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Curemonte – Lot, SW France. Watercolour, Irina Ohl
Irina Ohl – An American Artist
in the Corrèze, Limousin
Irina lives in Correze central France where she runs water colour
workshops and tours. French News Online’s Ken Pottinger went along
to her studio for a look:
Irina Ohl, born in New York City and the fourth generation of
artists in her family, has been painting watercolors for more
than 35 years. Inspired by John Singer Sargeant, W Russell Flint —
perhaps the greatest British water colourist of the 1800s and
Robert Wade — she says France offers a painter “very special
light”, which for all painting is “just what you need”.
Reflecting on her recent visit to the Monet exhibition in Paris
she said: “the more you paint outdoors the more you become aware of how important time is, the passing of time changes the light rapidly as you paint” she says explaining this is one of the fundamentals
she attempts to convey to her students and those who come to her
courses. The main thing is to get the scene down in an hour and
a half with a view to finishing it in the studio. (see contact
below)
This, she says again referring to her Monet visit, (see
review here) is shown by him
repainting the same scenes at several different times of the year,
conveying just that point.
Influences
Her own style which she describes as “representational but
loose, colourful and lively” has been influenced by John
Singer Sergeant, an American water colourist who travelled extensively
in France and elsewhere in Europe.
Turning to her own art courses offered in a converted barn in
her magnificent rural Correze home perched over a valley providing
views for as far as the eye can see, she says teaching in France
is quite different from her experience elsewhere.
“People here shy away from water colour, it is considered
to be the most challenging medium, so students seem to prefer
acrylics, perhaps because they are easier. Additionally I find
French students have a different idea of water colour from those trained in the US. Their subjects tend to be more ethereal, based on often
unusual subjects, not necessarily representational , and sometimes lacking focus! Perhaps they need to get out with easel and paintboxes, into their own colour-filled countryside more” she says.
As the biographical notes on her website
—
where a wide portfolio of her work can be found and purchased —
say:
Plein Air
“While living in New England in the 90’s, Irina was instrumental
in forming the Vermont Watercolour Society and was the President
for three years. Today less than ten years later, the Society
has flourished. In 2001, Irina moved from Vermont to retire in
France. All her work is now exhibited in her own gallery on her
property. The property is located in the Correze near Beaulieu
Sur Dordogne- four and half hours south of Paris by train.
This area, often called the Riviera of the Limousin because of
its mild climate, is teeming with ancient unspoiled villages which
make it imminently paintable!
“My real love is to paint out of doors or en plein air where
one must work quickly to catch the moment of light and shadow
and absorb the many subtle shapes. This forces you to stretch
yourself as an artist and show your true expression.”
Curemonte
The watercolor illustration above, is of a village called Curemonte
near Irina’s home – in fact you can see it from her mountaintop
location. It has been used by British film makers for stories
about early France, but otherwise has changed little since it
was built in the 12th century. The painting was painted en plein
air from a high point just above the village. This location is
one of the ones Irina visits when she conducts her workshops.
Earlier Irina had conducted painting tours throughout Europe in
the 90’s and discovered the beautiful Quercy for her and husband
Bob’s retirement . The painting here has incredible light and
there is never ending inspiration.
Irina Ohl
You can contact Irina by email at Irina.Ohl@wanadoo.fr
or call her at + 33 5 55 91 26 49. From December to Mid-April,
Irina can be reached at her home in Florida at +1 561 842 2545.
To visit Irina’s
website, click this link
Monet
Exhibition
For details of the Monet Exhibition, Grand Palais, Paris and
to access Irina Ohl’s review of the exhibition… click the link
below.
Full Story – click here
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