# 60 - Select Items from Normandy, With People and Simplicity

                                                       "Amblie at a Distance"

 
                                                       "Pres d'Amblie"

                                                      "La Digue a Saint Aubin"

Fellow Art Lovers:

Here, I hope without any pretention, are some select items I’ve been working on, just to give you an idea of how I’m spending my time. I was going to start with some humorous statements, but I decided to just be straightforward. Just show you my work, and then ask for your input.

The first item, “Amblie at a Distance,” is almost the same scene I’ve painted quite a bit. But the other day, while driving toward the village of Amblie, I noticed that the fields in front of it, as I approached it, were just so rich and splendid. Could I capture some of those colors and textures, and especially the Normandy sky? Well, I’ll let you be the judge.

The next one, number two, “Pres d’Amblie,” was a scene just past Amblie, on a highway I’ve taken so many times, Departmentale 35.  I just let the car follow its nose. I hadn’t noticed this scene before, but it was so simple and direct. The scene needed to be painted in a very simple and direct manner. I hope I captured something.

And the largest work of this series, “La Digue a Saint Aubin,” is different from my usual landscapes because it has a lot of people. “The digue” in this sense is like a boardwalk, a walkway made of paving stones overlooking the beach and the sea, where people on this sunny afternoon walked back and forth to see and – often – be seen.  I tried to show the brightness and the sunny spirit of it all.

As always, thanks for your time and support, and – if you have a minute – thanks for your comments.

Best,

Bill