The Cherry Pickers

Les Cerises

 When the cherry trees bear fruit we dig out our old enamel bowls and head out to gather . This large oil painting was started last summer during the cherry season and finished recently after picking cherries at my friend Lisa's.

Paysages japonais

jane Courquin -sketch for  >Cafetière et Poele < 2011

 In 1992 I travelled to Japan to visit my elder brother and his Japanese wife . It is a beautiful country that left an indelible impression on me . These sketches are from a couple of years ago, and I can still see the resonances.

jane Courquin -sketch  

jane Courquin -sketch for > le bol japonais <

Painting and Textiles

1920s French Wallpaper

1920s French Wallpaper

jane Courquin plant pigment on paper 2012

I came across some wonderful old French wallpaper samples from the 1920s that have been invaluable to my work and have become part of one of my paintings from 2012.

Each sample shows a variation in colour way and the green pink and grey one gives a little more information about the design.

I have always enjoyed early 20th century textiles as well as paintings from that era and enjoy the way I can interweave both disciplines through my own work.

My plant pigment sketch is inspired by an anonymous 1930s textile sample in one of my textile books.





jane Courquin ~Art Deco textile print on 100% cotton 2012

Copyright jane Courquin 2012 

 

 We will be exhibiting in the Charente at Atelier 32 from June until September 2013 and at the Verteuil Arthouse Studios continually Sur Rendez-Vous.
 





jane Courquin ~ oil painting on board 2011

jane Courquin ~ oil painting on board 2011



jane Courquin >Le Premier Printemp< Acrylic and Oil on Canvas 80 x 80 cms 2013







Le bol bleu avec quarze, quarze rose,  et jaspe rouge


I started this painting as an attempt at putting more geometry in to my paintings and limited myself to a still life of one blue bowl and three oval gems . I had three to hand which were crystal quarz,, rose quarz and red jasper . Each has its own individual properties that I also considered .The palette was deliberately muted so I felt better able to concentrate on form. However, the colours seem to have taken on an
 unexpected dynamic of their own .

 

 

 

 
 

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Le Champ de Tournesols

 Edging towards an ending , having said almost everything I wanted to say in this painting . There are still a few remarks left to add... perhaps in French Ultramarine . There is still a lot of  >empty< space , but that allows the rest to breathe .

Painting in Progess 18/05/2013

 I am enjoying painting sunflowers whilst waiting for some summer sunshine to flood the fields . This canvas began life as a group of people to illustrate a painting exercise to a student . I rather approve of the way the figures have become sunflowers like the Greek Myth of Clytie. She went into the garden every day looking for the sun in a vain attempt to find Apollo, rather than getting on with her work. Finally Apollo shot her with an arrow and she turned in to a sunflower .

La Charente ~ le Paysage

local sketches

At the end of July and through August the fields in La Charente are awash with sunflowers and the skies are a high dome of lapis lazuli . I have been working from last years sketches and recordings, but I am already thinking ahead to this years crop so there is a lot of imagined time future in there too.
Cycles around the rural roads here lead to concealed buildings and walled potagers , built from the local honey coloured stone .



still life in a landscape with le Creuset frying pan and sunflowers