Ronelle's Garden

I find Ronelle's card totally enchanting. It shows her immediate, emotional response to the beauty of these white geraniums growing in her garden in France. Such delicate work, done in aquarelle, and exactly as it should be to convey her delight in these flowers.

But look at the image on the envelope, done on handmade paper and showing a masterly touch with gouache.

I am so pleased to own these beautiful artistic works by Ronelle. Thankyou.

Castiglion Florentino

Robyn Sinclair
Watercolor on paper

Robyn sketched this postcard in Paris, France when she was on vacation last month and then she said she painted it in Italy when she got home.  It is lovely and a real treat for me because I was at this shop a gazillion years ago and it seems like yesterday.  This card is also special because some of us in the Postcard From My Walk group helped Sennelier with a study for their new formula of watercolor paint that has now just become available to the public.  Robyn said she hadn't realized it was beside the river, on the Left Bank.  It really was Sketchercise getting there and back.

PS the stamp is very cool, too. 

Postcard from Ronelle

I've been greatly looking forward to getting Ronelle's postcard as I've been a big fan of her work for years. What a lovely surpise it was to see her characteristically fresh, vibrant style coupled with a cool, muted winter palatte! It was done in inks, watercolour, gouache and pen and in the flesh it has wonderful texture too with raised splatters of gouache.

 

The envelope, containing some lovely arty goodies, was instantly recognisable with another beautiful splashy guoache sketch! Thank you Ronelle, for this amazing treasure!

Roof Top Ambiance

Here it is….Ta Da! 

Ronelle’s postcard. 

Roof Tops of Vayrac, France

Ronelle said she painted this scene, from a hill top, of a cute little village she likes to go to, for the best coffee and ambiance. You can see even the roof tops have ambiance, let alone having a bistro that serves great coffee. I am on a plane tomorrow for that…..I Wish! Of course when you have something like this in your hand every line and wash of vibrant color just makes your heart tingle.

Here is a corner of the envelope.

As always, when you get something form

Ronelle, even the envelope is deliciously rendered.

I am so sorry to say that this is the last postcard I will receive from our 14 month adventure of the blog “A Postcard From My Walk”.  And Yep!, I have 14 original paintings from 14 great artists (that I soooo! respect) and from all over the world.

Sheep - With a little French Chic!

This is Ronelle's card to me.  A gorgeous array detailing some of her neighbours sheep.  I love the way she has managed to catch their expressions.  The one on the far right looks extraordinarily haughty, looking down her nose as if to say "La, who are you interrupting our lunch time?"   I think she has been to see a coiffeur to have her eyelashes curled - only a French sheep could look that chic!  

The envelope matches the card with another wonderfully expressive painting. As others have said in previous posts, Ronelle's use of gouache  against the brown of the envelope works really well.  I don't have any gouache paints nor do I have any brown tinted paper - but I might have to go out and purchase some! 

Fresh from Coin Perdu

I'm not sure exactly which month this card was scheduled for - in between Ronelle going through a hectic time, and it sitting unannounced in my local post office - at last I got a notice that this envelope was 'still' waiting to be collected. Addressed to Mme, I knew who it would be from and was as excited as a child to see the brown envelope and the familiar free, exuberant style of the sketch on the front. Inside, it was Christmas come early with another joyous sketch of the old 1840 outside bread oven at Coin Perdu, Ronelle's private paradise, which will one day be converted into her atelier - and the treats hinted at by previous lucky postcard-from-Ronelle recipients - what a breath of warm, freshly baked tourte et pain from France.

I want to be in this Potager.

Marília   Africantapestry and Myfrenchkitchen  has now left Coin Perdu for the winter but took one last chance to sketch the potager in all its glorious chaotic state. 

Her description of "all over the place tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, herbs, marigolds, celery and physalis hiding their golden fruits in gentle yet firm lanterns, soon to explode with seductive sweetness" paints such a wonderful word picture. But you can see that from this lovely sketch which captures the scene in the potager at this time of year. I love the way Marilia uses pen and watercolour so spontaneously and lyrically to tell the story of the place.

Then there's the envelope showing the

" white pumpkins stretching their arms in every direction and ruling the garden with dominant huge canopies " beautifully done in mixed media.

I want to be there too - I can almost see the insects scurrying around exploring the new wildness as the garden returns to its untamed state .

