Sketching around the garden

Some days, the weather was just too hot to go walking around the vineyards. Then, I would just sketch whatever was in front of me in the garden. I had quite a bit of choice - the house itself, the Montséret Castle on top of the Roquelongue, the pine trees, the olive tree, the flowers, or my personal favourite, the agave plants!

Sketching in the hills and fields of the Corbières

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!

Travel

I'm always a couple of weeks behind in my posting! So, here is the start of my travel sketches from our holiday in France!! I did manage two sketches, one at the airport, in a quiet corner, and one on the plane. It was another one of these early starts, so I actually drifted off on the plane, plus I was sitting in the middle seat, which is not the most convenient for sketching!

And in case you're wondering what happened to the chap who took his mask off, of course I glared at him, and Brendan asked him to put his mask on, which he did, but I couldn't settle and then it was time to board the plane anyway. Good compliance overall, but there's always a few!

Pale variation

Lately I've been thinking about how I paint and what I paint. I'm attracted to all sorts of different styles, so it's hard to be consistent. But I keep thinking back to Marc Taro Holmes's book Apocalypse Variations, so I had to try something "in the style of", trying to not slavishly copy, but instead, attempting to understand and deconstruct. Painted on Arches rough paper. Size between quarter sheet and half sheet.

Textures

Shirley Trevena is always my go-to when I'm struggling with textures!

Bridges of Dublin - From Rosie to Millenium

It's interesting this time, working our way back from the sea, on the South quays, it's like I notice different things, but also similar themes. Here, O'Connell Bridge, seen from Rosie Hackett Bridge, and what I want to show is the busy life, the buses, the people, the colours, the noise. I didn't have the right yellow for the busses, but I added colour anyway. And in case you're wondering what the red zigzag is, it's a big bright neon sign on the side of the building. All of that in contrast to the beauty of the old houses above street level.

And you can't look West on the Liffey without seeing all these cranes. Are they at James's Hospital, I wonder, where the new children's hospital is being built. It sure is a big project, with costs going up by the minute. But what wasn't so obvious to me, is the number of trees on the North side of the Liffey, from O'Connell bridge.

This was actually my first sketch of the day, again from Rosie Hackett Bridge, looking at the mix of old and not so old. And trees.

On my way from O'Connell bridge towards the Ha'penny bridge. I just found the lovely red-brick terrace more interesting. I added the yellow storefront after I got home. I didn't have a yellow marker with me.

Lunch break outside at the back of the IFI. Louise, Róisín and Pat. Sorry, Pat!

Quick sketch of Ha'penny bridge. Again, the number of trees on the north quays is what struck me. And did you know that when it was first built, there was a toll to cross the bridge, hence the name!!

A hack job I did with this sketch of the Millenium bridge. I had to rush to get home!

And my urban sketcher photos:

Big Bang Festival of Rhythm

The location for Dublin Sketchers was the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, home to the Irish Museum of Modern Art. But when I got there, I could hear drumming in the distance. And I had to go and explore. At the very end of the avenue, there was an outdoor tent and drummers were rehearsing with a dancer for the last day of the Big Bang Festival or Rhythm . I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I wasn't going to miss it! There was cameras set up, a big computer, and lots of drums! I got a bit worried about audience participation and moved to the side, which was great spot, as they started with a dance lesson. The tent filled up with enthusiastic dancers. And I kept on sketching!

I could have stayed longer and sketched some more, but I decided to go back towards the main building, which is beautiful by the way, but really hard to draw! And then it was time for our throwdown and chat with everyone!