Wednesday, November 10, 2010

The Marais

Around the city of Bourges, France, is a vast system of marshes and canals called the Marais. The low land has been reclaimed as allotments for gardeners, who grow swiss chard and lettuce.




Footpaths follow the canals, punctuated with pollarded willows . Pensioners walk their dogs or ride along on bicycles, greeting each other as they pass. The air is hazy, and fragrant with the smell of burning leaves.

8 comments:

Steve said...

Man, I always learn something here and tonight it's "pollarded willows." Thanks for the vocabulary expansion.

K_tigress said...

Its always nice to be inspired by an image to write a nice dream to share with every one on paper.

Petr Mores said...

"...fragrant with the smell of burning leaves." - so characteristic of countryside in the autumn, and so pleasant!

The painting is color-wise a beautiful, balanced elaboration of a subject matter that inherently holds the danger of ending up with grey/brown mud.

Max West said...

That landscape rendering would make Cezanne and Monet jealous.

Seriously, I like the use of repoussoir with that limb in the foreground.

A. L. Ryder said...

Beautiful... I'm always inspired by your work.

Lester Yocum said...

Just curious -- you're traveling in France, and yet you find a way to scan your paintings online once, twice, three times a day. How do you do it, physically-wise and time-wise? You are one busy, hard-working person.

Lester Yocum said...

"Ah-hah!" he says. Cellphone pictures, right? Nice rez, great repro.

phiq said...

Who is burning leaves? Who would burn leaves? Wha...? :-S