Category Archives: Landscape

by Marc Dalessio

A Year in the Gers

Oil painting of plum trees in bloom near La Romieu.
Plum Trees in Bloom, La Romieu. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

We’ve been living in the Gers region of France now for over a year and I thought I should post some of the work I’ve done. As I’ve written in the past (here and here), the landscapes here are wonderful for plein air painting, and the sort of subjects that I’ve looked for for years.

Plein air painting done below Lectoure.
Wheat Fields below Lectoure. 90 x 120 cm, oil on linen.
Oil painting of a ruined castle in the Gers.
Castle Ruin, Autumn. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Plein air painting of Chapelle Saint-Michel de Tremblade near Jegun.
Chapelle Saint-Michel in Winter. 20 x 30 cm, oil on linen.

It’s a very open landscape. Apparently there used to be many more vineyards but they were pulled out in the 20th-century to make more fields for sunflowers and wheat. I’ve always much preferred the later two as subject matter, but if we need vineyards there are still some nearby, and there a lot further north and west where there are more grapes grown for the Armagnac.

Fall Vineyard, Jegun. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

The Gers is also wonderfully free of olive trees, as I developed a terrible allergy to olive pollen in Tuscany which ruined the painting season for me from late April to June. The last couple of years in Florence I was reduced to painting still lifes in the Spring as it got so bad (no offense to still life painters). I also developed an allergy to cypress trees, and thankfully there are far less of them here as well.

With all that said, because of the drier summers we’re having in Southwestern France due to climate change, there is talk of farmers starting to plant more olive trees and I’ve seen a couple of new fields of them.

Oil painting of Chapelle Sainte-Marie near Lavardens.
Cypresses at Chapelle Sainte-Marie. 80 x 100 cm, oil on linen.
Plein air landscape painting of the view from Lavardens, Gers, France
The View from Lavardens. 90 x 120 cm, oil on linen.

Camille Corot’s painting from 1826 of the Augustinian Bridge at Narni in southern Umbria had a profound effect on me when I was starting out as a landscape painter and I especially loved the subtle blue reflection of the sky in the mustard colored water of the Nera river. For this reason I was very happy to discover that the three major rivers that run down from the Pyrenees and head north past us to the Garonne all regularly have the same ocher water from the clay in the soil.

Plein air painting of the Baise river in Gascony.
The Baïse at Pléhaut. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.
The Osse at Vic-Fezensac. 35 x 25 cm, oil on panel.
Painting of the Gers river in Auch
Early Spring, Auch. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

We settled in the village of Jegun. It’s a charming, vibrant village with lovely inhabitants. It’s also pretty but not too pretty. After 20 years in the center of Florence I was interested in living somewhere where tourism took a back seat to the lives of the locals.

Oil painting of Rue Sainte-Marie, Jegun.
Rue Sainte-Marie, Jegun. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.
Oil painting of Grande Rue in Jegun.
Grande Rue, Jegun. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Oil painting of an Irish Pub in France.
The Irish Pub, Jegun. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Oil painting of sunflower fields in the Gers.
Sunflower Fields below Jegun. 80 x 92 cm, oil on linen.

Nearby we have a wealth of picturesque subject matter, including the very beautiful departmental capital of Auch which is only 20 minutes away, as well as agricultural scenes and the rolling hills of Gascony.

Oil painting of Lavardens.
Lavardens. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Plein air painting of Sainte-Marie cathedral in Auch
Sainte-Marie Cathedral, Auch. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Oil painting of a combine harvester.
Combine Harvester. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Autumn crocuses oil painting.
Autumn Crocuses, Bonas. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Evening light oil painting
Evening Light near La Sauvetat. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

It’s been a wonderful first year and we look forward for many more to come.

plein air painting of a Mill on the Baïse.
Mill on the Baïse. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
by Marc Dalessio

The Estremoz Paintings

Estremoz Castle, Spring
Estremoz Castle, Spring. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.
Estremoz Castle in the Summer
Estremoz Castle, Summer. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.
Oil painting of Estremoz Castle in the Autumn
Estremoz Castle, Autumn. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Estremoz Castle, winter
Estremoz Castle, Winter. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

It’s been over a year now since we left Portugal, and even longer since I last wrote a blog post, but I wanted to show the series of paintings I did while we were living in the beautiful town of Estremoz. I had hoped to exhibit them as a group at the time, but between the Covid lockdowns and our other shows, I never got a chance to organize it.

Estremoz Castle #5. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

(Above is a YouTube video of the process for the previous painting).

oil painting of a field of
Yellow Lupine in an Cork Forest. 70 x 90 cm, oil on linen.

