Sue Boal - Painting in the South of France
Coastal and Lake Scenes
Killary Harbour, Connemara
Size 71x51 cm
I wanted to capture the peace and serenity of this beautiful place. The colours are muted in the half-light and the clouds are beginning to lift. The sun is turning the mountains to gold. The tranquil water is icy and clear.
Hallsands, the village that fell into the sea
Size 40x30 cm
This painting shows all that remains of the fishing village of Hallsands in Devon. A chapel has existed on the site since at least 1506 and the ruins still perch on the edge of the cliffs today. The population had reached 159 by 1891. In August of 1896 permission was requested to dredge shingle from along the coast between Hallsands and neighbouring Beesands to expand the naval dockyard in Plymouth. The subsequent erosion caused the beach to fall and the cliffs to crumble. Several homes were lost to the sea over the years but on January 26th 1917, a combination of easterly gales and exceptionally high tides breached Hallsands' defences and delivered the coup de grace. Miraculously no-one was killed, but the villagers were now homeless.
We have often walked along this part of the Devon coast. The atmosphere of loss and loneliness is tangible.
I gave this painting to George and Lyn in thanks for the website and for their constant friendship and support.
The Tempest
Size 55x38 cm
The Cornish coast is well known for the storms that can spring up from an apparently clear blue sky. The sea begins to seethe almost before the dark cloud fills the sky. The colours in the sea are interesting, foam sparkles like the inside of a shell, pale grey, pink contrasting with strong dark colours as the waves swell.
This was a gift for my closest friend ever, Irene.
Moonshine's watery beams
Size 65x50 cm
The title is a quotation from the Queen Mab speech in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It's a romantic subject, the moonlit beach is waiting for somebody or something - why not Queen Mab herself!
The Wave
Size 55x46 cm
This is the last in my short series of Cornish beach paintings. I've tried to find rocky beaches with atmosphere here in the South of France and I'm still looking. The beaches here are lovely - often broad and sandy, but I'm looking for something more dramatic. Any suggestions are welcome. I'm pleased with the misty headland and the sun on the rocks where the waves break I wanted to be able to remember the feel of the spray on my face, the smell of the sea and the cry of the gulls wheeling on the wind.
Poem of Anjou
Size 61x50 cm
These little boats are typical of this lovely region of France. I hope that this painting conveys some of the peace and tranquillity of this lovely region of France.
Mull of Kintyre
Size 70x50 cm
Speaks for itself. Thanks to George for inspiring this painting and framing it for me.
Interiors of buildings in Languedoc Collioure, Carcassonne and Castles Churches, Chapels and Bridges Shells and Driftwood Other Paintings
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