The first exhibition of the summer is up as of this morning! This is one of two exhibitions this year.

Location

This exhibition of 10 paintings will run from May 17th to August 31st and is being held at La Vallongue vineyard in Eygalières. This stunning property is worth visiting just for the driveway of Parasol pines along the Alpilles mountains. It’s located on the Route de Destet, in the regional park.

You can see visit during opening hours :

Saturday	10 am–1 pm, 2–7 pm
Sunday	10 am–1 pm, 2–7 pm
Monday	10 am–1 pm, 2–7 pm
Tuesday	10 am–1 pm, 2–7 pm
Wednesday	10 am–1 pm, 2–7 pm
Thursday	10 am–1 pm, 2–7 pm
Friday	10 am–1 pm, 2–7 pm

Vernissage

The vernissage, or official opening night, will be June 18th at 7pm. Come have a gander, say hi and a glass of wine.

Process and Themes

(Thoughts on) Oil Painting and Gesture 

Painting landscapes, especially with oil, is soaked in precedent and expectation. Especially painting the same scenes once painted by Cézanne, Van Gogh and the like, there’s a lot of predetermined ideas that people have when they see my work. I use an impasto style, lots of textured paint, no underdrawing, and I work alla prima, or wet on wet. For some reason people assume that oil painting takes a long time; but for me, it’s not the painting but the preparation that takes a long time. I spend hours looking at the blank canvas, mixing paints and stirring up the energy within myself to make the first mark.

I like my work to be closer to drawing rather than painting; I feel it’s more interesting to see the humanity in the brushstrokes, decisions, mistakes and gestures. I feel this energetic way of painting with tactile textures best evokes the limestone and gnarled bark of olives, in essence, the rugged landscapes of Provence. 

Sunflowers 

There’s something about sunflowers. The height of their bloom is filled with such vibrancy in comparison to their desiccated black seed heads. All flowers are symbols of our transient nature; but sunflowers showcase a contrasted vitality and decay that cannot be ignored. They are an embodiment of the South of France in the popular imagination; directly depicting the brilliant sunlight contrasted with often harsh weather conditions. Their devotion to the sun is touching. I grow them in the garden. All kinds of varieties. They grow like trees, their stalks a symbol of strength. The highlight of my summer days is seeing their transformation, sometimes opening petal by petal. There is an anthropomorphic element to sunflowers, they have such character. This is why I’ve named my sunflowers series “sunflower portraits.” Small versions of these are available for visitors to the studio.

Van Gogh claimed that sunflowers were “his”. It’s easy to see his influence on my work. I’ve decided that 2026 is the year of the sunflower for me, an homage to Vah Gogh, and an homage to Provence. 

Fleeting Moments 

My first creative outlet was black and white photography. I experimented with Holga cameras and then used a Hasselblad for my portraits, nudes and various artistic projects. I developed an affinity the square format. When depicting landscapes, there is something that feels complete or final when using a horizontal format. I’ve found that using a square or vertical format allows the viewer to feel like they’re in the landscape more, as if it’s a fleeting moment in front of them. I often take photos from moving cars for inspiration, or aim to give the sense that the landscape is enveloping you, as if you’re in the olive groves. You become part of the subject, part of nature. 

Oil Paintings

All prices below are including the 5,5% TVA/VAT. If exported outside of the EU, 5,5% TVA will be deducted from the price. The paintings on linen are custom made 400g thick linen. There is a subtle watermark on the bottom right hand of these photos for copyright reasons. It is not on the painting.

Alpilles Landscapes

Sous le Ciel de Provence, Eygalières
80x80cm
Huile sur lin/Oil on linen
1635€

Après le Mistral, Les Baux de Provence
80x80cm 
Huile sur lin / Oil on linen
1635€ 

Matin sur l’Olivier, Les Baux de Provence
80x80cm 
Huile sur lin / Oil on linen
1635€ 

This painting is a commission and is sold*

La Vallongue, Mai
80x100cm
Huile sur lin 
2110€

Sunflowers

The below 2 paintings are ideally a diptych.

Portrait de Tournesol; César
90x90cm 
Huile sur lin / Oil on linen
2110€

Portrait des Tournesols; Marius & Fanny
90x90cm 
Huile sur lin / Oil in linen
2110€

Souvenir du Midi
100x120cm
Huile sur coton / Oil on canvas
2720€

Bouquet d’Été
80x80cm 
Huile sur coton / Oil on canvas
1635€ 

Portrait de Tournesol; Apolline
200x200cm
Huile sur coton
6330€

Payment & Shipping

If you’d like to buy a painting, it would be wonderful if you’d be willing to wait until the exhibition is over at the end of August. However, if you absolutely can’t wait, I understand and paintings can be taken off the walls from the beginning of July after the vernissage.

If you’re not in the area and need shipping, we ship the paintings rolled in a tube with the wooden stretchers. Any professional framer can re-stretch the canvas for you. If you are in the area, and the size necessitates, the painting can be delivered to you. If you’re passing through, they can also be taken on the plane rolled in a tube. Depending on the airline, they may or may not charge you for the additional luggage.

Payment can be made in person in the atelier with credit card, by wire transfer directly with the bank, or I can send you a payment link with Wise.

If you’d like to see more paintings, feel free to contact me to come see what I have available in the atelier. Commissions are also possible. They take about a month to paint, then three months to dry.

My email : curiousprovence@gmail.com

– Ashley