We loved our three years living in Estremoz. The Portuguese people were as wonderful as everyone says, the towns, cities and landscapes of the Alentejo are gorgeous, and the history and culture is utterly fascinating. I had no idea how much of the world’s culinary culture was influenced by the Portuguese. From the vindaloo curries of Goa, to Japanese tempura, to the multitude of peppers worldwide, Portugal had a huge influence on food everywhere they went.

Today as well, the food in the Alentejo and the Algarve is amazing, and not as well known as it should be. The seafood is especially great, in part because the area south of the Tagus (Tejo) river is the only area in Europe where cilantro is still part of the regional cuisine.

Today there are a lot of great restaurants in Estremoz, but we especially loved Larau and Mercearia Gadanha.

Saturday Market, Estremoz. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Oil painting of Carnival in Estremoz
Carnival Parade, Estremoz. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Cafe Alentejano
Café Alentejano, Sunday Morning. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
trees in bloom painting
Spring, Estremoz. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Câmara Municipal, Estremoz
Tower of the City Hall, Estremoz. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.
Artists Society of Estremoz
The Artists Society of Estremoz. 25 x 28 cm, oil on panel.

We hadn’t originally planned on living in Portugal. It was one place on our list of possible places after my wife finished her studies at the Florence Academy of Art. But we really liked our time scouting in the Alentejo so we thought we would just look around at possible towns. One problem we had at first is that much of the architecture is designed around small windows as the summers are so hot. As artists we were looking for large windows with a lot of natural light. So we were thrilled when we discovered Estremoz. Much of the town is built on the north facing side of the hill under their castle, and there are a number of old, beautiful buildings with large north-facing windows.

Sociedade de Artistas Estremocense
Largo General Graca, Estremoz. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

As we walked around on our first visit, we stumbled across a large, ornate, empty building with large north-facing windows. The plaque next to the door read ‘Sociedade de Artistas Estremocense’, the Artists Society of Estremoz, so we asked next door if anything was for rent, and moved in a few months later.

We are very thankful to the Sociedade de Artistas for all their help in getting us settled into their beautiful building, and into the life and culture of Estremoz.

Rossio Marquês de Pombal painting
Rossio Marquês de Pombal. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
wildflower painting
Wildflowers. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.
R. da Campainha painting in Estremoz.
Rua da Campainha, Estremoz. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.
(Another process video, with thoughts on urban plein air painting in general).

plein air painting of the Igreja de São Francisco
Igreja de São Francisco. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

I also painted a few larger paintings. One is posted above, and here are a couple more:

large plein air landscape painting of Estremoz castle.
Estremoz Castle. 120 x 140 cm, oil on linen.
Plein air painting of my wife on our terrace in Estremoz.
Tina on the Terrace, Estremoz. 120 x 90 cm, oil on linen.

This last one is of my wife on our terrace in the Artists Society building. I love the huge chimneys that you see all around the Alentejo, apparently they were for curing meat for storage.

sunset painting
Sunset, Estremoz. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

Overall we had a wonderful time in the Alentejo and it is a period of our life that, despite the Covid pandemic, we will always look back on fondly.

by Marc Dalessio

Algarve and Costa Alentejana Paintings

Plein air painting of a view from the fortress at Arrifana, Portugal.
View from the Fortress at Arrifana. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

We were back in the Algarve painting landscapes this October. Here are a few of the images. As before, we were based in the small town of Praia da Luz, outside of Lagos. And, as before, we had great weather and were constantly inspired by the beauty of the area.

painting of the cliffs at Ponta da Piedade
Cliffs at Ponta da Piedade. 35 x 25 cm, oil on panel.
painting of the rocks at Dona Ana
Rock Formations, Dona Ana. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
painting of Praia da Dona Ana
Praia da Dona Ana. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Ponta da Piedade Cliffs
Ponta da Piedade Back-lit. Oil on panel, 30 x 20 cm.
oil painting of afternoon light near lagos, portugal.
Afternoon Light, Ponta da Piedade. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
painting of the rocks at Don Camilo beach
Afternoon Light, Don Camilo. 24 x 18 cm, oil on panel.

We painted the rock formations around Lagos a lot as it’s a subject that I find both new and inspiring. Much of the coast in the Algarve faces south, so one has a choice of the various light effects all day long. It’s also easier for working en plein air as there is usually less wind than on the western coast.

That said, we did head over to the western beaches a couple of times:

Painting of the cliffs at Dos Mouranitos Beach
Cliffs, Dos Mouranitos. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.
oil painting of Praia do Castelejo
Praia do Castelejo. 20 x 25 cm, oil on panel.

And we painted a lot around Praia da Luz, where we were staying. I’ve always loved painting palm trees.

