Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Saturday Art Saves, Creative Inspiration: Postcards from Provence

daily painting titled Lemon and jar of olive oil

(Photo of painting: Lemon and jar of olive oil)

 

Each Saturday I dedicate my blog to an artist(s) that inspire me to be creative, to see life as a canvas to explore my creativity, to honor those who lead the way by their picking up a brush, needle, pen, spoon…. etc etc and create.

(All photos and quoted remarks are from Julian Merrow-Smith. Click any link below each photo, and you will find out more about Julian!

"Postcard from Provence is a diary in daily paintings by British artist Julian Merrow-Smith, following the changing seasons of his adopted home in the Vaucluse, in the South of France. His still life paintings are inspired by objets trouvés, pottery and seasonal produce from the local markets whilst many of his landscape paintings represent scenes within walking distance of his studio."

 

 

 

 

 

painting of Oignons de Bretagne

(Photo Onions de Bretagne)

 

I stumbled upon Julian's site while looking at images on "Google" about Bretagne. Onions de Bretagne… is what caught my attention first. Oh onion soup I thought, I clicked on it because soup was what I was hungry for on that cold drizzly day… what I found was "Postcards from Provence"- How funny I thought… "Here I am living in Provence visiting Bretagne, and I stumble upon a site about paintings in Provence about onions."

 

https://www.frenchlavie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/090309.jpg

(Photo of painting: A simple supper)

 

I gobbled up every paintings with gulps of ohs and ahs.

 

 

 

https://www.frenchlavie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/091001.jpg

 

 

(Photos from Postcards from Provence.)

 

 

http://shiftinglight.com/daily-paintings/2010/croissant_and_coffee.jpg

 

 

Provence… land of plenty and then some.

Natural.

Unpretentious.

Country.

Mistral and ratatouille.

 

https://www.frenchlavie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pix_site_merrow-smith.jpg

 

 

 

 

"The inspiration for the site came in 2004 with the arrival deep in the French countryside of a high-speed internet connection and Duane Keiser's pioneering A Painting a Day blog. The daily painting blog format has since been taken up by hundreds of artists attracted by the commitment a daily practice demands and the opportunity to share their work with people all over the world."

 

 

 

 How will you celebrate your creative side today?

 

 

 

Comments

24 responses to “Saturday Art Saves, Creative Inspiration: Postcards from Provence”

  1. becky up a hill

    I woke up at 4:30 a.m.ha..my day is starting earlier then I planned. I am going to a sale at the old Memorial Hall in Tuolumne City. Then I’m slamming home to make pancakes for my grown up kids..I offered and the said yes.

    Reply
  2. ella

    thanks for the introduction….beautiful pictures….am sewing today, as creative as it gets here Corey!

    Reply
  3. Kathie B

    “How will you celebrate your creative side today?”
    Oh, just more translating, as usual (sigh). But when I can finally get a sentence just right, it inspires me to keep going!

    Reply
  4. Kathie B

    P.S. Currently 28°F (= -2.2°C) here — about as warm as it’s going to get all day — with snow falling and forecast to continue another 20+ hours.

    Reply
  5. Becky F

    Beautiful paintings.
    Today I am traveling to a bead shop about an hour from my home to learn how to make a beautiful crystal and pearl bracelet. I love attending jewelry making classes. I always feel so inspired and creative when I leave. I’m also so impressed to see how the same bracelet can look so different just by changing the elements used. So many creative people!

    Reply
  6. Bev

    Just back from leading a devotional for a group of people from different churches who help the homeless in our community. I think the creative side there was seeing people share concerns and then bow in prayer for each other. God at work
    The rest of the day will be spent baking and knitting and reading, hopefully. I’m also hoping that we get a little snow today!

    Reply
  7. Gail

    Love this! Thanks for sharing this artists’ work and that you for this fantastic Friday idea! Blogs are the new magazine and you are leading the way in new media arts!

