La Jardiniere

Medium: Oil on linen-lined panel
Size: 24" x 12"
Price: $3,050.00 USD
Availability: Sold

Picking most of my subjects on these personal painting trips comes about naturally -- as places catch my eye throughout the days there. I want to capture the real feel of the place and people -- and part of being able to do that, is to live there as a true home away from home.

This fruit and vegetable seller was a beacon on our frequent walks down the street between our apartment and the car park. It was where we shopped on our first night in Aix-en-Provence, gathering charcuterie, gorgeous tomatoes and tasty cantaloupes (and more). All breakfasts and almost all lunches were enjoyed in the apartment while planning the day or needing an air-conditioned break.

I had to paint this. The street spoke to the place with its beautiful old buildings and partly cobblestone ground with lights and color beckoning from shops and cafes. But standing at my easel, what I saw and captured was daily life. One of my favorite happenings was when a woman came and parked her bike there to gather her groceries for the day. I knew the bike wouldn't be there too long, and got right to work on it. She came out, then apologized for needing to go back in ... for "un moment". I turned my canvas to show her that the bike was there in the scene which made her smile.

The next day, as we passed by -- there she came on her bike, to park and shop. Randy had been making the argument the whole time there that I didn't need to buy so much each time in the market ... that the French shop every day. His comment as we saw her was "See?". Okay. Yes.

La Jardiniere in progress in Aix-en-Provence

Two of three Moroccan friends who visited with me while painting La Jardiniere. Conversations and fun flowed freely every day with once strangers of all ages. I felt the most welcomed ever.