The Abandoned Tennis Court

A drawing of the abandoned tennis court.  9x12, pencil on paper.

The Glowing Building on Rue Rossetti

The drawing I did in Nice about four weeks ago.  I was standing at the corner of Rue Rossetti and Rue Saint-Joseph.  I didn't post it since I was planning on returning to this spot to paint, but I never did.  The building next to me on my right (which is unseen) on the ground floor has a rec/lunch room for sanitation workers.  Through an open window I could hear grousing and gossiping, though I couldn't understand a word of it.  When they entered or left they saw me but ignored me completely.  Of course, what appealed to me at that corner was the glowing building on Rue Rossetti. The painting is an attempt to convey what I saw.

Encroaching

Pencil on paper.  9x12 inches.

A Metaphor For Our Times

Somehow an abandoned tennis court encased in overgrown trees is a metaphor for our times.  Pencil on paper. 9x12 inches.

The Street of Locksmiths

This is the last drawing I did in Nice, along with the studio painting of the same view that I am currently working on.  The narrow street is called Rue des Serruriers.  Presumably there were locksmiths in the area once. I love these narrow streets of old town Nice.  Remnants of another time, and only God knows when we may ever see this place again.

Stay healthy.

A Favorite View in Old Nice

The weather is lousy, so I might not get to the tennis court today to make a drawing.  Here's the studio painting I worked on this morning.  It's a view down my favorite street in old town Nice, Rue Rossetti. It's my favorite street because it has this great view.  18x24 oil on linen canvas.

Inside The Tennis Court

A view from inside the abandoned tennis court.  Pencil and charcoal.

The Oomph of Charcoal

When I went back to the tennis court today, I took along my bits of charcoal as well as pencils.  This drawing shows one exterior corner of the tennis court, where the arborvitae is trimmed by deer.  Charcoal has oomph!

Drawings With No Lines

While I take my time to do a studio painting, I went out again to draw.  There's an abandoned tennis court nearby surrounded by tall arborvitae trees.  I know that deer can't stand on their hind legs by looking at the arborvitae, which have been trimmed to the trunk from the ground up to the height of a deer standing on four legs.  The trees offer a very abstract prospect. I can make these drawings practically without any lines.

A Tolerant Tree

To use my time constructively, I walked up the road with my sketch pad.  I was pleased to find a sign indicating that the dirt portion of the road was closed due to "mud conditions."  This means that I can walk safely and not have to worry about crazy drivers.  There were other walkers and runners, more than usual, all maintaining their distance.  I've drawn this tree many times.  It's an old friend, or at least, it tolerates me.  I say that because it's been brutalized by the electric company, which has cut half of its branches, so that the tree presents a plane aligned with the road.

Pushing The Impossible Drawing

So, I put on ample Deet spray on my shoes and pant legs, and stayed on the path this time, and I went back to the impossible drawing site.  Here's the only thing I hope I brought back.  Again, I am trying to capture the effect of light on the river and tree branches.  You can see that I did score the paper.  I put a piece of cardboard underneath first.  Otherwise all my sheets would end up scored.  9x12 pencil and charcoal on paper.

An Impossible Drawing

To break up the routine of posting Nice paintings and staying cooped up indoors, yesterday I went wandering in the woods.  I brought home a tick, which wasn't good, and this drawing.  I was trying to draw the impossible: the light reflecting off of the Green River.  All the branches were also reflecting light.  The next time I try this, I will score the paper first to see if I can get a better semblance of reflecting branches when I fill in the darks. 

Another Pair of Paintings

Another pair of plein air paintings, the first from this year and the other from last year, in old town Nice.  The location of this view is next to the Chapelle de la Visitation, which is directly behind where I was set up to paint.  The view looks down Rue Guigonis, which is also out of sight. 

In other news,  the mayor of Nice tested positive for Covid-19.

Two Monastery Views

Two plein air paintings done at the Franciscan monastery garden at Cimiez in Nice, France. The first was done this year and the second last year, each from opposite ends of the same stone wall.  For both this posting offers a better photo.  9x12 oil on linen, and 9x12 oil on multimedia board.

Beautiful and Fragile

A painting mostly done at the top end of a short street, Rue Sainte-Claire, in old town Nice.  I touched it up slightly in the studio.  On sunny days, the buildings at the bottom of the street always have on display the shadows of other buildings.  It's a spot for standing still in contemplation.  12x9 oil on linen.

My heart goes out to all the people of Nice and elsewhere who are dealing with the virus calamity.  Painting reminds us how beautiful and fragile is our world, and that we need to look out for each other.

Seems Like Years Ago

A painted view of the arcade at the top of Chateau Hill in Nice, France. which I did earlier this week on site.  Hard to believe now that I am back home.  Seems like years ago.  9x12 oil on linen.

A Red Spot

This is the the painting I was working on at the top of the Escalier Jules Eynaudi in old town Nice on a windy day last month, now with a few touches added to complete it.  A  fierce burst of wind sent my palette to the ground upside down, along with the painting.  There's still a spot of red on the cement like the scene of a crime.  9x12 oil on linen.

Franciscan Monastery in Nice

A painting of the Franciscan monastery at Cimiez in Nice, France, most of which was painted there, and which I've touched up in the studio at home, back in the USA.  We cut our trip short to Nice this year, returning yesterday just in the nick of time, as it turned out.  9x12 oil on linen.