I planted at least 60 Mammoth Sunflowers from seed and reaped 6 tall small ones.. where are the 54 mammoth ones?:(Where is my field of Provence in my borrowed landscape?
My friend grew eggplants and already got 3..one for us~
I also grew pattypan squash.. heirloom ones..from seed you may remember..let's just say I have not set up a roadside stand yet:)~
Trying to watercolor Nancy's Aubergine..brought back a flood of memories of quick watercolors in the journal I kept while in Europe 2 years ago~♥
Not watercolor paper..but how happy I am to still have that journal..with peeled off wine labels..train passes..resto bills..napkins..paper napkin rings..
We were supposed to return this year..to the land of enchantment,it was not to be..
But my friend Nancy brightened my spirits today and we went foraging for art supplies for trips to come..~Or armchair painting too~
She is an artist par excellence..Like Ronelle @My French Kitchen..and Susan @ Savoring Time In The Kitchen~
It was nice to spend time in an art store with a true artist..like my mom was..
Qui sais? Maybe one day I will return to France~♥God willing.
My friend lived in the South of France and Paris also..I love the stories she tells me~
Oh, Monique- so you've tending the soil while you were away? You must let us have a peak at your Provencial sunflower field :) . The aubergine water colours is so very pretty! So glad you are back!
ReplyDeleteOh Monique- you have a wonderful talent as do 2 of my children. I can only dream the beautiful scenes
ReplyDeleteIt appears your gorgeous grandbabies have grown while you were gone! The pictures in your sidebar are wonderful
xoxo Pattie
Art, gardening and food-does it get any better? I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteHi Monique,
ReplyDeleteI love your journal writings and art, you are good, it is beautiful!
Maybe next year you will be surprised with 54 Mammoth Sunflowers. We planted some this year and had four large and I forget how many of the small but we planted ours from small plants so that's cheating! I know you'll make in back to France, just like me... one day!
My thoughts are with you.
xoxo~Tracie
i didn't know you painted in europe, be still my heart, how sweet is that...
ReplyDeletei love your lightshades~
i am so happy your spirit is shining again, even if its a shiny purple!
ps your sunflowers were planted upside down, i am sure they are gorgeous in china and they are thanking you~
J'adore the eggplant watercolors!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blog. I'm your newest follower.
ReplyDeleteMonique, you have painted lovely watercolors, and now with all the new supplies, I hope to see more. I wish I had more artistic talent, but alas I do not. I do, however, take great pleasure in viewing creations of others. Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteMaureen
Monique, what a wonderful idea. I'm going to Paris in March and will take a journal with me. I'll feel much like a kid when i kept a scrapbook and dreamed I'd go to Europe one day. I'm really looking forward to journaling along the way.
ReplyDeleteMonique, thank you for sharing these pages from your journal. This is just the type of journal I want to keep. I've recently started, but I'm not an artist. Still I want to learn to sketch and add some simple water colors on the pages. My friend who made my journal used arches paper so water colors could be part of the process.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to see you return to sharing posts. I've missed you! ~ sarah
I understand the feeling, when planting and hoping for a return and somewhere they disappear, oh well it is to be. Yes maybe next year they will come. Lovely eggplant watercolours, you are so clever. I hope you can one day return to beautiful France we did enjoy it so much in May.
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see you posting again Monique! I love the South of France. We holidayed there about 8 years ago and had a fabulous time. My heart has longed to go back ever since, but like you I must be patient and wait. Our day will come . . .
ReplyDeleteBeautiful light~shades and the colour you have used for the aubergines is so deep and rich I love it ~ keep up the beautiful work!
ReplyDelete~Dianne~
Hy, Monique, it's good to see you back to work.
ReplyDeleteYou're an artist...!! And welcome back, Monique, it's great to see you around again :).
ReplyDeleteRemember when you mentioned you wanted to plant the round zucchini squash also? I found seed and tried them. I ripped the plants out last month because they were such poor producers.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you had planned to return to Europe this year! I'm sure you will return one day.
I keep telling myself to take time and paint again! It's another good soul food ;) Your aubergine is lovely! One of my favorite colors in the palette.
I love your blog and your pics and your little paintings...
ReplyDeleteI was also supposed to go back to Europe this year and it was not to be...maybe we shall both make it next summer!
Love to you!
L~xo
glad youre back to blogging and painting. Both are beautiful. :)
ReplyDeleteI stopped planting sunflowers because I realized I was just planting food for squirrels. They either yanked them out of the ground or devoured them once the flowers were mature. So sad...I had the same Provençal dream!
ReplyDeleteYour paintings are just lovely and buying new art supplies is such a special treat.
I love seeing how the family has grown these past months :-)
I think it is quite a sentimental gesture to watercolor those aubergines, and you accomplished it so beautifully! I also love the journal you kept. I can tell you are a very sweet soul.
ReplyDeleteI only just saw this post(my sentence sounds very wrong..?) So happy I did, because now I can see some of your watercolors! Fruit and veggies are wonderful to paint and the aubergine is especially delicious in painting...very sensual palette. Your auberine looks beautiful...and I see Fabriano...my favourite watercolor paper! Keepup the painting Monique...armchair painting is good too!
ReplyDeletebises
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