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Mary Ann Boysen, watercolorist,
for more information, call toll free: 888-875-9892  |
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See the Arles Market scenes with fruits and vegetables below |
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Côte d'Azur Harbour Boats The Mediterranean is truly blue, and at sunset on a clear day, the water reflects the crisp blue of the sky. These boats are in the harbourtown of Sausset les Pins, near Marseilles. |
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French Lace In a very tiny ancient town in Provence, I spotted this little window. It was on the north side of the building, so I threw some shadows across the painting to create interest. |
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The Intruders Just a few sunflowers grow in the lavender field at VanGogh's asylum near St. Remy I am certain that Van Gogh enjoyed the lavender beneath his window near the center of the Asylum in the back. |
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L'Abbaye de Senanque This is a closer view of the Abbaye. The rows of lavender cannot be seen from this angle, but the color is still a nice compliment to the grey stone of the abbey. |
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Le Pont du Gard This Roman acqueduct and bridge looms over the landscape and is overwhelming in size. I couldn't get far enough away from it to paint the entire bridge, but keep coming back....I plan to do some more from my photos. |
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Van Gogh's Lavender This view is from the back of the asylum where Van Gogh stayed for psychiatric evaluation. |
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Sunflowers among the Lavender These few sunflowers are growing among the lavender behind the Asylum where Van Gogh was incarcerated. They add a nice contrast to the colors of the field. Surface: Watercolor Canvas SOLD |
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Lavender beside the Road As we parked our car to see the famous windmill |
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The Coliseum in Arles, France This reconstruction was just around the corner from our Hotel Calendal. We painted on one of the narrow streets nearby and were lucky that no cars came by. We would have had to move! Restaurants are everywhere and have outdoor tables with awnings or umbrellas. Everything was very colorful. SOLD |
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Provence |
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While staying in Arles, I arose very early in order to capture the strong morning light in the market. Early shoppers were already in the streets, and the merchants were still unloading, setting up their exhibits, and pricing their wares. Title: Early Morning at the Market |
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This is painted on smooth clayboard. The smooth surface gives a shine to the subject more easily than on paper or textured surfaces. It took a bit longer than I had expected to get the shapes and rhythm and contrast to my liking. Title: Cerises |
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Strawberries are always a favorite subject of mine to paint. They have texture, color....and fragrance! I only wish I could paint the fragrance. Title: Fraises |
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Also painted on Clayboard, this onion display represented peaceful movement and just called me to paint it. The surface allowed for softness in the shaded areas and was perfect for this painting. Title: L'oignons Vert
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Lavender, lavender, everywhere in Provence! The fields were in full bloom, and lavender was being sold in the marketplace. The fragrance was intoxicating. Title: Lavande |
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Watermelons are the same all over the world. The French also have seedless melons. The marketplace has an artistic flair for selling, as they carve them into beautiful shapes for the customers to see....and drool over! The watercolor canvas on which this is painted allowed the texture of the watermelon to be evident in the painting. Title: Les Pasteques |
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This vender is preparing her signs for the market day. The early morning light created a dramatic scene. Her display contained green beans (haricots vert) Title: Le Vendeur |
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Green grapes in the early morning light show dramatic contrast in color and light. These, too, attracted my attention as their position shows movement in a static environment. Title: Les Raisins |
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Colorful straw hats embellish the market scene in France. With the brilliant sunlight, each shopper needs one! Title: Chapeaux de Paille |
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Lemons, lemons, lemons....a bright color in the early morning sun. Title: Les Citrons |
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Garlic also makes an interesting display at the market,...not with its color, but its shape and subtle color. Title: L'Ail
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This was painted on smooth Claybord because I thought that the smooth skin of the tomatoes would be enhanced by this surface, and I was right. The paint just glided on. Sometimes, the smooth surface makes it difficult to control the watercolor, but it takes practice to handle this situation. I love a challenge, and this is the second time I tried this painting on this surface.....the second being much better than the first. Title: Les Tomates |
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| To help the "feel" of the peach skin, I used Textured Claybord on these peaches. It is truly amazing how the use of a particular surface or the use of a particular pigment can match the object that is painted. The textured claybord is much like working on watercolor paper, as color is more difficult to lift...yet it lifts more easily than on watercolor paper. Title: Les Pêches |
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Once again, because of the shiny surface of the green peppers, I used Smooth Claybord. The paint just slides around, so getting the correct value in the right place is a challenge. Title: Les Poivrons Vert |
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Having arrived at the market very early, before the hoards of shoppers, I was able to photograph the fruits and vegetables without obstruction. Soon the shoppers came with their bags, carts, and other means of toting their purchases. Title: "Merci, Madame " |
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Yet another bin of delicious vegetables at the Arles market. Title: Chou-fleur et Poivrons Rouge SOLD
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I liked the strong light cast across this display of onions and sweet peas. Title: L'Oignons et Pois de Senteur
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While in Provence, there were sunflowers in bloom at the edge of some lavender fields, as if their seeds had been dropped there by birds. Title: Sunny Delight II |
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Market Day in Arles was spread down the main street and around the corner. People and vendors come from all over Provence, and the characters have incredible faces; some handsome, some weathered and worn. I found this young man to be quite handsome and was eager to paint the reflected light on his face from all the warm tones surrounding him. Title: "Ils sont Beaux, mes Ananas" |
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