Tag Archives: Les Éboulements

Early Autumn Colours

The Covid-19 is with us still and persists into our daily lives. Luckily for visual artists, we are use to working alone in our studios and although we enjoy company on plein air excursions this too can be accomplished solo.

Here are two recent oil paintings completed from memory in my studio. One is my sister’s garden which she tends to daily cleaning out old vegetation and feeding her fish. Below this is my memory of fog lifting on a warm fall day as I painted with my friend and artist Margo Rivard on the road leading into Les Éboulements, Qc.

Ruth’s Water Garden, oil on canvas, 30×24, 2020

September Fog, oil on canvas, 36×24, 2020

My June, 2016

Les Jardins Quarter-Vents , Malbaie, Qc, Quincyhammond.com

This past month we obtained tickets to view the Jardins de Quarter-Vents in MalBaie, Qc. For this season 2016 all dates are full but for 2017 start to look in November at Centre Écologigue de Port du Salmon .The guides are well informed volunteers; it takes 2 and 1/2 hours; most tours are in the French language. It is a visual feast of colour, texture, architecture and designed to please the eye. No time was allowed to sketch here but I did these later in the day at St. Joseph de Rive and Les Éboulements.

Early Morning, St Joseph de Rive, Qc

Church Parking Lot, Les Éboulements, Qc

Charlevoix Plein Air 2016

Purple Haze, Les Éboulements, oil, 12x24

Linda Denis, Purple Haze, Les Éboulements, oil, 12×24, 2004

The Charlevoix region is a mecca for all artists. We, the plein air artists come to translate the beauty of the people, animals and landscape with our choice of medium; oil paint, watercolour, ink or pencil.

For myself, the voyage begins in the village of Baie St.Paul acclaimed for art, architecture, culinary specialities (local cheeses, meats, legumes) and their regional beer. The best lunch is a simple sandwich at Joe Smoked Meat, a gathering place for both locals and tourists. No matter the season, it is always open for business.

We pass the next 4 days at Auberge de nos Aïeux, Les Éboulements. We eat a breakfast of choice; omelette or thin french crêpes with maple syrup. The supper is three courses with ingredients like cod, arctic char, boudin, followed by desserts: delicate and light.

We are here to paint outdoors but the weather is not cooperating. Monday, a snow storm brings about 4 inches of snow and treacherous driving but before we give up most have completed one or two piece. Tuesday, is heavy fog but we descend the steep hill down to St. Joseph de la Rive where we have a clear site to the village homes, shipyard, and shoreline just until L’isle aux Coudres .Wednesday, just perfect for outdoor painting.

Below are some of my watercolour sketches.

Sailor’s Church, St. Joseph de La Rive, wc, 2016

Blessed, Les Éboulements, wc, 2016

Closed for the season, St. Irenée, wc, 2016

Closed for Season, St. Irenée, wc, 2016

Shipyard,St. Joseph de la Rive, watercolour, 2016

Shipyard, St. Joseph de la Rive, wc, 2016

Shoreline, St. Joseph de La Rive, wc, 2014

Les Éboulements, Almost Spring

www.jallisonrobichaud.com

The usual and other hardy souls arrive to spend four days of outdoor painting in Charlevoix, Qc. There is plenty of subject matter for all taste; villages, woodlots, cattle or horses, the waters of St. Lawrence, and the mountainous terrain near Les Grands Jardins. Home base is the Auberge de Nos Aïeux in Les Éboulements where we are welcomed with great food, a view of L’Isle -aux-Coudre, le Massif and the ferry crossing at Saint Joseph-de-la-Rive.

Oil painting by Sturat Main, 9 3/4 by 13 3/4, 2015

Stuart Main, Catching the Warm Sun, oil, 2015

Stuart Main, Allison Robichaud and Catherine Young Bates have for years outsmarted us. They know the best places to paint, how to prevent frostbite and very important where to park our cars so as not to be wiped out by logging trucks.

Catherine Bates Young, oil, www.cybates.com

Catherine Young Bates, oil, www.cybates.com

No Venezia sketchbook this time. I bring my easel, a wide mouthed thermos for water, watercolour sheets, a metal palette and a few brushes. After setting up, I leave most of my gear in the warm car except a mechanical pencil and paper. The sketching precedes fast and I fetch the other essential tools. Then I put my first wash on to see jack frost playing on my paper so a higher angle catches the hot sun rays. Then granular ice particles start forming on my palette but the sketch is finished.

Linda Denis, Baie- St- Paul, Qc, watecolour

Linda Denis, Baie-Saint-Paul the Three Spirals, watercolour, 2015

A special thanks to Daniel Brunet, who works at the desk of the Auberge. He is a local artist who keeps his studio open year round and enjoys the company of other artists. Juan Cristobal, another full time Charlevoix artist and teacher takes time out to paint with us. We appreciate his reminder to pay attention to where we park. Knock on the door, if you wish to paint close to a farm yard or residence and a 99% warm welcome is a certainty.

Some more watercolours from my paint out in Charlevoix, Qc

View down hill to Saint-Iréneé,Qc

Municipalité Saint-Hilarion, Qc

Quai at St. Iréneé, Qc

Les Éboulements, Qc

For many years, usually the first or second week of April a group of plein air painters make their way to Auberge de Nos Aïeux. Some like the comradeship of a group outing while others do their own thing. In the evening after supper the comments start: Water is deep, here we climb over snow banks or wow you nailed it. Yes, we need to get in touch with nature.

Allison Robichaud makes the pilgrimage to Les Éboulements every year. This year he brings with him his most recent book, titled Plein Air Painting by a Plein Air Master. It is a great read, loaded with helpful hints, advice and stories. He sells the book at cost : 25$ delivered by post. Here is his email, robisnow at ebtech.net Below are a few images of Allison paintings completed this spring. The snow was plentiful, the fog heavy and the wind bone chilling.

: J.A. Robichaud, Les Eboulements, oil, 2014

: J.A.Robichaud, Les Eboulements, oil, 2014

: J.A. Robichaud, Les Eboulements, oil, 214

This spring I went to paint at the local church, the big one on the hill not the small sailor’s church at the edge of the river in St-Joseph- de- la Rive. The church yard is empty and lots of space to park and I get out of the cold blowing wind. In the past an elderly lady comes to chat with me but not this year. She tells me about the theft of doves and angels from the tombstones. Then we talk about all the young children buried here. As she says, it only in recent times that we have our children for life. I feel melancholy and start to paint the Angel with the missing leg.

Linda Denis, Cast Iron Angel Tombstone, oil, 2014