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To live and enjoy every day to its fullest, use my gifts to help others, I travel to wherever passion finds me.

What Will She Paint?

So many friends I met here...!

Friday, February 05, 2010

A BEND IN THE ROAD

This post  is the story behind the painting "A Bend in the Road" on Art Notes this week.
The kind of vacations I had in my childhood were staying for a week with all of us with the friends of my parents. Later when their children were all out of the house they had some real vacations like a cruise on the Rijn  (castles on the side), or to Austria. 
That is why I wanted my children to see the sights. So, we always took them on our vacations till they wanted to go on their own. It gave them a taste of travel!
© Oil, Bend in the Road, St.Germain
This road was on the way to our cabin, and very painterly. Till they decided that the road on the way to the lake needed to be modernized. An extra lane on each side, but all the romance was gone! (I tried to find the original pic, but no luck)

This is one of my experiments in copying the style of one of my favorite countrymen: Vincent van Gogh. I have some comments on painting this in ART NOTES (my second blog page: click on the top pic in the right column -thank you)

©OnmywaytoSacra., watercolor, St. Germain

The time "on the road" was an outing in itself for the children. They always had oodles of stuff with them, to keep themselves busy, so they were hardly bored. Can't remember if they ever asked "Are we there yet?"
Their mom was never bored either, especially when she had a painting subject cornered on the back seat! The subject had her sunglasses on and was dozing. Later I painted her eyes from a pic.
Seem to have difficulty today locating the pics I want to find. In the end I took this off my art website (www(dot)stgermainart(dot)com) - that's why you see the watermark.

18 comments:

jamesdalemoffitt@gmail.com said...

spectacular paintings. thank you.

Barry said...

We love to explore as well, Jeanette and took our children on many trips.

In their teenage years they got a little tiresome, but now both of them love traveling with their own children.

A little wanderlust is good for the soul.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Interesting post Jeannette - I too believe that travel is one of the most important things in life.
Incidentally - I love your watermarked blog - and the ribboned background.

Zuzana said...

I loved summer vacations, the driving ones, with my parents. As a child I often got car sick;) But as a teenager, they were what I lived for the whole year.;) Traveling down to the south Europe in search of warm beaches.;) Every trip was an adventure.
I love the top panting, particularly the colours.
xo
Zuzana

Gaelyn said...

The cabin road looks so inviting. Too bad it had to "modernized." Nice to imortalize you daughter in such a candid pose. Your art always gives me joy Jannette.

Unknown said...

We will see where this weeks snow storm will bring me!
I liked your bend!

Jeannette StG said...

Jim - thank you!

Barry - often people in their teenage time are tiresome anywhere! But when they get children of their own they have turned into responsible easy-going parents (most of them).
Travel enriches one's worldview:)

Weaver,
Thank you! Seeing new sights and cultures is the spice of life! It broadens our understanding.

Zuzanna,
My kids got carsick too, on winding mountain roads, but luckily it was not too traumatic and not a deterrent to travel on their own later.

Gaelyn,
Modern is not always an improvement! Hehe, I think you're picking up on my joy in the paintings, Gaelyn! Can't wait to hear some of your trip in Texas.

Joey,
Glad I just woke up to rain this morning! It's less intrusive than a snow storm! Although you guys in the more Northern regions get to photograph and paint all those cool ice and snow scenes.

Merisi said...

These are both beautiful pictures!
I like your Van Gogh style and I remember the road that leads down to Swains Lock on the C&O Canal along the Potomac River looks just like the one you painted!

I spent my childhood summers with my grandparents, never traveled. With my own I have traveled a whole lot, even alone when they were still very small (I loved to travel down to Georgia, people there were so nice to us!). Travel is a luxury, albeit also a great education for young ones.

Beth Niquette said...

You are such a talented artist. These pieces are so very lovely.

S said...

Beautiful painting, Jeannette! Did you use pointilism? I love your depiction of the rocks along the path. When I first read the title, I thought of the Robert Frost poem "The Road not Taken". I love travelling and I LOVE asking "Are we there yet"!

Rosie said...

I love The Bend in the Road, the colours are wonderful. When I was a child we used to travel for holidays and always stopped to discover places on the way something we still do today as getting there is part of the holiday experience:)

crochet lady said...

Love that style of painting in ,The Bend In The Road. It lends fantastical possibilities to what might be around that bend.

Jeannette StG said...

Merisi,
A scene has much more meaning when it looks like a place we have been!
Glad you got to travel too! I don't know the place where you've been, but it sounds they are happy memories!

Beth,
Thank you! as well with thanks to the giver of the gift, the Mater Creator!

Sreddy,
You're funny, Sreddy:) I guess your children will ask you the same some time in the future!
It's pointillism, mixed with "something else."

Rosie,
That does not surprise me at all, because of the way you write your blog posts about places you share with us:)
Thank you my experiment worked out all right!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Jeannette: I remember a similar road that went to my friends house. The difference is it was closed down and nature reclaimed the area.

Jeannette StG said...

Jen,
thank you - you're catching my drift, Jen. For me that's what every bend or corner means: a change and with that so many possibilities, like you say:)

Tom,
I wonder how that is for you? Strange at first? With buildings I have that, when I come back and they have disappeared!

Eki said...

These are beautifu paintings, Jeannette. I love them.

Oh, and I like your new header photo too. Beautiful.

Jeannette StG said...

Eki,
Since you are a teacher, you probably have some idea about this: how is western art (paintings) seen in Indonesia?

Anonymous said...

We live in a time where so many people live off of the main road that experience similar sensations.

The road less traveled, as beautifully shown by your artwork, depicts a journey to a special place where we can soak up special feelings that were designed for our personal experience and growth.

That's one reason why I love to experience the long distance trail and to bush whack where no others have treaded before. We each can be a pioneer and explore the frontier when we are true and authentic to our inner being.