Auvers Van Goghs Blue Church on the hill my version
But I knew that. 
This article based on a forensic analysis of his death says otherwise. 
Of course I can’t get to my sketchbook and share a map of Auvers. It’s in Augusta and I am not.
Go on a Viking Seine River cruise in the winter and they will take you to Auvers since Monets Giverny near Normandy closes in October.
Margaret in Atlanta with the grandkids. Xoxoxox
Saint Maclou Église is looking close to done. Hurrah. Because I don’t feel like painting today. Sharing the pics of the process so far I darkened the sky in this one w a mix of cobalt and a dab of Vlads neutral tint.
Built in 1436 or should I say started, St Maclou is a late gothic style known as Flamboyant. It’s over the top in its frills. Gleaming in the sun it looks like a large wedding cake.
Before I darkened the sky to make St Maclou pop. I also added a red orange mix – cad red light and cad yellow light – to the church door to demand your attention. Aka focus your eye. 
Still needs a lot of work on the left building but thinking right buildings may be done. 
Adding the people. I used Cheap Joes Andrews Turquiose and cad red which are opaque colors to make the jackets stand out all of which I dry brushed on taking advantage of the opaque color. 
adding details and detail washes on buildings. 
detailing buildings 
Dumped my photo into waterlogue to see if it would have a clue or two on how to paint. Love the red building but it would detract from my focus the church. 
Have always thought this could make a great painting. Rouen Cathedral in waterlogue. A free ap that turns your photos into watercolors. Sometimes doing s great job sometimes NOT. 
The sketch which took forever. Drawing on rough paper is NOT easy. especially when you want alot of straight lines.
The sketch I did of St Maclou when I was in Rouen in the square sitting in front of the Église aka church in a drizzly rain like today eating a meringue from a nearby patisserie. Of course not all the people were there at the same time. I just added them as they walked by. Then finished drawing the background houses. the medieval house on the right is the one to the right of the church in my larger painting.
Another artist painted St Maclou back in the 1890s. He turned the square in front into a fairytale story book like setting.
Margaret hoping she gets busy soon. So many paintings to paint and then there’s the house that needs a good cleaning. xoxoxoxo
When we went to France we went to The Normandy Invasion Sites. Aka Operation Overlord aka D Day.
The French in Normandy seriously love Americans because they know we saved them. This is a sketch of one of the Canadian cemeteries at Birn Sur Mer. We were there on Veterans Day and many of the people on the tour had uncles buried there leaving roses on their graves. 
The Canadian DDay Museum a fascinating place that looks like a maple leaf from above. It’s made with aluminum sheathing that glows in the light. 
Arrowmanche which still has implacements from the invasion in their harbor. I almost got left behind by the bus while I was drawing this sketch. 🤣 We suffer for our art.
Ranville. The first city the Allies freed in Normandy also a site of another allied cemetery. The church is still pockmarked with canon shell holes. 
Mushrooms outside another museum we visited.
Pegasus Bridge Museum where the British paratroopers landed BEFORE the D Day invasion. Out of the 600 that parachuted in only 165 survived the nights shooting.
Another page I just dug up. The leader of the British paratroopers.
The invasion maps. – The la song sites -Utah Omaha Gold Juno and Sword Beaches – among rh coast of Normandy near Bayeux home of the famous tapestry and Areowmanches where the Bristish established Mulberry harbor a temporary port for the allies. Remnants of it can still be seen today.
Memorial at the American cemetery at Omaha Beach. 
More Omaha beach pictures. One thing you can say about France sunny one minute cloudy and raining the next.
The bravery of these men was amazing and we and the French will all be forever grateful. The stories of them abound still in Normandie.
Oh bytw several shows on tonite on the National Geographic channel with actual footage from the invasions tonite. Have my dvr set.
Margaret getting ready to eat her chicken noodle soup. Xoxoxo
A crazed person
Deadline for Georgia Watercolor Show is June 10. It will be here soon. 
Looking toward St Mcclou in Rouen Normandy France. Half sheet rough Fabriano 300#
This one took quite a while and still needs some people added to it. Remember you can add anyone if their heads line up with the dark dot which is the vanishing point on the horizon line. A tall guy could be a little higher but a shorter lady on that horizon line. By doing this you can add anyone into a painting even if they were never there.
Ps remember adding odd numbers of people is better than even. And assorted sizes would be more interesting.
Looking toward Van Goghs blue church in Auvers sur Oise France the town Van Gogh died in. Half sheet Fabriano rough 300#
Also where he’s buried just to the right of this church. Near the wheat field with all the crows that he painted. Too bad we didn’t make his funeral. His brother Theo gave everyone there one of his paintings if you wanted one! 
Not six months later Theo died and was buried next to Vincent.
All those wobbly 900 year old medieval buildings made it Difficult to sketch this. Add in all the gothic spires on St Maclou – well shoot me. So I gridded the photograph and the sketch. I used a light grey watercolor pencil on the drawing so hopefully it will melt away when I paint it tomorrow.
I also have to move the girl in the foreground either right or left. Broke one of the Dean of watercolor painters rules by sticking her in the middle. Never do that either. Drop in one or two more people and I am ready to painting this one too.
And I started the day off drawing at the dealership while I waited for my Prius’ check up. I am too lazy to get up and take a pic of those.
Stay tuned. Manana!
