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. 

New Painting

"Lilies and Wood" Oil on Canvas, 12" by 16".

This painting was done in studio from a pink lily I picked from my garden. I am enchanted by the array of colors and sensory pleasure that flowers give...I arranged this mature bloom on an old work bench, since the contrast of textures was interesting to me--the stark simplicity of the wood, and the velvet softness of the lily. I perched the flower in an antique porcelain vase for a neutral yet elegant vehicle to showcase the two opposing elements. I utilized a limited palette of only burnt sienna, french ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, alizarin crimson and white, thinned by a mixture of 1/2 and 1/2linseed and turpentine to create this painting.

Time to work on my next summer flower--the sunflower...also, will be posting my Maine paintings within the next couple of days--that's all for now, folks!