VilleFranche

This oil painting represents a beautiful day that I spent in the village of VilleFranche -sur-Mer early May 2011. It's size is approximately 4'-0" x    5'-3".   This day was the first time, after all the time that I had spent near the Mediterranean, that I finally swam in the Sea and soaked up the Riviera Sun.  So much poetry and inspiration about the sea came to me that afternoon. I put to paper the words and sketches.  As with San Remo,  I again found a new home.

These are sketches I made for the painting during my last few days in Nice.   I reflected on the Sea for all the beauty and the joy it can bring to our lives, but also how much sadness and tragedy that it is also able to bring to us.

The Sea has an ancient history of wars, lives lost,  tragedies,  and destruction by its water.  It  can show us its power and force, but also the sea can bring joy and contentment.  Its water can be inviting with its gently moving waves and its beautiful blue hues, or by watching the sunlight sparkling on the water. It has its familiar scents and sounds that give us life.  

The Sea deserves our respect for all the energy and strength it can take from us as well as all the energy and strength it can give back to us.  It is to be respected as a living being.

This is a picture of me experiencing the Joys of the Sea.  I was feeling joy, peace, and love of life.   The waves washed up around me giving to me its good life energy and taking away the past and future, and leaving me in the moment.  

Sunset, Villefranche-sur-Mer  decembre 2011

San Remo

This is the painting  "San Remo" inspired by my visit to San Remo Italy, Christmas 2010.   This is my first large scale canvas in oil approximately,  4'-0" x 5'-6".    After the painting was completed, I was anxious to carry it with me to  be able to display in the gallery.  The canvas could be rolled and would be easy to transport.   Unfortunately,  it never made it's debut in gallery, 6 Place Vieille.     

Boardwalk cafe

My first visit to San Remo was late September 2010.  During this visit,  there was a lot of uncertainty about my future visits to Nice and whether or not there would be a place for me to work in the Gallery, 6 Place Vieille.  There was also stress revolving around my lost painting.

But while I was there in September,  I had found in my short stay that amidst all my sadness, there was comfort and hope in the beauty and familiarity of the sea and it's landscape.  It was my first glimpse of a possible home.  So, in the next three months, I focused on returning and filling myself with this energy of hope and independence. This would be a much longer relaxing, spiritual quenching that I needed for the end of the year. I only returned to Nice briefly during this vacation to search for and recover the lost painting, "28 Vallombrose" described in the previous post.  

These are some of the sketches of the sea and the harbor that inspired me.   Here I had found new inner strength-  life from death (a new life that only can come from death). There was hope for advancement.  A perfect ending for the old year and transition into the new year to come.    I have not returned to San Remo since this trip in 2010.