My evening visitor. Zoe did NOT like him a bit. I think he or she is kinda cute. Just a little small young raccoon.
Margaret putting her feet up for a well deserved rest Xoxoxoxo
Been working on this all day today. Takes a while in between washes to dry.
Rue de Gros Horlage in Rouen Normandy France. Thinking maybe it’s done or close?! Now to stare at it a while. It will tell me one way or the other. rough 300# fabriano
adding more darks to windows and doors and people. 
Wash on wash.
First wash
The sketch.
Now Officially too tahred to type more
Margaret staring at the painting
Decided to add this lady to my sketchbook as a memory page. 
She meets me at the back sliding door and peers thru the glass this way and that as if to say are you there. Where’s my breakfast??? It’s very funny.
Hahnemuhle Journal twisbee pen Charles Reid palette colors and Vlads neutral tint which is dioxzine purple indigo and burnt sienna.
Advantage of using his neutral tint or making your own is that you can shift it to blue purple or brown maki g it a flexible grey that Vlad never paints without it on his palette.
Miss squirrel earlier added some ground under her feet with the neutral tint so the nice highlights on them would show. And splattered it a bit with the neutral tint.
wouldn’t let me upload these pics yesterday. 😵😵😵
Seems I have run out of storage on WordPress. I either have to Del a lot of old photos which is oh so difficult to do or pay $200 more a year for unlimited storage. Groan.
wouldn’t let me upload this one either so added it today.
So while I am deciding I Del a lot of my friends nudes and I bet the pages look like Swiss cheese. Sorry friends and dear readers. I still love you.
Here’s the final painting again. Do wish I had left the metal strip on the side.
That freed up a little space.
wondering why I didn’t do this one but I think I will maybe on the opposite page.
Oh. Went to see Anne Hathaway’s new movie The Hustle. Funny well only occasionally. Best part was the French Riviera scenery the French music and Anne’s fabulous clothes.
Skip it and go see Poms. Much funnier.
Margaret In p189 of Redemption. Only 200+ pages to go.
Ttyl. Xoxoxo
Took a photo of this small wagon in Rouen. I love old French cars and all the fabulous French doors.
Rue de Florence Rouen Normandy France
Why didnt I use the second one. Duh. I know redo time. Another sketch. Lol.
Twisbee pen Dartrementis document brown Ink hahnemuhle journal. Not liking the paper a lot. Charles Reid palette colors.
Margaret Xoxoxox who has one more Baldacci book to read before her Amos Decker binge is done. Xoxoxo
Somehow I forgot to post this sketch I did of Rue Martainville from the square in front of St Maclou in Rouen.
These half timber frame houses proliferated in the Rouenduring the medieval period. More still remain here than anywhere else in France. The medieval Europeans thought they were more fireproof than timber houses. Hmm?!
Notice how the bottom leans. Oh my!!
Rouen has them in great variety and shape, overhanging streets, leaning crazily. Often doors and windows are totally leaning a kilter on the front of the houses. Nothing is square though we were told they were inside. How is that possible. Je ne sais pas. I don’t know! But I have seen them with my own two eyes. Now you have too.
Lining an alley.
And how is it that these crazy wonky leaning buildings don’t fall down upon our heads. Once again. Je ne sais pas! C’est un miracle.
Surrounding the market place.
Marching toward St. Mclou.
And of course cheek to jowl with St Maclou.
Rouen has street after street lined with these teetering ancient beauties like old women in spikes towering and tilting down the narrow cobbled lanes waiting to tumble down momentarily.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx hot planning maps to make to fill in blanks in my French travel Journals.
Due to the Christmas Market construction it was impossible to get close by to sketch so I stood in the middle of the street – swarmed by shoppers on the Rue de Gros Horolage which runs into the Rouen Cathedral.
Since Monet painted it 28 times I could not resist its lure and sketched. Sadly it was also closed so no tours that day. Rouen I shall return.
It’s gone thru lots of changes. This is the original light version of it.
I darkened the cerulean sky to make the cathedral pop aka contrast. Originally this was painted w a coat of Winsor yellow and vermilion for shadows with touches of cerulean and burnt sienna. I was trying to keep it light and airy.
Last nite that didn’t suit so I darkened the sky with Marine blue and added darks of Inathrodone Blue and burnt umber plus more burnt sienna to the cathedral.
A second sky wash did not make the Strathmore mixed media journal happy. It was very crummy and blobby. I almost wish I had left it alone.
Which do you prefer?! Tell me what you think oh readers. I can take it. 😘
Thanks for Reading!!
Margaret on 26 heading to Asheville. Xxx
St Maclou Neighborhood Rouen
Noodler Konrad Platinum Black Ink Strathmore 500 Mixed Media journal
I sketched this late one grey afternoon sitting under an old tree in the square in front of St Maclou which is a lovely Gothic Church surrounded by half timber buildings. People continually walked by and I dropped them in here and there in the drawing.
St McClou was probably my favorite church. A gothic pile of confection like a wedding cake encrusted on every surface with lace and gargoyles and embellishments of every kind.
The church is on the small side in the sketch but I like it a lot anyway. Originally I had the church too light. I was trying not to get it too dark but the house was too dominant so I had to darken it.
I also darkened the sky which made the very light church pop more.
Colors used. The ones I usually use aka I can’t remember which ones. Oops. Sorry!!
Thanks for reading.
Margaret McCarthy Hunt Art 