Vineyard Study
5×7″
Oil on canvas paper
©2013 Lucinda Howe
This small painting was inspired by a vineyard in Provence. I made this small study to experiment with colors before starting a larger painting. I used a light blue to push the mountains into the background and emphasized the contrast of the red earth with the green vines in the foreground. Along with several other small paintings, this piece is available on Daily Paintworks. Click here to buy now.
Vineyard in Provence
16×20″
Oil on canvas
©2013 Lucinda Howe
This painting was inspired by a beautiful vineyard on the outskirts of Cabrières d’Avignon in the Provence region of France with the Luberon Mountains in the background.
Wishing you a very happy and colorful Thanksgiving!
Souvenirs de Gordes
36×48″
Acrylic on gallery wrap canvas
©2012 Lucinda Howe
Souvenirs de Gordes is a large studio piece based on a combination of exaggerated color and plein air work. I use complementary colors (opposites on the color wheel) to create visual vibration among simplified shapes from the landscape.
To see an earlier post about the original inspiration for this piece, click here http://lucindahowe.com/2011/06/getting-acquainted-with-gordes/.
I would like to invite you to walk “In the Steps of Van Gogh” at the opening reception this Friday evening, February 10, 6-9 pm at my studio.
In a recent trip to the Provence area of southern France, a group of artists visited many of the locations where Van Gogh lived and worked. Each town had unique architecture and character, and inspiration for painting was everywhere. After returning home, six of us decided to create a group exhibit inspired by the trip.
I’m fascinated by the stories of how Van Gogh’s palette brightened as he encountered the Impressionists, modern pigments, and a warmer climate. In creating pieces for this show, I wanted to observe how the experience of Provence would change my work. I combined my on-location drawings, photos, and memories with texture mediums and some new techniques. I found that my pieces have less intense colors than my usual palette, reflecting the patina of the historical architecture.
As we assemble the show, it’s fun to watch how the other artists have produced different interpretations of similar locations. Come join us!
In the Steps of Van Gogh
Paintings by six artists inspired by the hill towns and vineyards of Provence.
Gordes, 11x14", Acrylic, by Lucinda Howe
Pam Bulak
Donna Gore
Lucinda Howe
Glenda Keyes
Roy Paschal
Barbara Yongue
Location: Lucinda Howe Art Studio, Two Notch Road, Columbia, SC
Cicada created with molding paste, crackle paste, and acrylic glazes, 5x5" by Lucinda Howe
Last week I showed how to create a stencil and to apply molding paste to make a raised image of a cicada, the good luck symbol of Provence.
Here are the steps to complete the process:
Add a purple glaze over the dry molding paste.
After the glaze dries, apply a generous layer of crackle medium with a palette knife. Remove most of the paste over the main image with a damp cloth.
After the crackle paste dries, add more glazes of gold and brown to bring out the details.
Finish with a layer of matte medium to be sure the crackle paste doesn’t flake off and a final layer of acrylic varnish.
Last week we talked about incorporating stencils in your acrylic paintings. To personalize your design, you can create your own stencil.
The cicada is the symbol of Provence and often appears on walls and in fabrics
In this example, I am showing the steps to create a stencil of a cicada, the symbol of good luck in Provence, to use in my series of paintings inspired by my recent trip.
The first step is to start with a simple image of a terracotta cicada on the wall of a house.
Cicada in black and white
To isolate the image, crop the photo and print it in black and white.
Trace the outline, being sure to completely enclose the shapes that will be cut away.
Cutting cicada stencil with heat tool
Tape a piece of clear blank stencil plastic over the drawing onto a piece of glass. Cut the stencil using a craft knife or a heat tool with a sharp point. Pop out the cut-away shapes and clean up the edges if necessary.
Tape the stencil to your canvas or board and cover it with a layer of molding paste about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch thick. Carefully lift the stencil and let the molding paste dry overnight. Clean the stencil before the paste dries on it.
Molding paste ready for drying
Try varying the thickness of molding paste to see what works best with your stencil.
Next week…. Adding color over the stencil.
Afternoon in Arles, 10x8", pastel, by Lucinda Howe
During my recent trip to Provence, we visited Arles and had lunch in the famous Place du Forum where Van Gogh painted Café Terrace at Night. After lunch, I perched on a parking barricade near the entrance to a florist shop and started drawing the long view of the street. As I was drawing the basic angles of the houses and curved street, the shop keeper was re-opening from the lunch break. He brought pots of flowers out onto the sidewalk, and began to set up tables near and in front of me. As I was just beginning to draw in the many doors and windows, he plopped several pots of tall bougainvillea plants down on the table in front of me. So I quickly adjusted my plan added the flowers in to the drawing, made notes about the story, and moved on. Fortunately, I had a photograph of the street and was able to complete the architecture that attracted me after returning home.
Natural ochre pigments from Roussillon, Provence, France
Roussillon was one of my favorite towns in Provence. It is famous for its history of producing ochre pigments for arts and construction. Today the industry has declined due to the introduction of synthetic pigments, but the natural pigments are available in small quantities in the shops in Roussillon. The buildings in the town are a wide range of warm colors: yellow, pink, salmon, red, and brown. You can walk through the old ochre quarries where the yellow and red colors of the earth create a striking contrast with the green of the pine trees and the blue sky.
The color of the earth reminds me of the red soil of the North Carolina piedmont where I grew up, but the soil is sandier than the NC clay. I suppose that is why we made bricks instead of mining pigment. The colors also remind me of the adobe structures of the southwestern US, but the shapes are different.
I brought home a some of the beautiful natural pigments representing the colors of Roussillon. I plan to mix them with some acrylic mediums and incorporate them into my artwork in the future.
