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For our anniversary one year, we went to France to see Monet's garden. I have been an avid gardener since we bought our first home. The fact that Monet was a gardener and also a painter was quite inspiring to me as my interest in Art began to grow. 

We stayed in a bed and breakfast in a home that was there in Monet's day. In fact, the breakfast bar was said to be converted from an afternoon 'bar' where Monet would visit. It is just down the road a few blocks. Our room was beautifully light and airy with peachy pink walls and wispy sheers. 

Now what would I do with that?

 I have a short series at present with landscapes as seen through windows and doors. Matisse did paintings like this, using the device of a window or door. Our room had french windows that opened out onto a narrow balcony just wide enough for a  bistro table. The railing was over grown with vines and we looked out over a dense area of bamboo toward one of the hills backing up Giverny.

So I made the value sketch simplified the composition and decided on a large light area in the door area down through the room and the bed shapes and strong darks surrounding the windows and some medium dark areas at the floor. It was difficult to get away from the light airy sheers idea until I got it into my head that they are all just shapes to play with. 

It would be an evening picture so the walls and sheers could be darker. Remember dark is a relative description. Dark areas contrasting with light areas make a more powerful image. 

I put a small painting (my style:) of a water lily on the dark wall with a light but bright yellow frame. This makes is a focal point to draw the eye away from the light window with the high value contrast dark curtains on either side. 

The landscape area outside is analogous cools. There are very light warms in the window panes and the rest is blue/orange low intensity contrasts.

There's a large one in progress-- my largest work yet- 40"x60" - don't think my car will hold a bigger one. It will have 2 windows. Hoping for another good one! Here is  the sketch for the next work and the one completed smaller work.

sketch of larger painting

Gentle Breeze 30x30"

Comments welcome. Have a great weekend!