As I ponder my now sporadic studio time, I think it might behoove me to aim for some small victories with some smaller paintings. So that is how this 20x16" canvas came about. I will say though that smaller doesn't always mean quicker. I meant to finish this piece some time around last Wednesday but by Friday evening I still found myself putting on one more "final dab".  Any way, it is, for the most part, complete enough to come off of the easel and go into a frame for one final look. Sometimes just framing a painting can help me to see it anew and tell me what more (or less) it might need.

"Gardens Above the Valley Dordogne" Oil on Linen, 20x16"

The painting is of a garden  scene in the picturesque village of Beynac, made famous by the Chateau de Beynac, which I have painted and written of before here and here. The walk up from the river banks to the the chateau is every bit as memorable as a visit to the chateau itself. Everywhere one turns there are charming views up narrow passageways, or  breathtaking views over the Dordogne valley.