A vision of topiary in France

Topiary in the front garden of the Chateau Dumas

I've been waiting a long time for my postcard from Bridget Hunter.  First of all it went astray - except I didn't know I was due to get it.  So then I had to wait until the end of the month to work out who might have sent my missing postcard - because of who had not had a painting listed in the month.

I finally worked out it was Bridget, wrote her an email and she very kindly agreed to send a second one. In fact she painted three in total as she decided it was boring doing the same one again!

So this truly beautiful postcard - which I am so very pleased to now own - is of the Chateau Dumas in South West France.  Bridget recently stayed there during a spell of gorgeous weather and describes it as a painter's paradise, inside and outside, with a still life or landscape around every corner!

This particular view is of the formal garden at the front of the house.  Bridget shares a love of topiary with me.  She says that the beautifully shaped bushes made her feel as if she was in the garden of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland.

Ripe red berries fom Coin Perdu

Ronelle van Wyk sent me this lovely little painting from her summer place in France. It’s on papyrus, of all things, which adds wonderfully to her spontaneously exuberant style.  As always, Ronelle cradled the painting carefully, along with some lovely surprises, in an envelope sporting another of her unique splashy pictures.  Isn’t it a treat?

Sunshine and Summer happiness from Ronelle

Pure Sunshine from Ronelle

I have to start off by apologising for not posting this earlier when it arrived - it's part of last months exchange.  

This delicious piece of sunshine and pure exuberant happiness dropped through my door at just the right time when things weren't good for me with family health worries.   What a lift!

On the reverse a lovely study of the leaves

That plant is just bristling with life and energy and the spirit of summer :>)  You have such an individual and expressive style Ronelle.

And even the envelope is beautiful

Ronelle thank you :>) - it really did come at the right moment - and the secret extras that I can't talk about because some of you have those yet to come - fantastic!  again merci beaucoup.

A Postcard from (Four Go Painting in) Provence

A little ray of sunshine arrived for me yesterday - not from Italy as you would think coming from Robyn - but from Provence, where she was sharing an artist's holiday that we would all have loved to joined in on with Katherine, Ronell and Sarah. Looking at this, I can just imagine the four of them sitting over... café au lait..? a beautiful beaujolais..? (a bit early for that judging by the blue blue sky perhaps - or perhaps not), gazing out of this window - see another version of it here -  and talking and talking and planning what to paint and how to paint it, in oils, or watercolour, or gouache... It's such a lovely soupçon of their time together and a beautiful, bright souvenir for me to keep and treasure, thank you Robyn, I'm so happy to have a peep through this sunny window!

A cold, but sunny afternoon-postcard from Cathy to Ronelle

...a bright splash of colour...camelia..

Our postman complains all the time. First it is about the mailbox not being the standard size. We have an old vintage one from 1930.
Then he complains because the rules say it should be locked. I don't care much for keys.
His biggest complain is probably about the narrow road in which he can't make a U-turn, he has to pull back up all the way uphill in reverse.
So when the postman visits and I'm outside, he recites his whole poem of complaints while handing me the mail. I am then depressed for the whole of the day, because I don't want him to be unhappy, but I also don't want to give in to all his boring demands.

But, according to Hartman who received the card when I was in Provence, on delivering Cathy's card the postman didn't complain a single word, instead, he patati patata'd the whole time about the "jolie envelope"! What a delight for both of us...me and my postman!

...une jolie envelope...!

...A sunny wintry afternoon at Emmarentia dam in South Africa...
watercolor and pen on watercolor paper, 25,5x18cm

..and some detail ...

Thank you for a special card Cathy, with all its snippets of typical South African delicacies...rooibos tea from Eleven o'clock....Jungle oats....and redro fishpaste - how I hated that as a child, well, I probably still do, but now I love the memory of that hate!!

A french cafe and croissant

You can imagine how big my grin was when I received this wonderful envelope in the post..it had 'to Liz' written all over it and inside a beautiful card from Ronelle!

She describes her visits for cafe and croissant at her favourite brasserie 'les voyageurs'

"We catch up and share with slow tempo in the days activities that await us, we talk about the weather, always very important of course; we wonder what Sarkozy will be up to next and we stand together in showing our dismay about the rising gas prices! We might then drop in at the fresh market for our veggies and we'll say our goodbyes loudly and cheerfully, invigorated by caffeine and good relationships."

