April is an amazing time of year here at home. I painted iris’s this year. The mistral was blowing, my painting was literally flying, so eventually I had to sit and paint on the ground, holding the board with my feet. Painting in the mistral, I can understand why Van Gogh lost his mind. He painted in oils, his canvas on an easle, I can only imagine the damage that happened with the wind and the flying insects. It is hard enough painting in watercolours. My palette fills up with grasses, grass hoppers, beetles and who knows what else, twigs, leaves. Nature most certainly finds an artists palette very attractive!
This little grasshopper was thirsty and trying to get the water from the paints, so I filled the mixing part of my palette up with water and he drank for about five minutes/
Iris in my garden.
At the begining of April we went to Aix en Provence to see the David Hockney exhibition. I have always loved his painting of Celia and Ossie Clark but I had only seen it in art books. This is a truly splendid painting. I took a close up of the lilies in the green vase. They are so strong and delicate at once. Exquisite paint Mr Hockeny. Thank you for your simply marvellous art.
What must be about 46 or so years ago, I used to be a waiter at Langans Brasserie, owned by Peter Langham, Michael Caine and Richard Shepherd. The restaurant was huge and full of famous people. Hockeny and Warhol used to dine there, and I had the great pleasure of waiting on their table. Always courteous and always kind. Thank you again Mr Hockney.
I have a few wishes and one of them is to visit his Gallery at the Salt Mill in Saltaire.
Another of my wishes is to finish blogging every month of 2023, so I still have 6 months left to blog in about 12 days. Yikes!
So to finish April off rapidly here are some April tulips that I painted early on in the month.
Thats it for now folks.
Christmas is nearly upon us and I hope with all my heart that there will be peace on earth.
Paint Provence and elsewhere with Tess 