Painting portraits through the summer of 2015

Carol and I drove down from England to Céret in the deep south of France on 16th April. We wanted to spend about six months in France and see how we got on through the warm summer of 2015.

This blog is about the portraits I've painted since we arrived; about 28 portraits including sketches, of these I think 18 have been oil paintings. Most of the blog is a photographic record of the paintings. I haven't kept a record of every sketch or painting, so this blog is an incomplete record.

I started with a portrait of a young girl called Shiraz, the daughter of the English speaking lady in the estate agency, and her French husband. The photo was taken by her father. I started painting in the middle of May, and the last portrait of this series is unfinished on 19th September.

 photograph of Shiraz

1. Shiraz, oil painting on canvas 40 x 50 cm 12,13 May 2015

2. Basket of cherries, oil on canvas 40 x 50 cm 15, 16th May 2015

photograph of Bernard sculpting during cherry festival, 30 May 2015

3. Bernard sculpting clay, oil on canvas 40 x 50cm, 4th and 5th June 2015

4. José the market trader, oil on canvas 40 x 50 cm, 12th June 2015

photograph, Joelle the cheese trader with grandson, 13th June 2015, Céret market

5. Joelle with grandson, oil on canvas 40 x 50cm, 15th-18th June 2015

6. Céret cavalier, pen and watercolour on paper 30 x 40 cm, 14th June 2015

7. Céret market trader, pen and ink on paper 30 x 40cm. 15th June 2015

8. Kam Puy - market trader, rapid oil sketch on canvas 30 x 40cm, 18th June 2015

9. Ludo - dried fruit market trader, rapid oil sketch on canvas 30 x 40 cm, 20th June 2015

10. Brigitte, crayon on paper 30 x 40 cm, 23rd June 2015

11. Ludo's children, oil on canvas 30 x 40 cm, 3rd June 2015

12. Matador Robleno, oil on canvas 40 x 50 cm, 4th June 2015

13. Georgia, crayon on paper 30 x 40 cm, 6th July 2015

14. Catherine, rapid oil on canvas 30 x 40 cm, 7th July 2015

15. Célestine, crayon on paper 30 x 40 cm, 19th July 2015

16. Célestine, unfinished oil on canvas 30 x 40 cm, 21st July 2015

17. Matthew (2), oil on canvas 30 x 30 cm, 24th - 29th July 2015

18. Jonathan & Pam 25th anniversary, oil on canvas 30 x 40cm, 1- 2nd August 2015

19. Matthew (1), oil on canvas 30 x 40cm, 23-24th July 2015

20. Nico with rapid portrait, acrylic on canvas 30 x 40 cm, 15th August 2015

photograph of Fred, 18th August 2015

21. Clara and friend, ink pen on paper sketch, 30x 40cm, 21st August 2015

22. Fred smiling, unfinished acrylic underpainting 40 x 50 cm, 6th September 2015

23. Fred with pen and pad, oil on canvas 51 x 51 cm 7th - 9th September 2015

24. Anna writing menu, oil on canvas 40 x 50 cm, 7th - 10th September 2015

25. Edouard the sous-chef with salmon, oil on canvas 50 x 61 cm 19 - 23rd September 2015