My Paintings From My Charles Evans Holiday in September

This was the first EVER water colour painting I did.. it has been so long since I said I was going, with Rainbow Lady, I expect you have all forgotten!! It was done on a wonderfully hot day in Quesmy, a chateau in the north of France.

We moved on to Nice, after a breakneck, high-speed journey, which did nothing to make my hip feel comfortable!!! I rested on the first day there, and sunbathed on the hotel roof - first time topless!!! WELL... other ladies were, so I did!!! Oh la la... This painting above was done, on the second day, in a little village up in the hills behind Nice, where we sat all day and had a wonderfully simple lunch looking out towards the sea... The owner of this house bought Charlie's painting of it.

We then travelled to Lucca, in Tuscany, where it was hot, hot, hot!!! An ancient walled city, it was a fantastic place to be. This building was in a square, close to our hotel. Improving the detail and the brush technique here, but could do it better now. Not bad for 3rd painting attempt!!

The following day, we set out up into the mountains of Tuscany, to find a typical view over the countryside. Tuscany is full of these hills that rise from nowhere, and often they have a village and a large church on top. This one was just wooded. I had to sit in a low chair, here, and so I painted in the wall. Apparently this is usually a no no, but Charlie said it was good, as it took the eye back in... houses and windows improving on this one...

Lucca city again for this one, above. What a pig for the perspective!!!! I did not have it all quite right and a couple of the windows were a bit awry, but I was basically very pleased with lots of it, especially the top left hand corner... and the colour was spot on - I bought a tube of "sand" paint, and that made all the difference!!!

On to Interlaken in Swizerland, our final destination. I was not too bothered to go there but HAVE to admit it blew my socks off!!! This is the Eiger!!! in the Grindlewalt....Was interesting trying to get so many trees in... some of them are a little flat, but the mountain was quite good, I thought. Charlie was very pleased with my efforts by now. Everyone else had been painting for yonks, so I had a lot to learn...

Well, this one is my bestist and favouritist!!! EVERYTHING seemed to come right here. The castle had to be small to give the mountains their full merit... and the two together was hard for many of the group. I painted this exactly a year to the day that I booked the holiday!!! So it was a really good one to finish with. Well, I and the rest of the group thought so!!!

Below is the second picture, re-drawn and re-painted and it will be framed as a gift for my Taiji Quan teacher... hope she's not looking, as she does not know yet. Had to put it in though, as I was so pleased with it. So much more careful and better roofs etc. Texted it to Charlie and he was very chuffed. My phone camera made the walls look not quite straight, but they are, honestly!!!

So, I love painting and will keep it up now. Really looking forward to doing a bit in Venice when Freddie and I are on holiday next year for our honeymoon.!!!

Thanks everso much for looking, and getting this far... Any of you water colour?

xx