Artist Newsletter - Summer

A friend of mine who lives in northwest Scotland (and naturally knows a thing or two about weather!) insists there's no such thing as good or bad weather .... there's just "the weather".  Of course, I understand this point of view, but I must admit I've found it hard to be so calmly objective after nearly 4 months of continuous rain!  Suddenly, life is good again - thoughts of moving to drier, sunnier climes have been abandoned and the down-pours of early/midsummer are now but a distant memory!  Today, the sun is shining high up from a cloudless, azure sky - the heat tempered by a soft, cool breeze;  a seemingly endless succession of perfectly formed waves break gently onto the sandy shore and that special light, which inspires me to paint the beautiful coastlines of Brittany and Cornwall, has returned at last.

I can hear and see (just about) those gorgeous Atlantic breakers as I write this, sitting in my art gallery in Locquirec.  With a lick or two of paint, we've transformed a tired, old, empty shop into a fresh, bright space to display some of my most recent canvases. Perched on the end of a rocky peninsular in northern Finistere, this usually tranquil, seaside village is now chock-full of Parisians who, after airing out their holiday cottages and apartments, are now indulging in some serious sunbathing / surfing / swimming / kiteboarding / windsurfing .... followed by a lazy stroll around la pointe.  The beaches here, Pors Ar Villec and Les Sables Blancs - popular with surfers, dog-walkers and horse-riders - have been a great source of inspiration to me.  There are so many stunning parts to this coast, I'm delighted to add the first Paintings of France to my repertoire and hope you enjoy them too!

View my Paintings of France online here: http://www.melaniemcdonald.co.uk/gallery_paintings-of-france.htm

I find this rapport between the environment, the elements and human leisure activity both appealing and intriguing.  I discovered last year that the giant U.S. interior design retailer, Pottery Barn, also share this passion.  An email from their design team expressing an interest in my surfer work, culminated in PB Teen buying the publishing rights for 3 of my paintings.  Canvas Gallery Wraps of these images are now in their summer catalogue which finds its way each season to about 100 million homes world-wide!  Inspired to make my work appeal to a wider audience, I am now offering Gallery Canvas Wraps on my website. We've teamed up with Annie who reproduces superb images on to high quality canvas or paper.  Judging from the reaction so far, I predict that these prints are going to be very popular.  Actually, I ought to be careful what I say - truly, there's only one thing I can predict with any degree of certainty, that life, just like the weather, is UNpredictable!

À bientôt, Melanie xx

p.s. for more info, please click the links below

Canvas Gallery Wraps

My Gallery by the Beach

Surf Art for Pottery Barn Teen

NEW! Paintings of Windsurfers and Kitesurfers

Painting (top) - Sunset riders, Les Sables Blancs, Brittany, France
Painting (above) - Riding into the sun, Les Sables Blancs, Brittany, France

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