Monsieur Jolie's Olivegrove Painting

I was born in Scotland of Polish parents , we moved to Kent in England when I turned three years old. Painting and drawing from an early age I developed a deep love for nature. My early Kentish landscapes would depict trees, horses and wild flowers. My connection with the natural world grew, light and colour became more predominant in my work. With my pastels I found that I could replicate the texture of the poppy or iris flower, with my oils I could transfer the canvas into a wild, living and breathing field of wild flowers. A fresh start later in life by moving to the South-West of France, Tarn-et-Garonne, found me completely immersed in the gentle, undulating countryside. My paintings consisted entirely of landscapes and the flora and fauna of this wonderfully un-spolit region. Later, moving to Provence in the Var, still in France, I became inspired by the light of this region constantly changing along with each season. I continued painting along similar themes but introduced ancient buildings made of local multi coloured ochre stone, domestic animals, customs and traditions all of which play a large part of the life here. By painting 'en plein air' capturing the beauty, sounds, scents and emotions of a landscape requires one to be alone with nature, to communicate with it and to observe. One has the impression of being guided, being lifted into an eternal space which can find and re-juvenate the soul. My aim is to capture the endless beauty of this inspiring region, in effect, to show the world 'my Provence'......