The Riviera

"The Riviera/Breezy Mediterranean afternoon" by Hilary J. England, 2016
Oil on canvas, 16" x 20" x 2"

This is number six painting in my "Travelogue" series.  I have been slow to post, mostly because I'm slow to photograph.

This was such a beautiful time, the month I spent in the French Riviera.  How can you not love warm, blinding summer days on the Mediterranean, just floating in the aqua sea, and leisurely afternoons enjoying the sights of Nice, Cannes, Monaco, and then heading into Italy?.

The time was one of reflection for me also, as I kept mostly to myself, only socializing here and there, but it was well worth it. 

Old Apple

"Old apple" by Hilary J. England
oil on canvas, 8" x 15" 2016
 

Here is another quick study of Winter I did while out and about looking for interesting things on my walks. 

For some reason, this old, decaying, faded apple -- eaten out, and now decomposing, caught my eye. It was just laying there, a bed of compacted dead grasses and vegetation, nestled in the melting snow. Maybe it was the contrasts of all the interesting colors, both warm and cool, or the symbolism of it in regard to the season of Winter: the end of things, nostalgia, death, decay, yet the flip side, peace, quiet, gentle snow, pure bracing air that cleanses...

This winter has not been a very bad one, with only one very tame blizzard, that arrived like a gentleman on a Friday, and left discreetly by Saturday evening.  I have been able to get some work done, but I notice that no matter how unaffected I think I may be by the mild weather, I still notice there is a change of mindset in winter that is not related to weather.  Even in nice weather, my energies are different, so there is that observation as well.

~Enjoy!