    Reply
  8. Donna @ An Enchanted Cottage

    My jaw drops in awe when I see the style of art that you featured in your blog today. It is phenomenal. Since my dad passed away in August, I have not been feeling very creative I’m afraid (I know you can relate to the emotions involved in losing one’s father). I’ve neglected my blog, and my paints & brushes sit idle. You may have given me a wake up call today, Corey. My creative side needs to be nurtured once again. God knows my father would want that. After all, he used his artistic talents to cheer up fellow GI’s during WWII (by drawing pin-up girls, no less!!), so it would certainly honor him to bring art to the surface once again.
    Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
    Donna

    Reply
  9. Rhonda

    If only I had a good hand at painting….sigh! Gorgeous art, thank you for sharing with us.
    My day will be spent sewing away in hopes of creating something that will be shared with others. Some days, not so much, lol.
    Have a great weekend.

    Reply
  10. Brother Mathew

    Creating is my job! Thanks for reminding me to celebrate it. Keep up the good work!

    Reply
  11. Jean(ne) P in MN

    These lovely still-lifes caught my heart, reminding me so sharply of my French in-laws, their home, their kitchen, their garden and their wonderful selves.

    Reply
  12. Maria

    I’ll be helping my son make a Chinese lion costume for his social studies class. Wish us luck!

    Reply
  13. martina

    Beautiful paintings! I’m watching sewing shows (even though I hate to sew, it is good to learn new things).
    Will make a paper Valentine for my sweetie and maybe one for Mom too. Oh, and downloading some spice jar labels for the new spice containers. Did you ever think of how much we have learned via the internet that we never would have known about before?

    Reply
  14. Marilyn

    My creative side today will involve finishing paperwork for taxes, then I get to play at my work table making glass and copper foil charms for friends I will see on a road trip in the spring. Also dreaming of a design for a baby quilt for my first grandchild to be.

    Reply
  15. Jacquelyn

    today I would love to be in the garden…the sun shining gives me the desire, but it’s still too cold and the ground too soggy, pulling weeds would pull up more dirt than the weed 🙁 so today, I’m going to bake some banana cake and banana muffins for my family…and whatever else comes my way is great with me…have a lovely weekend
    PS (the pink hat box arrived yesterday…we are in love 🙂 – every piece we have bought from you is absolutely delightful!)

    Reply
  16. Maggie

    another great day to paint. I’m working on a seascape with figures, studying oil painting as well, four years in, two classes right now. How I loved seeing the still life paintings you gathered. Thank you, Corey

    Reply
  17. Lilly

    Thank-you Corey. Your post today led me on an exploration of both painting sites and they are truly inspirational. I’m a painting major gone commercial and I’ve bookmarked their sites to inspire me to get back to painting in oils. They do so much on such petite canvases!

    Reply
  18. Delphine

    Oh how I wish I could paint. My little bit of creativity happened earlier this morning with my online writers’ group. We submit stories and critique each others, so someone got my views on their story this morning. I love the intenet and my writing group. I would never have learnt as much as I have without my fellow writers. The sun is shining here today, so I will be in the garden for a little while and my son and his partner will coming for tea/dinner. That’s where I have to be creative due to lactose and gluten intolerance. Thank you for your lovely post and allowing me/us to post about ourselves.

    Reply
  19. Irina

    Love every single painting here!
    I’m off too continue with my Imari needlepoint. Love it more and more as it’s almost finished, can’t wait to make it into a round pillow 🙂 Have a nice weekend, Corey 🙂

    Reply
  20. kurt

    wow, these are beautiful. i adore still life paintings. they are anything but still – they are stirring. thanks for sharing them with us.

    Reply
  21. Kurt Cyr

    wow,these are beautiful thank yo for sharing. these are more than just still lifes, they are stirring.

    Reply
  22. M in Vienna

    Beautiful paintings! “Luscious” come to mind.
    Thank you for the link to Duane Keiser’s blog – I had “lost” it and see with great joy that it is still going strong.

    Reply
  23. Linda

    What beauty to share! Thank you for expanding our world once again, Corey! Creativity today: baking bread to take to my meditation leader, making Valentines to share with girlfriends at coffee later this afternoon. Think we all need to celebrate our own version of creativity every day. Thanks for helping us share the many ways we do so.

    Reply
  24. Franca Bollo

    I’m having potato chips with coffee for breakfast.

    Reply

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