The Topiary Trees

Goult Topiary Trees

12" x 12" - acrylic on paper - $45

Goult is a small, charming village in the Luberon Valley in Provence. I have painted there several times over the years and each time have found a view in the local cemetery there where there are the most fabulous topiary trees. The shapes of these trees really lend themselves to abstraction and the simplification of form, so that's what I did. 

Goult Topiary Trees Abstracted

Goult Topiary Trees

10.5" x 13"  - acrylic on Canson canva paper

On the final painting day of my two week sojourn at Les Bassacs in September, we went to the village of Goult. There are probably many views one could paint there, but once again I returned to the cemetery because of the fantastic topiary trees that are scattered throughout. See for yourself below - how could anyone resist painting them?

The third photo(above) shows the view I chose to paint. I knew right away I wanted to really simplify and push the forms of the trees to their geometric limits so that's how I began, but I also allowed the contour lines of the shapes to extend and overlap and intersect with the shapes next to them, and these lines then created an interesting overall composition of geometric shapes. 

Then I began to paint using a blue, green, yellow palette.

It was another great day of plein air painting, and a great end to a very rewarding and creatively re-juvenating two weeks. I flew home on September 25th, and since have been enjoying re-living my painting experiences there. Of course I have been painting since then, and will write about that tomorrow! Cheers. 

Week 2 in Provence Begins

Our second week began with a morning painting session in the village of Goult. I decided to once again paint some of the crazy topiary trees that punctuate the cemetery landscape there. Here is my set up and the resulting painting.

                                  

                                                  

In the afternoon we painted in the studio and I completed two more works that I am quite pleased with.

That's 7 hours of painting - and right now my right shoulder-neck could use a good massage. Hopefully dinner, wine and a good night's sleep will do the job.