Sunflowers of Dordogne

I have spent some of my happiest moments painting in France. Waves of sunflower fields are in bloom in southern France from late June to early July. It is a heady experience to be surrounded with so much yellow joy.

This was a breezy day, with crisp blue skies and fat cumulus clouds, the cause of shadows skipping over hillsides. The combination of a high major key, and range of color from cool blue to warm yellow punctuated with a bit of red does much to buoy one’s spirits. Bobbing sunflowers and gentle rocking composition animate the canvas and sway us toward delight.

As I contemplate Sunflowers of Dordogne II, I step into that experience again. I am standing in the field, bathed in warmth of the French sun, a perfect antidote to shoveling snow.

Sunflowers of Dordogne II, Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf, Private Collection

Tile Murals, Coasters and Open Edition Prints of Sunflowers of Dordogne II at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Melody Phaneuf is a member of Fenway Studios Cooperative, a community of Boston artists whose historic north light building was modeled on the 19th century Parisian Ateliers. Studio visits are welcomed.

Melody's paintings have been exhibited at Galerie Herouet in Paris, The National Arts Club in New York City, and were included in a traveling exposition in Japan. Her work is regularly displayed at the Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.


Useful Links~

• Sunflowers B & B, Lot et Garonne
• Caves of the Dordogne
• Walks in Dordogne

Threshold

Magical Brittany. The forests of Haute Bretagne are mysterious doors to a rhapsodic world of emotion. For the artist seeking evidence of the Divine in nature, it is here that brushes in hand, one can embrace the Creator.

The misty morning light penetrates; erases dark pillars and interweaves a carpet of shadowed geometry. The boundary between woodland and meadow evaporates in the lemony mist and resonates of a half-remembered Paradise.

I love these thresholds. Evocative of entering, leaving and passage, Brittany Forest is a blissful transition to the light.

Brittany Forest by Melody Phaneuf, Boston
20 x 16 Oil Painting

Crossroads, Brittany

The Brittany region of France echoes with something familiar to me. The forests and pasturelands are wild, moody, haunting. A magical combination of Celtic and French ancestry speaks to my spirit. I am sure that Merlin and Parsifal treaded here.

I find this painting relevant at the moment. We are at a crossroads in many ways. The environment and our relationship to others in the world are of paramount significance. I’m not sure if we need a magician or a knight in search of the grail to lead us in the right direction.

A curiosity of this land with Pagan roots is that a traveler will often come across a statue of a saint in the middle of what could be judged as nowhere. I love that here, Jesus; symbol of altruism is positioned at the crossroads. The lighting on that temperamental day cast long shadows and animated the ivy-covered manse to appear as if it were looking on in awe.

Crossroads, Brittany, Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf
http://melodytheartist.com