I love that last line! Thanks Ronelle - I love my card and package SOOO much!!!

The bridge and the birds at Montlouis sur Loire

People joke about those who will go the opening of an envelope!  However, if you ever get the opportunity to go the opening of an envelope from Ronelle van Wyk (African Tapestry) you MUST GO!

It's a real treat!  With added extras.  ;)  Ronelle is all about added extras! I oooed and aahhed and generally had a good time when I opened mine

I'm not saying any more than that about "the extras" so as not to spoil the surprise for my fellow Sketchercisers who will in turn get their envelope from Ronell!

Anyway, first off there is the envelope which I have down in the category of "added value" for both me and the postmen who have handled it.   Lovely pen and ink and watercolour sketches of the "muettes"  flying around the Loire

"Les Birdies sur le Loire" - sketch on an envelope by Ronelle van Wyk

Inside there were a couple of more sketches of birds on the reverse of Ronelle's sketch of the railway bridge over the Loire in February at Montlouis sur Loire - which I've been to!  That's a real February sky!

Pont de Montlouis by Ronelle van Wyk
pencil and watercolour

I so admire people who can just touch in watercolour here and there.  I've always wanted to be able to do that but somehow my brush manages to try to cover the whole sheet before I know it.

Here's what Ronelle has to say about the bridge and the birds

Dear Katherine

A loire sketch for you - the Montlouis birdge that has been bombed 13 times in WWII (by the Americans no less!!) and is the only bridge still standing.  How is that for hope and determination?  

The "muettes" are starting to nest on the islands in the Loire and along with all the bulbs peeping through the dark soil, Spring is tickling us with the desire to renew our lives..... our houses, our habits...like Sketchercise

I wish you the same... strength and determination like the Pont de Montlouis, renewal like the arrival of the Muettes and a non-stop flow of creativity like "La Loire".

Gros bisous

Ronelle

PS  It is a postcard even if it is a bit big - it has two stamps to prove it!

Ronelle van Wyk sketching the Loire - February 2011

It must be so lovely to be able to walk out of your front door and go and look at and sketch the Loire whenever you want to!

Now I wonder whose postcard I will get next month?

Postcards from Ronell

Thank you Ronell!

First I got shocked when I took your envelope out of the mailbox. The people at the post office have had so many other places to stick the labels on but they had to do it right in the center of the image.

But luckily the labels could be easily removed. (before scanning I've put them on my address)

And how surprising there was another card inside in company with some delicious and useful things. One part is already gone... the other one has to wait for proper weather...

I suppose your lovely cards represent some scenes of your home town. You must have a brilliant view over the Loire river. I love the way you sketch and use watercolor. Isn't it great to live next to a river? I enjoy sit on the banks of the Neckar or Rhine River which is a bit further away - always looking for a willow tree. Thank you so much!

A postcard from Albrecht in Germany.

Thank you Albrecht!
rissler art | drawing landscapes | photo community

The last time I can remember being so excited about my mailbox, was two years ago, when I've been doing the Flying pictures project...an international sketchbook exchange.

And once again, like that time, I've been all over the mailbox every day for the last week or two, which is unnatural behavior for me, because I don't answer a telephone and I don't check the mailbox.





And so my post card from Germany finally arrived...a beautiful view on the main street of Heidelberg in Germany. And he wrote on the postcard..."cold!!" With his choices of color he added, it does look cold! (Image to the right)

A week later, another one. This time, a graphite sketch from Ladenburg, at the Neckar river, andIi'm sure it's a willow tree...his favorite tree to draw and paint. (Image at the top)
Both of them, true Albrecht Rissler style.

I also want to show a video where Albecht was interviewed while drawing a willow tree by the Rhine river in Germany. Arte was doing a 4 episode broadcast on the Rhine river and its life and activities..


You can start watching at 8:54 to see Albrecht draw.

For those not understanding German or French,
"Albrecht expressed his love for drawing the willow tree, a robust tree growing on the banks of the Rhin. From the first time he saw the willow he knew it would be a tree he would enjoy capturing, because of its impressive form and shapes and the special balance between the massive trunks and the branches spreading out above."

Follow the link to see his television appearance.

EDIT: It seems the video is offline, which renders it unavailable for the moment. I hope it will be back online soon.
thanks!!

a bientot!
Ronelle
Africantapestry