We'll call this rural sketching! Two weeks in the Corbières region of France sure was good for the soul! The weather was perfect for walking between the vineyards, up the hills, sketching it all, even the big vendange machine, which we'd never seen before!!
We were in a small village called Montséret, really quiet, but within easy reach of everything and everywhere we wanted to go. We didn't go far, enjoying the peaceful roads in our neighbourhood! Do zoom in on the map and take a walk through the streets and vineyards. It's a gorgeous little place!
All of these will be inspiration for paintings for the months to come!
View of the fields seen from the top of the hill, done standing while balancing sketchbook, small watercolour palette and small water container in one hand, and brush in the other. And it was hot! And yes, the earth is quite orange, so I was glad I brought my tube of Aussie Red Gold watercolour!
When I joined Brendan at the top of the hill, where the castle is, I decided to do a view with a brushpen and a waterbrush, while resting my sketchbook on a wall. Much easier!
Another day, the sun wasn't shining yet, so we walked towards Pradines, and there was this picture-perfect view. And as you can see, it started to rain, but only a few light drops, so I kept sketching. I love to look at all the different vineyards. Quite a few hadn't been picked yet. The Corbières has its own mix of grapes, including one that's left on the vine as long as possible so it ripens and gives the wine its strong flavour. I can't remember if it's Carignan or Mourvèdre. All I know is that it's a balancing act between letting the grape ripen as long as possible, and the risk of thunderstorm that can damage the grapes! Plus the boars that come out from the wooded hills at night and feast on the juicy grapes. Which is why the hunting season starts in mid-September. We did see lots of hunters heading off into the hill in their little vans, all wearing their bright-orange tshirts, with the dogs barking in the back!
You can also see in my little sketch below that there are really old vines, and also new ones planted all the time. We looked at the local co-op and the oldest vines in the area were planted in 1911 I think!
More on the Corbières wines
here!
The big machines for shaking the grapes off the vines! We saw a lot of these. They started work early, 5:30 am! Some fields are still picked by hand, depending on the terroir and appellation. I think the Boutenac appellation requires that 80% be picked by hand. We did see a few of the hand-picking in the distance, but not close enough to sketch! The big machine, on the other hand, was going up and down the field, so I got a chance to capture its basic shape at least!!
One day, while Brendan was flying the drone, I just sat at the entrance to one of the vineyards just outside the village and sketched these. Such rugged textures! Loved it! It was hot work, though!
Can't go to the South of France and not sketch inside a graveyard! They have the most amazing tombs and mausoleums! This one was for the Caraguel Taix family, who lost a son at the age of 21 in 1917.
Here are my urban sketching shots
And a photo of me from the drone. Just as well I was wearing a skort!
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