Painting of Luz, Algarve, Portugal
Praia da Luz. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
painting of a palm tree and road, praia da luz, portugal.
Praia da Luz #2. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
painting of Praia da Luz at sunset
Afternoon Light, Praia da Luz. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.
sunset painting of praia da luz.
Sunset, Praia da Luz. 18 x 25 cm, oil on panel.

At the end of our trip we drove up to Porto Covo, on the Alentejano coast. It’s also a very beautiful area, less dramatic than further south, but with the authenticity we like so much in this region.

painting of porto covo, alentejo, portugal.
Porto Covo. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
oil painting of fishing huts in porto covo
Fishing Huts, Porto Covo. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
painting frmo the fort of pessegueiro, alentejo, portugal.
View from the Fort at Pessegueiro. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
painting of fishing boats in porto covo.
Fishing Boats, Porto Covo. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

Overall it was a great trip. September and October can be two of the harder months for landscape painting in Europe as the colors go very brown in the countryside. The fields are tilled and left, and the rains start again. The coast of Portugal is a great area for painting in this time of year as it’s still often very warm and dry, and the light is as beautiful as always. I highly recommend it.

sunset painting of the algarve, portugal.
Sunset, Praia da Luz. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
by Marc Dalessio

Algarve Plein Air Paintings

Praia de Dona Ana. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

We recently returned from a couple of weeks of painting in the Algarve region of Portugal. It’s a stunning area, with fascinating geological elements all along the southern coast. Here are some of the paintings:

Praia de Dona Ana #2. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.
Praia de Dona Ana #3. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Praia do Camilo. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
The Tunnel at Praia do Camilo. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Ponta da Piedade Cliffs. 35 x 25 cm, oil on panel.
Afternoon Light, Ponta da Piedade. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Plein air landscape painting of rocks in the water in the Algarve.
Rocks at Ponte da Piedade. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.
Sunset, Ponte da Piedade. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

At the same time, the western coast has a wildness and a grandeur to it that feels a lot like the best parts of the California Central Coast.

Cabo de São Vicente from Praia do Beliche. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Praia do Beliche. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Fisherman, Praia da Barriga. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
The Port in Sagres. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Boats in the Harbor, Sagres. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Praia da Zimbreirinha. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

We were staying just west of Lagos, but we painted around the town a bunch of times as well. It was especially great to be outside as we’ve been in lockdown more or less since September. This was our first foray out to paint plein air landscapes in months.

The Harbor in Lagos. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Boat on Blocks. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Sailing Club, Lagos. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Sago Palm and Bougainvillea. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
Cliffs of Luz. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.
by Marc Dalessio

Winter Painting Gear

I’ve uploaded a video on my winter gear for plein air painting in snow. I realize it’s a bit late for the season, but now is a good time to buy winter clothes on sale. My apologies for the poor video quality, but it was filmed quickly on my phone after we returned from painting in Vermont last winter.

This is an update from my previous post on painting in extreme cold. The two major improvements I’ve made are switching to yak wool, as it’s warmer than merino, and getting a waterproof down jacket. In the video, I mention my strategy for layering a thin waterproof shell over an insulation layer and I think this strategy is great for a number of reasons, a couple of which I forgot to mention:

  • You can get better quality gear by purchasing the layers separately.
  • You can quickly dry the gear out if it gets wet by separating the layers.
  • You can use the shells in other seasons for painting in rain, and you can use the insulation alone if there is no wind or precipitation.

That said, I think that the jacket is the only place where separating the shell and the insulation is a bad idea as it restricts mobility too much. I was using a Jottnar Fjorm jacket before and when I had to put a shell on it for freezing rain or snow I lost too much dexterity in my arms. I’ve since switched to a waterproof Crux ‘expedition’ jacket and it works much better. I barely feel it when I’m painting, and it’s fantastically warm.

2022 update: Don’t buy Crux. My new one leaks badly in the rain and they don’t reply to emails regarding their warranty.

Here are links to the manufacturers in the video:
Overshoes.
Cabelas Trans Alaska boots: (I use the Harkila Inuit. They stopped making them, but you can find them on Ebay).
Khunu: Yak wool socks and sweater.
Kora: Yak wool long underwear.
Arc’teryx: Pants and gloves, both insulated layer and shell. Atom is their line of insulation, for the shell I get whatever is lightest.
Goosefeet Gear: Down Hibbard mitten. You have to write to him, but he can make anything for you.
Mountain Equipment Concordia Fleece (Polartec Thermal Pro is the heavy fleece fabric).
Crux: Waterproof down jackets, I have the Magma.
Rapha: Deep Winter Collar (balaclava).
Millet: Primaloft hat.