Artist Guest-Clients:- as far as we know, we have already spoken to obtain your permissions to publish the photographic images of your works in this section of our site - if this is not correct, please e-mail us.