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Landscape Paintings by Julian Merrow-Smith
A field of barley, Malucene
35 x 25 cms, oil on linen, June 2000
Private collection, USA
Hamlet near Sault, Summer
33 x 22 cms, oil on linen, 2003
Private collection, USA
Harvest Storm
33 x 46 cms, oil on linen, 2002
Private Collection, Japan
This painting shows a view looking towards Aurel from below the village of Sault, one of the centres of the lavender industry in Provence. In summer, from mid July until mid August, the valley is a spectacular
patchwork of golden wheatfields and purple lavender.
The Valley of Sault
24x16 cms, oil on board, July 2000.
Private Collection, USA
A painting looking towards Vaison-la-Romaine from a minor road which by-passes Malucene on its way from Le Barroux. The screen of trees provided an interesting flat contrast to the road and the distant mountains.
The road to Vaison-la-Romaine
46x37 cms, oil on linen, July 2000-2001 .
Private collection, France
This was painted in the same valley as 'The road to Vaison' above,
and started the same day couple of hours earlier
Matin
37x46 cms, oil on canvas linen, July 2000.
private collection, USA
A small oil sketch made from a point just along the road from 'Un Maison dans les Collines', but this time looking west across the Rhône valley. I was drawn to the graphic quaility of the track which
sweeps into the picture from the right, and climbs up sharply to the crest of the hill just right of centre. The track acts as counter balance to the right to left fall of the slope seeming to hold back
the block of trees pressing down from the right. This sense of a crashing wave is picked up by the serpentine motif of the track where it breaks, letting the eye fall to the left before being drawn back
round into the picture by the spiralling undertow of the hillside bounded by the trees.
Mountain Track in Provence
24x16 cms, oil on canvas board, Oct 1998.
private collection USA
This scene took a great deal of hunting out, I knew what I wanted to find, but it took many hours of tramping along river banks to eventually get just the right sense of evening light and Autumn colour. Painted over three evenings near Bedarrides,
in the chill November wind, and then finished with time for reflection in the studio.
Autumn on the Ouvèse
30x40 cms, oil on canvas, Oct 1998
Private collection, UK