On the Banks of the Ouvèze River
Oil on 5 mm Panel 14.75″ x 11″
Requires framing
SOLD
At the moment, the Ouvèze river that runs through Vaison-la-Romaine in Provence is all but a trickle. The high temperatures reaching 40 degrees centigrades of the last few weeks have dried out all the vegetation along its banks.
In spring, it’s a different place, the river banks are lush with vegetation, a blend of trees and bushes and, here and there, and wildflowers peeking through. The atmosphere is full of rich and heady aromas.
It’s a real delight to walk under the canopy of trees next to the cool air of the river when the temperature is still pleasant.
In the painting I wanted to capture the light dancing through the trees and reflecting on the water and around the piece. It is late afternoon, the light suffused through the foliage has turned a pale yellow colour to give an overall glow of golden light to the painting
I would love to hear what you think.
Hi John
I love the way you added the rays of light,
really adds to the atmosphere.
Rory.
Hi Rory,
Thanks very much for your comment
Beautiful, John…I want to sit on the bank, kick back and ruin the scene by smoking a great cigar!!! I love it…I can feel the wonderful atmosphere!!
Hello Terry,
A large glass of wine with the cigar could make it heavenly :). Thanks for your comment on the painting’
Hi John,
Wonderful painting – the colours remind me of the Fontaine de Vaucluse ‘waters’.
Hello Patricia,
It’s lovely to hear from you. Yes just down the road from here Patricia. I am glad it reminded you of your times here. I hope your own work is going well. 🙂
Beautiful how the rays of light overwhelm the eye so that the foliage is out of focus. Love the sparkle on the surface of the water. Really masterful. Lush and hopeful. Those greens, yellows and blues make me want to dream.
‘Hello Jo,
I read your comment with interest, particularly regarding the ‘out of focus’ part I looked again at the painting and saw some cinematic or photographic quality that I hadn’t noticed before. Yes I think it is quite a dreamy piece. Thank you.
Trees and the effects of dappled sunshine on water gives this painting a fresh, magical feel. The colours are almost tropical with hints of Paradise but I have experienced this on the banks of the River Tweed in Scotland. I particularly like the way the light is depicted at the very top of the canvas and the yellow patch on the left. Lovely!
Hello Christine,
It is special dappled light and particularly on water, clearly you noticed this too in Scotland. I am really pleased that you saw something tropical in the painting,of course Gauguin comes straight to mind and those lush verdant landscapes he made in Tahiti. Funnily enough the yellow patch on the left is the underpainting done in acrylic which I left as I really liked that part too, and relieves the over dominance of the green in the painting. Thank you for your thoughtful comment