"Evening Light-France" new oil painting

"Evening Light -France", 9x12" oil on panel

I was fortunate to have some time to paint today. This is from a photo I took in 2014 outside Le Vieux Couvent in Frayssinet, France, while I was on a Dreama Tolle Perry workshop -so inspiring!!

I am teaching a "Colour Mixing Made Simple" class this coming Monday night in Calgary from 6:30-8:30pm. The cost is only $35 and includes all supplies and a glass of wine. Go here to register.

Enjoy!

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"A Seat For Beauty", new oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"A Seat For Beauty", 9x12" oil on panel
$495 beautifully framed

I know I have been derelict in my duty to post, but I do have a good excuse this time. I came down with shingles a week ago and it really knocked me out. I am happy to say that I caught it early and was put on antiviral meds, plus I was directed to a new cream that has done wonders on the healing of the rashes. I am now on the mend, and hope to make more of an effort to post. Not that you aren't already inundated with things to see online, but I hope I can bring some beauty into your lives with my paintngs.

I am taking an online class with the wonderful Dreama Tolle Perry, and our assignment for this week was a blue chair in France with geraniums growing from it. Well, it turns out that I was right there in that place taking photos with Dreama as part of my France workshop in 2014. So I chose to paint from my own photo, which is quite different from the one the class painted. If you can possibly swing it, I HIGHLY recommend taking Dreama's online course which will open again in September. I have taken 13 days painting with Dreama in person, and I must say that this course is an even better experience than the live workshops. You get to see everything she does close up, but more than that, Dreama has opened up her heart by adding so much more besides painting, going into attitude, perseverance and painting with JOY. Go to her website and take a look.

Enjoy!
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AHA Blog Talk Radio session by Sharon Lynn Williams

"French Countryside", 12 x 12" plein air oil painting
$575 beautifully framed

I am about to relive my trip to France in June of last year - Please join me on Artists Helping Artists Blog Talk Radio (AHA Radio) as my travelling buddy Brenda Pinnick and I recount our wild adventures heading off into the French countryside looking for adventure and wonderful painting spots. We will cover what it takes to 'just do it', what to take, what to do, and how to do it. Heading off on an adventure with someone you have only met online, to places you have never been, in a foreign country, with only a cursory knowledge of the language -some might say crazy, but we say 'what a ride!'

Above is the first painting I did on our 3 day trip, just outside Toulouse. We each painted facing in different directions, which was what we tended to do. Great that we could find places that inspired both of us!

I thought I would share some of my paintings from that journey as well as some photos I took along the way, just to whet your appetite to jump in and do it yourself.

Driving around in a rented car with a stick shift (I hadn't driven one in 30 years) with one eye on the GPS and the other on the surrounding gorgeous landscape was an adventure in itself. As soon as we spied something paint worthy, I would slam on the brakes and find a way to get to a spot we could park the car and set up. Once Brenda freed her fingernails from the dash, we jumped at the chance to capture the wonderful French light for posterity. This is me with my set-up.

And, you guessed it, this is Brenda. Did I mention that there are no shoulders on the back roads in France? So we parked the car in some precarious places. You should have seen the look on the faces of drivers passing by!

"Just Around The Corner", 12 x 12" plein air oil
$575 beautifully framed

This is the scene I was painting in the photo above, taken as I was completing the underpainting.

When we planned this adventure I just picked a central place that was equidistant from Albi (home of the Toulouse museum) and other places that I had heard were interesting sites. I chose a small hotel in a small town called Castres, and had very small expections. You can imagine our delighted surprise when the GPS led us onto old cobblestone streets leading to our hotel, with this view! I didn't then know that Castres is called the Venice of France, with good reason. Our hotel was wonderful as was the town, and we felt very safe wandering the streets at night.

I could have taken a thousand photos just like this one! We both have impressive stashes of paintable photos that would last a lifetime,  IF we never went out another day in our lives.

I had to show you my set-up from the front - palette by Open Box M, umbrella by Best Brella, carbon fibre tripod by Benro, breathable nitrile gloves (Atlas Nitrile Touch 370S -the BEST gloves for painting IMHO) and painting shirt from my hubby!

"Ferrieres, France", 12 x 12" plein air oil

SOLD

This was painted on our last painting day of the trip, a small town in the middle of a VERY hilly circle tour we were on at the recommendation of our hotellier. Now I know why the French are very good at racecar driving on narrow twisty and steep roads!

On our last night in Castres we splurged for a special dinner at a wonderful little restaurant. The presentation of the meal was art in itself and the taste was even better. And the wine...

So many wonderful memories! Be sure to tune in to hear the show which will be archived at the link above to hear more with the lovely Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry, the hosts of the show.

Enjoy!

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"Sunflowers -French Light" oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Sunflowers -French Light", 12 x 12" oil on Arches oil paper
SOLD

Another painting I did from a photo I took in France. I bought these beauties as my contribution to our picnic lunch one day. They were amongst a riot of bouquets at the market, and I just knew that the others would be bringing food. The vase was an antique white with blue flowers, but the bounced light was amazing.

Enjoy!
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"Just Around The Corner", French plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Just Around The Corner", 12x12" plein air oil
$300 unframed (Please note: listed price is only good until the painting is mounted and framed
Please click here to purchase

This is the final painting that I did inFrance. As the title implies, it was the first spot we saw as we left Castres on a circle tour that took us through the hilly countryside. I am not sure what kind of trees are in the back of the foreground, but they were very different from the trees on the distant hillside. They were the colour of olive trees, but a different shape -maybe a Russian Olive??

