Pompadour 2011: Watercolors
With the perfect weather and joyful ambiance of Pompadour, I had plenty of opportunity to break out my travel paints and … paint!
Given that I’m usually dragging a heap of photo equipment as well, it’s much easier for me to carry a small watercolor kit than the 20 pounds of my oil painting rig. Especially when there is a domestic European flight on the schedule, like the one from Porto to Paris, where carry on luggage is restricted to 7 kg, or about 15 pounds. (Two camera bodies and two pro lenses are … 15 pounds, even if carried in a canvas sack. Trust me, I weighed them!)
I enjoy the spontaneity of watercolors. They’re joyful and bright, which matches the ambiance of summer days at Pompadour. With my miniature travel kit, I can sit at ringside with them, or in a group in the beer garden, and as long as no one spills any adult beverages on them, I can paint and talk at the same time.
Just like with oils, or with photos, I design these little water colors around the patterns of dark and light that I see. Those patterns are the key to my compositions. Usually with oils I’ll start with the darkest dark; with watercolors I more often build up my layers of paint in order to attain those rich darks.
So here they are! These charming little sketches are all approximately 6″x9″, and each one is $150.00 unframed.
Pompadour: Main Ring Grey. Watercolor 6"x9"
Pompadour Clock Tower: Watercolor 6"x9"
Pompadour Final Warm Up: Watercolor 6"x 9"
Pompadour Junior Rider: Watercolor 6"x 9"
Pompadour Half Pass: Watercolor 6"x 9"
Pompadour: Three Sketches
Those are wonderful! I’ve always marveled at how people can draw from live action… I always seem to need a photograph to refer to. And many hours to work on it.
Fantastic to see the French landscape and the show of Pompadour through your skillful hands and eyes, I love it, including your nice and quit understandable descriptions that provide new thoughts on old places… Thank you Terri!
If you ever decide to write a guest column of about 550 words in the monthly Horse International (of which I happen to be the new editor in chief since June) I really would love it and would fee;l honoured! Your thoughts and probably a painting are just what we would need to bring the magazine to w world wide broader audience, i feel. Don’t hesitate to be in touch, all my best regards, Claartje