Douarnenez triptych

Douarnenez triptych

One drizzly grey morning in Douarnenez... (could have been any of them to be honest!) I found myself at the end of this jetty spoilt for choice with subject matter and such a peaceful spot to set up and paint! I was most drawn to the large boat moored up in front of me but I also liked the footbridge in the distance and the masts of the modern yachts to my left, and looking further right I liked the contrast of the very light canopies on the wooden structure against the trees behind. So I decided to work on three panels all at once, in the hope that all three would work together as a triptych or even on their own as three separate paintings.
This is my spot at the end of the jetty -

The main difficulty I faced was that two of my boards had been undercoated in cadmium yellow deep and the third was a pale pinky umber. I knew I would have to cover much more of the underpainting than I normally would in order for the problem to disappear! I immediately set to work on all three boards -

As I worked I rotated which panel was on my easel at any one time, changing every ten minutes or so. Often I would lay them down on the ground to see how they were looking together.

I had the opportunity to practise my little bit of french with a few curious onlookers! My other difficulty is that I usually step back about six or seven feet every few minutes throughout the painting process but in this place there would have been a very big splash, so I had to stay put!

The panels either side are 24 x 30 cms and the centre one is 30 x 30cms.
I think whoever buys it one day can choose whether to hang all three together or separate them if they fancy a change! Here's each one a bit closer ...

I can't sell it just yet as it's currently in the selection system for the RSMA (fingers crossed), but it will be on show in my exhibition. Everything is looking gorgeous in frames, I'm very excited about how the exhibition will look. Sunday is the big day of hanging and private view, let me know by email if you'd like an invitation. Please come if you possibly can!

Shipwrecks at Douarnenez

Shipwrecks at Douarnenez

                                  

This is the place we are affectionately calling 'the graveyard'. It's a dumping ground for beautiful old ships- quite haunting really.
I don't really want to tell you what I went through to find this place (because I'm trying to forget about it!), suffice to say, I felt like I'd finished an army assault course by the time I reached it!
This is oils on canvas board, 10" x 12".
Tonight we are having a mini exhibition in the hotel here before all dining together, and tomorrow morning we have to leave at the crack of dawn and head towards Normandy. It's quite likely that I won't be able to blog for the next few days, but if so I'll be back home by Tuesday and you'll hear from me then. Hope you've enjoyed my postcards (blog posts) from Brittany!