Cassis Vineyards is on eBay

Jack has had another article published by Fine Art Studio Online. To read 12 Steps to Failure just CLICK HERE.

This time of year is so fun. Hummingbirds migrate through south Texas and are starting to appear. The four feeders placed around our back patio are buzzing with activity. I have to be careful in the mornings, they fly by so fast I’m afraid they’ll take my head off!

Our grape vines are growing and beginning to work their way up the grape arbor. It’s made of 2 twenty-foot lengths of bull fence, arched over the front walk to the studio and anchored to steel posts. CLICK HERE to learn more about our “Tunnel of Light”. Six vines will give us a variety of red and white grapes this summer.

Dreaming of our Senkarik White appellation makes me want to paint a vineyard. My sketch is from Provence in the south of France. The hills surrounding the tiny seaside village of Cassis are covered in vineyards. What great memories this brings. When we visited Provence an artist Jack was helping via the internet met us. Pixie was a delightful tour guide, driving us through the beautiful countryside. Since she lived in Aix-en-Provence and is an artist herself she knew all the perfect spots to take us. Cassis was my favorite.

The basic elements are drawn on the canvas with a brush dipped in a thin wash of MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin.

The vines are washed in with a mix of Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium + a lot of Liquin. Pthalo Blue is added to cool the vines as they descend down the hill. This helps me to visualize their placement on the canvas. In the morning the wash on the vines will be dry. I’ll be able to paint the sky and ocean without fear of muddying the color.

On a lazy summer day the horizon line of the Mediterranean Sea fades into the soft, fluffy clouds. A mix of MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) + Ultramarine Blue + White makes a dull blue for the water along the horizon.

As the water comes closer mixes of Pthalo Blue + White are used. The mountain is various mixtures of Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Orange + White and MUD + White. Some of the paint left over from the clouds is used for the beach and village of Cassis. All of the colors are kept very soft in order to make the village stay way back in the distance.

The vineyards cascading over the hillsides are fun to do. The fields of cool greens are painted first with the most distant vineyard cooler and lighter. Then the lines of the rows are drawn into the wet paint.

The joy of being an artist is we can make the world on our canvas as we want it to be. Even though this is a summertime piece I’m adding Poppies that cover the hillsides of Provence in the spring. The grass in the front vineyard is made warmer with mixes of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Yellow Medium + White.

Cassis Vineyards     12″ x 24″     Original Oil Painting

The vines are painted with various combinations of Ultramarine Blue + Hansa Lemon Yellow. Brushstrokes of Pthalo Blue + White are added in the shadow side. As the vines go down the hill they are made lighter and more blue. Grapes, ready for harvest, complete Cassis Vineyards.

Cassis Vineyards is available for sale on my eBay auction. Framed in our White Senkarik signature frame the outside dimension is 12 inches tall by 24 inches long. The painted image measures 9 inches tall by 20 1/2 inches long. A painting this size retails in our galleries for $750. The starting bid is 1 penny. That’s right, only 1 cent!

Click Here to go to my eBay auction.

Happy Bidding. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik