Catherine Stock's Blog
April 24, 2014
Escape and narrow escape
Some grumbles have been coming in about lack of posts.
I escaped winter by fleeing south to Cape Town and my sister's farm in Zimbabwe, where I had a thrilling encounter with a leopard while walking home after running out of fuel one evening.
No one believed my tale of passing through a dry riverine bed and suddenly hearing close by a snarl/growl/grunt from a thicket that could ONLY be a leopard. Probably an ostrich offered one. Or a baboon snickered another.
Until returning with the fuel, Fred spotted the huge cat on a boulder above us. She was a female, and Fred said that she probably was protecting her litter...
January 27, 2014
Rain and mud settling in
Crisp cold and sunny days seem to be over. Mud everywhere. Time to fill the studio with flowers.
January 11, 2014
Glorious weather continues...
Sunny warm weather enticed a large group of randonneurs for Friday's walk.
It was about twelve kilometers and took three hours, partly because there were so many interesting sites en route: an old village abandoned over three hundred years ago, three dolmen (ancient burial tombs comprised of three immense stones, two supporting a third on top), and Les Fieux, an important archeological site.
Of course there were also the usual stunning views, old wash houses, and friendly horses who cantered across fields to have their noses rubbed.
Yves Leymarie led the group, took these photographs, and revived us with hot tea and madeleines after the walk.
Les Caminols de Gramat- my walking group
Tremendous views in all directions from the top of a hill
Old washing house near Miers
A dolmen, still partly covered by a tumulus.
There are hundreds of these prehistoric tombs scattered around the Lot.
No one knows how these huge stones were moved and put in place.
Here we are scrambling onto the dolmen like a bunch of kids.
It was about twelve kilometers and took three hours, partly because there were so many interesting sites en route: an old village abandoned over three hundred years ago, three dolmen (ancient burial tombs comprised of three immense stones, two supporting a third on top), and Les Fieux, an important archeological site.
Of course there were also the usual stunning views, old wash houses, and friendly horses who cantered across fields to have their noses rubbed.
Yves Leymarie led the group, took these photographs, and revived us with hot tea and madeleines after the walk.
Les Caminols de Gramat- my walking group
Tremendous views in all directions from the top of a hill
Old washing house near Miers
A dolmen, still partly covered by a tumulus.There are hundreds of these prehistoric tombs scattered around the Lot.
No one knows how these huge stones were moved and put in place.
Here we are scrambling onto the dolmen like a bunch of kids.January 7, 2014
Balmy spring arrival?!
In spite of disastrous floods in the UK and blistering cold in North America, we are having beautiful sunny, nay balmy weather here in southwest France. Bird song filled the woods and by the end of the Monday afternoon randonnée, many of us had stripped down to our tee shirts.
Wonderful way to start the new year. That's Paddy the naughty border collie right in the front at the top of the hill, and me a tiny dark blob right at the back at the bottom of the hill. I had had a sleepless night because Paddy went walkabout yesterday, only returning at 4am, but he was more than ready for more adventures.
I was revived at the end of the walk however by a fête of Blanquette de Limoux (poor man's champagne but just as good to those of us who don't know better) and galette, frangipane king cake, a French tradition.
December 29, 2013
A bittersweet success story
A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a former client in Connecticut and asked to paint her cats, one of whom had recently died. I had painted portraits of her three daughters years ago when I lived and worked in New York.
I have painted people's pets before. Why not: I have three dogs and five cats myself and love them to bits. The trouble is capturing the spirit of an animal that means something really special to someone... from a photograph.
The most difficult portrait I ever was commissioned to paint was of a friend's brother. The trouble was that I would never meet the sitter because he had died, and even worse, the reason that my friend wanted a portrait of him was that he didn't have any good photographs of him. He had two Polaroids to give me to work from. One was blurred and completely useless. The other was in focus, but an awkward, cropped shot. I promised to try.
A week later, my friend stared at my painting for a long time, before nodding and saying quietly, "You got him."
The following Saturday, he drove the painting up to Massachusetts to present it to his parents for their wedding anniversary.
December 27, 2013
Aztec/Inca gig
Got a gig illustrating some Aztec and Inca myths for an educational publisher. Usually never take on this kind of work because the deadline is always tight, the art direction usually overbearing, and the money terrible.
But I was intrigued by the job because although I had to familiarize myself with the style of art, I would have a lot of freedom to interpret the text because there wasn't much visual material out there to research.
Had quite a lot of fun with them: always nice to have a new challenge. Here are a couple.
But I was intrigued by the job because although I had to familiarize myself with the style of art, I would have a lot of freedom to interpret the text because there wasn't much visual material out there to research.
Had quite a lot of fun with them: always nice to have a new challenge. Here are a couple.
Watermelon sale
The first morning of my watercolour workshop, we do lots of exercises practicing the wash, the foundation of watercolour technique, including soft and hard edges. (Soft edges are created by damping the paper before painting the wash.)
In the afternoon we execute what I call a "Watermelon Haiku." I lead the students through various steps so in the end, everyone has a finished painting.
Often the stars of the morning trade places with the frustrated sloppier students, some of whom have come close to tears after spilling blobs of paint and water all over their exercises. These students usually excel in the afternoon with really stunning and interesting watermelons, made vivid, lively and fresh by spontaneous accidents.
After fifteen years of teaching workshops twice a year, I have a lot of watermelons. Here are a few if anyone wants to fork over between 50 and 75 euros for one (mounted) plus shipping.
In the afternoon we execute what I call a "Watermelon Haiku." I lead the students through various steps so in the end, everyone has a finished painting.
Often the stars of the morning trade places with the frustrated sloppier students, some of whom have come close to tears after spilling blobs of paint and water all over their exercises. These students usually excel in the afternoon with really stunning and interesting watermelons, made vivid, lively and fresh by spontaneous accidents.
After fifteen years of teaching workshops twice a year, I have a lot of watermelons. Here are a few if anyone wants to fork over between 50 and 75 euros for one (mounted) plus shipping.
December 22, 2013
A peck of pears (and a few peaches and plums)
One of the exercises we do in the first week of my watercolour workshop are paintings of pears. They are nice bulky and speckled shaped fruit to study and to paint. We paint pears in the morning and after lunch, and a bit of wine, paint a full throttle nature morte.
A friend wants a couple of them so I scratched through my work files and I have posted some that I painted as demonstrations below. I should add that they are not really finished but just demonstrations to launch students into the exercise. But underdone watercolours are by far preferable to anything overworked and muddy.
A friend wants a couple of them so I scratched through my work files and I have posted some that I painted as demonstrations below. I should add that they are not really finished but just demonstrations to launch students into the exercise. But underdone watercolours are by far preferable to anything overworked and muddy.
October 18, 2013
Syria in more peaceful times...
One of my very favourite watercolourists is Lucy Willis: lucywillis.com
Today's post brought this wonderful signed print of Aleppo that I snagged on the Oxfam site, www.oxfam.co.uk.
Lucy has donated several of her signed prints to raise money for Syrian refugees, so if you want to do a little bit for the refugees and a lot for your home, check out the Oxfam site, and then Lucy's site to see more of her fabulous work.
