Paintings & Houses

Beautiful Mas in Provence

2011-12-24T00:37:00.000+01:00

Haven't posted for a while - it kinda slipped my mind due to all kinds of fun distractions. But that doesn't mean I didn't work...

This one was for a client of my lovely friend Elayne Murphy. She sold this lovely Provençale old original dry stone 'mas'. And gave an aquarelle painting to the new owners at the signing of the 'acte authentique'

House in Bargemon

2011-08-27T22:26:00.001+02:00

Just finished, a painting of a pretty new house for the clients of real estate agency Maison2.
It is situated on 1000 m2 terrain, with a panoramic view. The house has a double garage, a living with fireplace, a large modern kitchen and three bedrooms.

Bargemon is a lovely village on 480 meter altitude amongst countless old olive trees. It is well-known for the pure water from the spring fountains all over the village..

photo: Andre Bouchaud

"La perle du Haut Var", as it is called, still has that peaceful medieval atmosphere, with its houses built around a very beautiful 15 century church.
Living is good in Bargemon: have a glass of wine on the square with the Beckhams, discover what the museum has in store, visit the market or have a walk in the old streets or the fort with a superb view on the green mountains...

View from Tourrettes sur Loup

2011-08-11T21:09:00.001+02:00

After the house for the buyers of the villa in Tourrettes sur Loup (see post below), I painted the view - for the former owners... with two pieces of their lovely garden furniture... a lot of work and a lot of planning, but great fun! Thanks to David Prince of RHF for the commission!

House in Tourrettes

2011-08-06T21:18:00.001+02:00

A picture of this beautiful villa in Tourrettes sur Loup, sold by RHF agent David Prince, will soon be handed over to the happy new owners. I am also working on a picture for the sellers, that will be from a different viewpoint, not showing the house but the fabulous view. Great to do too, I'll post it as soon as it is finished...

Villa in Opio

2011-07-02T23:30:00.000+02:00

This house may look familiar to you: I just painted it for the third time :) This time a real biggy! For the owners - this beautiful villa is their holiday home, they love it very much and commissioned me for a XXL version, to hang in their house in Singapore...
I created a booklet about 'the making of ' that you can see below:

T H E M A K I N G O F by Marina Kulik | Make Your Own Book

Villa in Cap d'Antibes

2011-06-08T21:54:00.000+02:00

These wonderful aquarelles are created by my beloved colleague Marina Teding van Berkhout, fellow aquarellista! She did two different versions for the seller of this house, who happens to be a friend of hers! Read more below about this dream home...

As you can see it is a beautiful contemporary house! It is actually located in an enclosed domain on the Cap d'Antibes, one of the most beautiful spots on the French Riviera, only a couple of steps away from the famous beaches of the Cap and the well known Eden Roc Hotel. The garden measures about 1000 m² and has a heated pool with salt water.

Another great feature of this house is the large rooftop terrace, big enough to house a summer kitchen, lounge and dining area. All of course with stunning views over the sea and islands.

Painting a sunny villa in Antibes

2011-04-22T21:33:00.000+02:00

This villa in Antibes was sold by Christopher Davenport of Riviera Home Finders - and he commissioned me for a painting to offer to his clients... I worked from pictures that he sent me, I loved the house - and initially chose this viewpoint:

But Chris suggested the one with the great reflection in the pool, and he was right!

I added oleanders in the foreground - to enhance the overall composition...

The shadow makes it a sunny picture in this stage - an effect that will be slightly less as soon as you give the house its colour - because the contrast is less strong:

- by exaggerating the shadows, the bright, South-French sun comes back...

It was such fun to do... and Chris tells me the clients were very happy with it...

Villa in Grasse

2011-04-22T20:58:00.000+02:00

Gorgeous aquarelle watercolour by Cathie van der Stel

Cathie painted this house in the Peyloubet area in Grasse, for her friend Kristine who is immigrating to Australia and wanted a memory of the house where she & her family spent many happy years. She commissioned Cathie and they chose the pool area, because represented to her where they enjoyed their outdoor lifestyle. Kristine is not taking the statue with her to Australia, so that's also a memory, along with the pots, the garden she tended and the overall sunny atmosphere...

