Christabel Forbes 'Provence and Beyond'

About

Provence and Beyond

Most of these landscapes were painted en plein air over a six-week summer residency with Arts in Provence, a wonderful arts hub in Les Bassacs, southern France. The work is all mixed media, using a selection of oils, pastel, watercolour, ink and pencil. My technique is largely based on the classical drawing style, but by means of colouration I hope to achieve a painterly, sometimes even a semi-abstract effect. Certain pieces have more surface-layering, mark-making and other textural application, intended to create a sharper, more naturalistic portrayal. Perhaps most strikingly, individual landscapes often provoke in me a dramatic colour response. “My juxtaposition of colours and how I divide the composition into blocks of colour is determined by my emotional connexion with a place. This collection of work represents the first time I have worked exclusively en plein air. Up until this time, habitually I sketched the landscape and added colour later in the studio. This new method of working required the acquisition of a granny trolley with cross-country capability.”

“My juxtaposition of colours and how I divide the composition into blocks of colour is determined by my emotional connexion with a place. This collection of work represents the first time I have worked exclusively en plein air. Up until this time, habitually I sketched the landscape and added colour later in the studio.”
- Christabel Forbes