Joseph Z Paints Provence
In September 2020, we will be hosting world-renowned watercolor artist, Joseph Zbukvic’s painting workshop in Provence. Joseph is one of the most highly regarded watercolor masters of our time, and it is hardly surprising that his work is quickly acquired by art lovers, or that his workshops sell out with waitlists. You can imagine what a triple threat it might be when Joseph joins two other internationally renowned watercolor masters to create a single painting. This is exactly what was done for Graeme Stevenson’s long-running Australian TV Series (now in its 20th season) Colour In Your Life, which profiles artists, their techniques, and their works. In this episode, Joseph was joined in his Fitzroy, Melbourne studio by watercolorists Herman Pekel and Alvaro Castagnet.
Colour In Your Life
The Colour In Your Life cameras rolled as these three extraordinary individuals—obviously fantastic friends and great admirers of each other’s work—created a breathtaking Melbourne street scene including a church, a train station and several buildings, with traffic, pedestrians and even the three of them (dubbed the “Three Amigos”) are worked into the painting. Brushing on color as if all three artists were taking instructions from a single mind, the work comes strikingly to life. They even make sure to deliberately switch places so that there won’t be three separate styles—it’s a unified whole from a combined fourth artist, if you will.
As an aside, I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Graeme Stevenson, Colour In Your Life producer—who is a world-class artist in his own right—at the Plein Air Convention and Expo in San Francisco last April. I also met Joseph there for the first time and was able to present him with a lovely bottle of French wine with a custom Joseph Zbukvic wine label!
It’s amazing who you meet when you turn up at at such events, including the Figurative Art Convention and Expo, and of course our very own Workshops in France.
And, to sign up for our Joseph Zbukvic Workshop. Register here.
Detail from Joseph Zbukvic’s watercolor painting.
Blogger: Julie Snyder
Julie Snyder is a professional artist and also the programs director of Workshops In France. A native of Scotland, she is a seasoned traveler who splits her time between California and France. You can learn more about her role with Workshops in France here.
Check out more blogs about art workshops, tips and hacks for artists traveling in France, Scotland and Italy.
Sorolla at the Hôtel de Caumont, Aix-en-Provence
For anyone attending one of our two Lavender Art Retreats near Aix-en-Provence this summer, there will be an extra special added event: the Hôtel de Caumont Art Centre in Aix-en-Provence will be presenting an exhibition of the Spanish painter Joaquin Sorolla, entitled Joaquin Sorolla, Spanish Lights.
Americans in Paris, George Gershwin and Gene Kelly
When Workshops in France partners with Vanessa Rothe Fine Art to present the historical workshop Americans In Paris Paint Provence in September of this year, we will be following a tradition that goes well beyond painting.
The Deal With All the Kissing in France…and How to Handle It.
When coming to one of our French workshops for the first time—or simply making a visit to France—you may be startled and perhaps even thrown a curve by all the kissing that goes on. Legendary songwriter and painter Joni Mitchell, a frequent visitor to France, certainly noted it in her song, “In France They Kiss On Main Street.”
