Landscape from the Santuaria Santa Maria

Landscape from the Santuaria Santa Maria, oil on card, 15 x 18 cm -  -unavailable

A little to the west of Antonio Carlos, in the fairy tale landscape of hills and small farms.

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Antonio Carlos

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Antonio Carlos, oil on card, 18 x 20 cm - available

This little town features an unusually large Cathedral, in a sort of Deco style with twin spires. It`s reminiscent in some odd way of the Chrysler building. The town is orderly and very well suited for painting with many little hills and changes in level offering different views. 

Ergo, I shall continue to explore it and and its environs.

It has the second highest life expectancy in Brazil, at 77.9 years.

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10 framed pochades

 Flowers on a red background   SOLD

 Araucaria tree, Alfredo Wagner   SOLD

 Joaquina, November    SOLD

 Looking down on the lake, Lagoa    SOLD

 Houses by the river, Alfredo Wagner    SOLD

 Flowers, first of July    SOLD

 A small town near Palhoca     SOLD

 Arch, Potosi    SOLD

 A view of Cochabamba    SOLD

A small town near Alfredo Wagner    SOLD

Ten pochades, framed recently by a buyer. 

When I frame pictures I usually use simpler more modern styles of framing: these gilt frames work very well too, however.

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A visit to Itapiranga

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Landscape near Itapiranga, oil on card, 16 x 18 cm -  -unavailable

The square format is not that easy for landscape subjects- probably simply for the reason that the compositional conventions for landscapes are based around a golden section rectangle, and the square format necessitates adaptations.

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April in London, Paris, Scotland and Somerset.

I'm pleased to say that I'll be travelling in April: London- Paris- Edinburgh- Glasgow- Somerset and back to London.

I am most concerned about Paris, which I fear might have totally transformed into a museum city.

There is also the fact that my notions of Paris are so heavily informed by black and white photos of the 1930' and 40's, and by paintings by Utrillo. This is a problem as part of me is inclined tops seek to interpret and represent Paris through the pictorial devices used in a previous epoch by artists to communicate to another generation.

What can one do about this? Not much, except to be conscious of inauthentic responses. I had thought in the past of developing a self-consciousness about this by very deliberately painting touristic, postcard pictures, but I am not sure how successful this was: a steroptypical view remains one, regardless with what spirit it is seen or represented.

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Do join me for a drink in any of these places if you feel like it. 

A drive to the continent

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A small town in the interior, oil on card, 18 x 20 cm -  -unavailable

A view of the mountains in Summer, oil on card, 17 x 20 cm

Two from a drive out just beyond Santo Amaro. Both are slightly larger, using the bigger carriers I recently made and which are working out well.

I haven't been going much to the interior of late and I miss it, so perhaps I will go there this weekend. The island becomes claustrophobic.

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