Wet Beach at Trouville

Wet Beach at Trouville

7"x9" oil on panel

$75

On my trip with the Wapping Group, we spent five days in Brittany, followed by three in Normandy, near Honfleur. We stayed in the small town of Villerville-sur-mer, where we found gorgeous villas, very paintable houses in the village, and a lovely beach with a walking path the whole length of town. There is a creperie and a fish restaurant in addition to the very posh one at our hotel, Le Bellevue. We tried them all!

We had a very wet day of painting in nearby Trouville. Sally, Jenny, and I stood beneath the overhang in front of a block of beach changing rooms, and painted the beach in the rain. Others got totally soaked, but cranked out some wonderful paintings. This area has a lot to see, but I’d been there several times before, so Sally and I stayed close to Villerville, and painted on the beach, chased a few cows, and tried to stay dry.

Some of Sally's paintings from the trip are here on Facebook.

And here are a couple of Rob Adam's beautiful pen and ink drawings from the trip, also on Facebook.

Low Tide at Pont-Aven

Low Tide at Pont-Aven

7"x9" oil on board

$75

To purchase click here

I’m just back from a trip to France with the Wapping Group of Artists. I was very much looking forward to this visit with my friends from four years ago, when I joined them for a similar visit to Brittany and Normandy. Alas, trouble followed me all the way! British Airways lost my bag on the way over, so, no paint, tripod, panels, clothes, or camera. I did have my paint box, brushes, and PJs in my backpack, so all was not lost. But lots of time was, as I struggled to cobble together a painting kit and something to wear! And of course, I was ever hopeful, but the bag never showed up. I’m now trying to figure out how to get reimbursed for its contents.

In addition to the luggage fiasco, it rained on us pretty much all the time. On one painting, I had to lift up my box, turn it sideways, and dump the water off the palette, two times! I only did a couple of paintings worth showing. This is my favorite from Brittany, done in Pont-Aven, a lovely town where Gauguin spent lots of time. The river Aven flows through the town, and is pretty much only puddles at low tide. The boats all sit on their keels with small wooden sticks on the side to hold them upright where needed. It’s an interesting view, as here in New England, we only see boats out of the water in orderly rows, held up by many jack stands. The painting was done with one blue, red, yellow, and white tube of paint.

Pont-Aven, in Brittany, is well worth a visit. There is an art museum, with a history of the period when Gauguin was in residence and a few of his paintings, along with those of his contemporaries, in addition to more contemporary exhibits. My friends Mary, Christine, Sally, and I enjoyed the boat trip down the Aven to the sea. And everyone enjoyed the galettes, moule frites, crepes, and cider. Take a look at my Facebook page over the next few days for introductions to artists I painted with on the trip.