Regards sur le Gers

Plein air oil painting of Plieux, France.
Fallow Field, Plieux. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm

I have an exhibition on at the moment with Plieux Arts in the Gers region of France. The paintings were done last year, and I wrote a blog post at the time about the beauty of the area, including images of the work.

This year, we had to be here for the exhibition opening in July, and then again for a plein air course in early September. Therefore we decided to stay the month in France rather than drive back and forth from Portugal. We rented an apartment in the village of La Sauvetat, at the southern end of the area where we love painting (around Lectoure). These are some of the images from this year’s crop of plein air landscapes of the Gers.

Plein air oil painting of a passing cloud in Gers, France.
Passing Cloud, La Sauvetat. Oil on panel, 25 x 35 cm
Plein air oil painting of Lectoure, France.
Lectoure #1. Oil on panel, 25 x 35 cm
Plein air oil painting of Lectoure, France.
Lectoure #2. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm
Plein air oil painting of oleander.
Oleander bushes. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm
Plein air oil painting of a brocante market in France.
Brocante, La Sauvetat. Oil on panel, 30 x 20 cm

It’s worrying traveling in these times of Covid. Our town in Portugal still hasn’t had any cases, so for us it was concerning to leave the safety of our controlled environment to drive halfway across Europe. So far, so good though. And the French seem to be taking it pretty seriously.

Plein air oil painting of an artist painting in the shade of haybales.
Tina Painting in the Shade. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm
Plein air oil painting of Lavardens, Gers.
Lavardens. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm
Plein air oil painting of Queen Anne's lace.
Queen Anne’s Lace. Oil on panel, 30 x 20 cm
Plein air landscape painting of rolling hills in Gers.
Rolling Hills, Gers. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm
Plein air painting of chickpea fields.
Chickpea Field, Gers. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm
Plein air painting of a farmhouse in Gers, France.
Farmhouse, Gers. Oil on panel, 25 x 35 cm

I only had time for one larger plein air piece. The following one was painted over the course of three days:

Plein air landscape painting in oils of a sunflower field in Gers.
The Side of a Sunflower Field. 85 x 110 cm (34 x 44 inches)

As I mentioned last time, the Gers is a really stunning area for landscape painting and I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a picturesque region for plein air work.

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