Video of plein air painting demo by Julian Merrow-Smith of Postcard from Provence

Julian Merrow Smith of Postcard from Provence has many fans - but few have met him and few have seen him paint - until now.

A student perspective of Julian Merrow-Smith doing a plein air painting demonstration

One of Julian's recent students, Timothy Joseph Allen, has now posted on YouTube a 20 minute video on YouTube of a painting demonstration done during Julian's last painting workshop of 2015 at La Madelene (October 10th to the 17th).
Videos are a really great way of seeing what's on offer when a painter is also a tutor and offers painting workshops.  This one is a snapshot of what you might experience in a plein air workshop with Julian - you're getting the student perspective!

It's also very clear to me from this video 'that Julian is a communicative tutor who provides his students with a constant commentary on what he's doing during a demo - plus he explains the reasons behind the points he think are important.

The video appears to have been shot on mobile phone as it's tall and thin - however that means you get an excellent view of the palette on the pochade box and what he's mixing as well as the painting.

On the left is a still of the view he is painting.

Do remember to click the HD (bottom right) to get the best picture

Postcard from Provence - Painting Workshops

This is the page on Julian's blog which provides more information about the painting workshops .

The dates for 2016 are already published (see the left hand column):

• May 15th-22nd
• July 20th-28th
• Oct 2nd-9th

Postcard from Provence
Painting Workshops - the website page

This is how Tim summed it up in his blog post Painting En Plein Air with Julian Merrow-Smith

I had the great pleasure to take part in Julian Merrow-Smith’s last plein air workshop of 2015 in Provence, France, from October 10th to the 17th.

The company was gracious, the lodgings impeccable, the cuisine exquisite and the landscapes a feast for the eyes: nothing more could have been better for what was, in essence, six days of plein air boot camp.

Julian’s method of teaching was direct and to the point; every morning and afternoon he did a demo. It was a very no nonsense approach of picking a good spot, getting comfortable, setting up the paints and then getting to work. His technical instruction was an excellent distillation of his experience, and was most helpful in dealing with very complex and fluid challenges like composition and color mixing.

Now that's what I call a satisfied customer!

Painting Workshops: two questions for students and tutors

1. If you are a student, do you like to see videos like these BEFORE you book a painting workshop?
2. If you are a tutor, do you provide videos of what you do - from the student perspective - on your website?

L'Isle sur la Sorgue markets

The Brocante market, Isle sur la Sorgue

Every Sunday L'Isle sur la Sorgue is host to a market and a brocante market - an antiques market.

It's not cheap but I learned from Ruth Phillip's new book Cherries from Chauvet's Orchard, that it is the source of some of the still life objects seen in Julian Merrow Smith's Postcards from Provence.

I'll be posting some more photos of the rest of the market at L'Isle sur la Sorgue later today (see below) - so come back later to see more.  Now I'm off to the Monday market in Bedoin to get my fish for tonight's supper!

You can see larger versions of these photos in the Provence set on my Flickr account

I first visited these markets some 20 years ago - and they seemed to me to be exactly the same as the last time - right down to the stalls in the same places as I remembered them.

You can find cheese from the moutains

and Gruyere from Switzerland (these are massive rounds of the cheese)

soap perfumed in a variety of different ways

local flowers

and various things you can do with lavender and bay leaves

Don't forget you can also see what I've been sketching and painting on Travels with a Sketchbook and Four Go Painting in Provence

Plagiarism or 'passing off' - it's got to stop

Two years ago I was originally going to call this post "Duane Derivatives".  At the time I decided to let the matter pass - but time passes and the 'passing off' which has been going on for a long time continues.

Hence this post today - which is all about the issues arising from plagiarism and copying the artwork of other people - including:

• what is plagiarism
• what is derivative work
• when artists copying other artists is OK
• how to avoid accusations of plagiarism

NOTE:  Please note this post has been revised since it was first published for two main reasons.  First, it's very apparent that some people are skim reading and then asserting elsewhere that this post says things which are simply not true.  In fact it was written very carefully to avoid such statements being made.  

I'm also concerned that people focus on the principles rather than an individual artist identified.  While I believe the artist and I would agree mistakes were made and remedies were implemented, the example appears to be distracting people from the vast majority of the content of this post.  

I've implemented a revision which has removed all but one of the images and some of the text and added some text of a more general nature.  The first 50 or so comments on this post were made when the images and the original content was still in place.

My Postcard from Provence

....will be winging its way to Travels with a Sketchbook this June!

This summer, I'm renting the home of Postcard from Provence painter Julian Merrow Smith and his wife Ruth Phillips (Meanwhile, here in France......) for three weeks in June while they visit England.  I'll be packing and getting ready to set off in exactly three months time!

Rousillon and the Ochre Cliffs, Provence
Coloured Pencil 8.27" x 11.75"
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

However the really good news is I won't be on my own! 

At long last I'm achieving a long held ambition and will be going on a painting holiday with no tutor - just good friends.  The house party will include Sarah Wimperis (Muddy Red Shoes in Cornwall), Robyn Sinclair (Have Dogs Will Travel from Tuscany) and Ronell van Wyk (African Tapestry on the Loire) who will be coming and going at various times.  We're hoping to have all four of us there at least some of the time.

We are anticipating much sketching and painting of landscapes and enjoyment of good French food and good company.  We might also find time to visit a vineyard and try a glass or two of the local vintages.

We're certainly going to hunt down some lavender fields which should be about ready to peak!

House and Lavender Field - by Julian Merrow Smith (June 2009)

I'm also looking forward to going back to places - like Rousillon with its ochre cliffs - which I first visited when painting in Provence some 20 years ago.  (Did I ever tell you all about being filmed by the BBC Holiday Programme while painting? No?)