I’ve gathered a small collection of the many sketches I did on a trip to France this spring. Dave and I traveled to the Dordogne region to see the prehistoric cave art of Lascaux, Font de Gaume, and other caves. The experience of walking through these caves by flashlight and seeing these ancient paintings on the walls, especially in Font de Gaume, where we walked through the original cave and saw paintings dating back 15,000 years, was awe inspiring. I will carry the images of those sacred paintings forever in my mind.
Bison Sculpture, La Madeleine
Lascaux
Lascaux
When not exploring the ancient caves, Dave and I rode our fold-up bikes around this beautiful countryside of walnut orchards and poppy fields, small farms, and medieval villages made of golden stone. I carried a sketchbook wherever we went, painting along the way. I try not to have any preconceptions of the subjects I will paint on a trip like this, only to react to the beauty around me and paint whatever catches my eye. Some sketches are done very quickly. In just a few moments I try to capture the gesture of an ancient roof, or weathered stone sculpture, or the color of a blooming wisteria.
Beynac
Rocamadour
Beynac
Wisteria, Brenac
Sarlat
Rooftops, Sarlat
Cabanes, Sireuil
Medieval Sculpture, St. Amand
Walnut Orchard
First Night, Les Eyzies
Sarlat
Medieval Church Sculpture
Poppies, St. Cirq
Shop Window, Sarlat
Les Cabanes de Breuil
Churchyard, Fayrac
Mont St. Michel
Gull, Mont St. Michel
Other sketches are more like a complete painting done in the field. They represent a place where I found joy sitting in a beautiful spot for a couple of hours, pulling the details from the scene in front of me and recording them into a painting I can carry home as a reminder of all I saw and felt. The paintings are rarely perfect. Wind and rain, shifting light, cold fingers, thistles and mud encroach where I sit and keep any thought of seeking perfection far from my mind. But all of these obstacles combined with the beauty of a stone building, the music of the birds, the heavy scent of spring flowers, and the mystery of the rich history of this place create a kind of painting that I could never complete in the studio. Experiences like this are a wellspring for later inspiration. They are an opportunity to grow, and to learn to see new things. Most of all, they offer the experience of just seeing, and then reacting through through brush and pigment with an urgency that ignites the passion I have for painting. It is a restorative act that shelters the creative drive to make art each day.
Limeuil
Limeuil
St. Amand
Marquay
St. Julien