Jacqueline Newbold

Painting en plein air means painting outside on location.  Watercolor painting is easily done en plein air because the supplies are so easy to transport.  In a little bag you can carry your palette loaded with watercolor paints, a couple of brushes, a watercolor journal or loose watercolor paper and a drawing pencil.  That with a little container of water is all you need to paint on location – one of the many reasons why I love watercolor painting!
The weather may or may not cooperate!   This year France is experiencing a very cool spring.  So we drove to Vaison-la-Romaine prepared for wind and rain.  We were pleasantly surprised to have snippets of sunshine and not too much wind.  We were also warmly greeted by the owners of the extremely charming bed and breakfast, Les Tuilles d’Elise, who were so generous to let us paint in their gardens.  They have a magnificent view of the old hilltop village.

We also got a tour of the B&B.  Each room was as charming as the rest!

Ringo greeted us and was very curious to see what we were painting

Charming room in the B&B

This blue door was a great painting subject too!

 

I have never seen it rain so much in Provence, let alone anywhere!  Rivers of water are running down the street and puddles are gathering.  The shop keepers tell me it has been raining since January!  This is very unusual for this normally sunny burnt sienna and Indian yellow with a touch of manganese blue kind of place.  Still we manage, armed with umbrellas, to walk to St. Paul de Mausole, a hospital for the insane and home of Vincent Van Gogh for one year.  Here he managed to paint over 160 paintings.  We see his bedroom and walk along the corridors where he once painted.  We sketch and paint on location.  The iris and red poppies are blooming.

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Posing with a statue of Van Gogh

Beautiful Scene in the cloister gardens

Blue Iris Blooming

Marie takes advantage of some sunshine to do a drawing

Painting in the courtyard

I am leaving on a jet-plane tomorrow morning… my bags are packed.  I find that preparing my journals for an upcoming trip is so much fun!  Part of the Provence, France group came to my studio a couple weeks ago and we made very creative cover photos for our journals.  We used paintings that we had already painted and then made image transfers with a splash of mica powders to give them some pizzazz!
I also took my little watercolor journal apart, as I love to do, and added pages of painted black gesso and Strathmore drawing pages.  I have a Bind-it-all that I use to make the correct sizes for the hole punches.  

  

I have been busy getting ready for our upcoming watercolor painting trip to Provence, France.  There will be 14 of us exploring the little hilltop villages.  I am looking forward to sketching these colorful, beautiful villages: Gordes, Roussillon, and Vaison la Romaine.

Here is what Lynn said about my book: Dear Jacqueline,

Just wanted to let you know that I received your book today, “Watercolor Journeys”. Wow! What a treasure! I love it! You need to expand on it and publish it big time! What a gorgeous book and filled with great information and beautiful artwork! I read your introduction and was struck by your upbringing
Here is what Jeanne said, Hi Jacqueline,

I just wanted to follow up with you…I LOVE the book, I have been pouring over it and working on the lessons – I feel like they should be called “workshops”, they have proven to be so productive and interesting for me. Your careful, organized, right-to-the-point explanations and ideas to try out the concepts (especially color mixing, love the chickens:-) has been very helpful, fillling in the holes in my watercolor education. I am having so much fun with it, and not feeling any of the tentativeness or anxiety around the outcome as I have in the past. The journal format is perfect for this, perfect for me. I’m adding a little collage, too, as the spirit moves. Thanks so  much – you are a wonderful teacher.

3.  The Daniel Smith Watercolor Pocket Palette –  OK this one is just down right adorable.  I just discovered it and had to add it to my collection.

PROS:

• Very small, compact and adorable!
• Metal with a closing lid
• Has a water built in water container and a detachable water holder that clips onto the side.
• Holds 12 colors

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Finally!  I am about finished with my colorful dark window.  My goal was to make the inside of the window colorful and lively leaving the viewer with the a feeling of interest; that there is life inside the house and not a dull dark black color.  It also provides a wonderful dark backdrop so that the flowers in the window can pop!

I have added shadows below the flowers and negative painted around some of the stones to give the feeling of an old stone wall.
To see my process, check out previous blog posts:
Watercolor Lesson – Creating Colorful Darks, Part 1
Watercolor Lesson – Creating Colorful Darks, Part 2
Watercolor Lesson – Creating Colorful Darks, Part 3