My childhood dream came true - I was disembarking in Dieppe not having enough hands to carry my easel, canvases and the luggage, but determined to chase the light in one of the most beautiful corners of France - Normandie.
The plan was to do a landscape workshop with few French artists guided by a wonderful painter Beatrice Roche-Gardies. All of my companions were French except for me, but they immediately made me feel accepted and pretended not to notice the flaws of my French.
Rain or shine, we would wake up early at the spacious Manoir de Tessy and set off for a new challenge - be it cliffs, boats, a village scene or just the garden of the mansion in which we were staying.
Below are some of the paintings from this trip. I hope that they somehow carry my fascination with the vastness of the Alabaster coast and emanate the salty air in which they were created.
One morning, when I was painting next to the tomb of Georges Braque at Varengeville-sur-mer, I saw his quote which guided me for the rest of my stay in France :
"I am not trying to copy nature, I am trying to be in tune with it"
"Je ne cherche pas à copier la nature, je cherche à me mettre en unison avec elle"
"Sunlit valley at Varengeville-sur-mer"
Location : Varengeville-sur-mer
Oil on canvas
12 x 16 inch
"Red symphony"
Location : Manoir de Tessy
Oil on canvas
16 x 20 inch
"Normandy beach"
Location : Pourville-sur-mer
Oil on canvas
13 x 9 inch
"Lavender shadows"
Location : Pourville-sur-mer
Oil on canvas
12 x 12 inch
"Modern zen"
Location: Plage of Varengeville-sur-mer
Oil on canvas
9 x 12 inch
Next time, I will share with you about my studies at the Imperial Art Academy of St.Petersburg, which happened to be one of the most rewarding experiences in my life.
Stay tuned!
Warm regards
Marie Pol