It's hard to believe this is the last day of painting in France. We were driven to the harbor of Valence. The boat docks were such a chaotic scene, with boats everywhere, that I turned around, and in the other direction was an interesting cliff.
It had an outcropping at the top, and we were all wondering if this was a castle or a natural formation. The color matched the color of the rock cliff perfectly, which of course it would if it were built from the rock on site. It did turn out to be a castle, as I learned later. 13th century. Actually, it's a famous landmark in this area.

In painting this scene, I began by wrapping a rag (yes, real cloth, not a paper towel) around my finger and dipping it into mineral spirits. Then I dipped it into the pile of burnt sienna on my palette, and smeared a light coating onto the panel to tone it somewhat evenly. After that, using the same rag, I built up the darker areas by applying more burnt sienna. Paint could be removed or lightned by wiping with a clean corner of the rag. This is a very fast and easy way to start, and it's easy to see the dark/light pattern. After that, of course, I painted over it with the actual colors, but I like to leave some of the underpainting showing, because it unifies and gives some sparkle to the work.

Crussol Castle - 8" x 10" - oil

Changing the subject a bit, do you remember the picture of me painting, in the blog post from the day in Romans? I was wearing a hat with a large brim. Well, some of the other artists put me with the hat in their paintings! Here is a pastel sketch by Martine Aussenard-Buffat, from France.


Here I am in a watercolor by Susan Johnston, of Dover, DE, USA.


Later in the afternoon, we returned to the art center in Tain l'Hermitage and hung our paintings for the final exhibition. The final exhibit was packed with people! There was much wine and chocolate, and so many people you could hardly see the artwork. Then we sat, if we could find a chair, while the organizers of the event and town officials gave speeches in French, with an English translation after each. Well, folks, I have to admit, a long speech was going on in French, and I was sort of glazed-over... when all of a sudden, they played the Star-Spangled Banner! and everyone in the room stood! Of course, it was the 4th of July!  I think all the Americans got teary-eyed!


Flags of the countries represented.

Next year the event comes to the USA!