I really enjoyed painting in France, but am glad to be home now to the familiar. I have some paintings to post that I did at the cottage in Ontario and from my artist in residency at Bow Lake, but those will have to wait until I am home for a bit. We just came back from a 5 day trip to Purcell Mountain Lodge where I was able to do 5 plein air paintings, and tomorrow we are off to helicopter in to Mt. Assiniboine for 4 days of painting. Unfortunately the forecast is for rain for most of our stay, but I am praying that that will change!

Enjoy!

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"Ferrieres,France", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Ferrieres,France", 12 x 12" plein air oil painting on panel
SOLD

Brenda and I found an amazing place to stay between Albi and Carcassone, places we were hoping to visit, called Castres. I chose it because of its location, but when we drove in we were amazed. Apparently it is called the Venice of the Tarn, because the Agout river runs right through the middle of town, and beautiful bridges have been placed, so that it looks quite like a street in Venice. Our wonderful little hotel was right on the canal, and everything was within walking distance.
One day we decided to do a road trip in the area and came upon this wonderful little hamlet called Vabre in Ferrieres, and I was enchanted by the view. The little creek was there, but the bridge was not, it was in a cute little town near Frayssinet, so I decided to include it here to replace a rather unpleasant grading -Ah the benefits of being an artist!!
Enjoy!
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"Frayssinet", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Frayssinet", 12 x 12 plein air oil painting
$300 unframed (Please note: listed price is only good until the painting is mounted and framed
Click here to purchase

This is the last plein air painting I did while in Fraysinnet during the Dreama Tolle Perry artist retreat. This house was just a few blocks away from Le Vieux Couvent where the workshop was held. I was attracted to the light and what it did to the amazing rose bushes growing against the building.
It was sad to leave everyone at the end, but I knew that there were more adventures in France ahead. Many of us are still keeping in touch, which is really nice. I came away with a TON of photos to try in my studio this winter. I don't know if I will ever give up plein air painting, but I hope to learn to do as good a job in the studio. This will also allow me to work larger, which has been a goal for many years.
Enjoy!
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"Across The Valley -Frayssinet", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Across The Valley-Frayssinet", 9x12" plein air oil on multimedia artboard
SOLD

On my recent France workshop with the wonderful Dreama Tolle Perry, we spent a lot of days touring tiny medevil villages getting reference material to use in the studio. However, on our first day to stay home at Le Vieux Couvent, a bunch of us went out in search of a wonderful place to paint en plein air. We came across this view and it was unanimous -we HAD to paint this! I was able to use Dreama's technique of a wet underpainting, and found it went surprisingly well.

Enjoy!
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"French Countryside" plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"French Countryside", 12 x 12" plein air oil

$575 beautifully framed

After Dreama's workshop was finished, Brenda Pinnick and I rented a car and headed out west of Toulouse for a plein air adventure. It wasn't very long until we came upon this spot and had to stop to paint! The light is wonderful in France and I was just hoping to capture it and the wonderful colour of these fields. When we were finished and wondering our paintings were truly done, Brenda challenged me with "What is the most outrageous thing you could do?" I threw in the screaming yellow green in the mid ground, and she was right -it was just what the painting needed. I will have to remember that one :)

Enjoy!

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"Le Pigeonnier", plein air oil by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Le Pigeonnier"' 9 x 12" plein air oil done in Frayssinet, France June 27,2014

$250 unframed 

I was delighted to get some time to go exploring with my oils during my workshop with Dreama. This was done on the most perfect of days, after the extreme heat and humidity had been rained off in a tremendous storm the night before. This little silo is actually not a grain silo at all. I was told that back in Medieval times, pigeons were raised for food, and these buildings, which dot the Provence countryside, were created to entice the pigeons to roost there. It sounds funny now, as the last thing most people these days is to encourage pigeons to roost on their property!

Everywhere you look at Le Vieux Couvent, you will find treasures -either provided by nature or by the loving hands of our host Corinne. 

This is our studio space which is assessible 24/7, but not used much by me (except for attending Dreama's amazing demos) as I was far too bushed to paint much after an incredible multi-course dinner, which didn't end until 9:30pm. If it was nice outside, that's where you'd find me.

We have our huge goodbye party/feast/show & tell tonight, and then we leave first thing in the morning. I will be sad to leave this little slice of heaven, but the next journey awaits!

Au Revoir and as always, Enjoy!

Painting France With Dreama, by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Breakfast Light", 9 x 12" plein air oil in Arches Huile Paper

$250 unframed 

This is my first oil painting from France. I am here with 17 other wonderful blissful women, doing our thing in the south west of France. We are staying at Le Vieux Couvent in the Lot Valley, with the fabulous Dreama Tolle Perry (if you don't know her work you definitely should check out her website). We have been to a different tiny medieval village each day, doing watercolour sketching and taking way too many photos. The highlight of today was our visit to a lavender farm followed by an amazing chocolate eclair from the boulangerie. I will try to post some of my sketches in the days to come, but the internet is extremely slow here, I can't promise anything.

In the meantime, enjoy!

Encore...

More mugging up for the camera -did I tell you Evan is an actor??

Evan's choice for an art adventure was to take in the Rodin Museum. This is set in a wonderful old hotel that was at one time the Rodin atelier, along with studios for greats such as Matisse. This is one of the sculptures that I was really taken with -I have never seen an expression like this on a sculpture before.

Another of the Rodin sculptures- this is one of many that are in the outdoor gardens, where the light plays off the bronze reflecting the surrounding elements, giving off amazing colours and values. Bernini is still my favorite sculpture artist, but these, in this setting, really took my breath away.

Enjoy!