Late Afternoon in Sarlat

I have just completed another painting in my series that I am doing from my travels to the Southern region of France.  This one is entitled "Late Afternoon in Sarlat".  It was a scene that I observed while in the medieval village of Sarlat roaming through the streets.  I saw this man holding his dog.  They both looked tired and ready to go home after a long day of walking around.  He was standing in the shadows of this old facade while further down, the sun was filtering in around the old stone buildings.   Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed being there.

Perigord Truffles

I am starting to create some paintings from my travels to the South West corner of France known as the Quercy Region. I am experimenting to get the texture on the old stone wall buildings found in almost all of the quaint, medieval villages in this region.  This is a scene from the town of Sarlat.  They are known for their truffles and foie gras.  This is just one of many shops along the way that sell the truffles.   I love the old stone buildings.  You have to be there to appreciate how the town looks and feels to a new visitor.

I hope to create at least 3 more in this same size format as I have the perfect subject matter for this series.  I have to do some artwork from this trip.  It was too special and unforgettable to not put into watercolor.

A Couple More Sketches

I had fun with this sketch book!  As you can see from the photo below, I did a sketch of the grounds at Haut Baran. I intend to fill it up with small scenes in and around the country estate.  I was so impressed with it all, that I would like to devote this book just for that.  They are light, and decorative motifs with a little french flair.  It felt good to loosen up a bit from my usually tight, finished watercolors.  It is summer after all!

Watercolor Workshop at Haut Baran

I know it has been awhile since I posted something of significance on my blog!  You probably wondered what happened to me.  Well a lot happened.  I was out of the country and traveled to France.  There for 10 days, I signed up for a watercolor workshop with fellow watercolor artist, Judy Morris.  As you can see, we were at a beautiful location in the southwest region of France.

All I can say is that it was a wonderful, inspiring experience with the company of one of the most  accomplished contemporary watercolor artist of our era.  We gathered ideas, reference photos, and shared techniques.  I observed Judy teaching her workshops and it was marvelous. 

We traveled to local villages and saw much history in the region.  We saw outdoor markets and went to a brocante, (french flea market). Here is a sample of some of my sketches and watercolor studies from the trip.

The following are photos of our studio.

Hope you can enjoy these shots as much as I loved taking them and being there.  This was an experience of a lifetime.  Now on to doing some serious artwork.

New Website

I have been spending the last few months in re-designing and updating my website. It is finished and on the net.  I learned how to use DreamWeaver from my Media & Communications classes so I am able to design and make my own.  I don't care for the "canned layouts" that several company's offer and I don't have to pay anyone else to create it for me.  A win, win.  I have left room on one of my pages for future paintings purposely to get me into the mode of new projects.

To take a look, click on the following:  http://paulafiebich.com/

On my contacts page, I have a column of interesting related links.  One of them being a tour of General Motors Design Center video of where I go to work everyday.  It is a behind the scenes tour that is not seen by the public as it is a very much a high security building.  Don't want all those future designs leaking out.