Country house in Sablet, Vaucluse

2011-03-16T00:24:00.006+01:00

Villa Floravine

My latest house painting was a commission for an aquarelle of a luxury country house (or 'mas' in French), built from dry stone and situated in Sablet in the Vaucluse (Provence). Painting it, I fell in love with the character of the house itself, the cypres trees, the terraces, the pool and the overall sunny outlook of the place!

The making of the painting

The house is large but intimate, carefully restored and fully equipped with modern amenities. And the good news: it is a holiday home rental! During your holiday in the Provence you can enjoy the sun and the tremendous atmosphere of the house, with its own vineyard...

If you are interested, there's more information on luxury vacation villa Floravine in the south of France

Painting a house in Antibes in aquarelle watercolours

2011-02-08T12:31:00.001+01:00

This was a truly great commission! I received it from Chris Davenport of RHF Antibes and initially I almost panicked because there wasn't a better picture available than this one:

But as Chris said that I was allowed some artistic freedom and I realized that it was a great opportunity to do something nice with the foreground - and so I added my favourite flowers...

The drawing was relatively easy - not much detail there, grass was straightforward. The shiny yellow stuff around the painting by the way is masking fluid - helps me stay within the lines...

The front of the house was pretty recognizable, and I made up some garden furniture and a palmtree

The rest of this very sunny house - and a tree

I hope I have correctly interpreted the darker spots as doors, shutters and windows

Almost done... a tiny bit of contrast, removing the masking fluid - and off to the client...

House in Antibes

2011-02-01T00:16:00.001+01:00

Here's a lovely house in Antibes, a commission of very nice Dutch people. They preferred a small painting and for one I found out that with my way of working, it is not faster than larger size, I just have to use a smaller brush... But I'm proud of the result!

I worked from 3 small photo's, one for the sketch of the basic shapes and the light, and two others for the plants in the foreground... and as always I started with the sky...

If you enlarge this picture you'll see that I painted the hard stone wall with the method I explained in an earlier post - wet drops in very diluted sepia, ochre and burnt sienna tones. They'll dry up with a rim - which gives a logical and natural effect.

This is the stage in which I always want to stop, the white looks so nice here... but also unfinished and my clients will not be happy as they choose me for my love of detail

Almost finished, only a bit of contrast and I'm done... great project, enjoyed it! and now on to the next one, another house in Antibes!

Wonderful villa in Fayence

2011-01-24T17:51:00.001+01:00

Just finished this painting of an impressive villa in Fayence, sold by friends Karin en Leo de Bruine.

I was still in holiday mood (with lots of visitors enjoying the Riviera sun - distracting yours truly) and... forgot about this painting in the planning... oops!!

So I worked nights with the daylight lamp and luckily still could deliver in time!

Not many pictures of the how-to, lack of time... But in general a painting like this takes two 8 hour days, from stretching the paper to finished stage. And then an extra hour to cut a passepartout (mat) in the right size and attach it... On to the next one with a slightly more relaxed deadline...

Sunny villa in Opio

2010-11-21T22:33:00.004+01:00

This week's painting is a fantastic house in Opio, a small village near Valbonne. Valbonne is one of the most populare villages of the Riviera area, lively throughout the year, with great restaurants, terraces, shops, café's, a market and that true provencal atmosphere...

This villa is situated on walking distance fromValbonne, yet in a quiet area, facing due South with lovely views over the countryside - down to the sea.

Here's the "making-of" of the aquarelle:

The picture of the house - a couple of small things will be "beautified", like the sky, the contrasts and the empty foreground, but in general this is a fine picture to work from

the drawing - and the sky is blue

an extra lavender bush on the right

a couple of plants on the left

the details finished and more contrast added in the shadows to bring out the sunny atmosphere and I'm done!

Les Issambres

2010-11-10T18:07:00.000+01:00

And another one hits the dust! This time a commission for a lovely retired couple that bought this wonderful, friendly, sunny house in the village of Les Issambres, also in the departement 'le Var', close to Saint Tropez... The new owners will have it in their home in London to remind them of the view, a nice pool (they have two grandkids that will visit as often as possible to enjoy this!) and the bougainvillea ...

This is how I built up the picture:

here's the photo of the house I had to use, came from their realtors' website and had a very low resolution (little detail) and it doesn't look very 'lived in'

So I started with a sketch from the picture

And then added some nice details, like a table with chairs and a plant

I added flowers, removed the poolcover and painted a pool - with reflection...

And the result... signed, sealed and delivered - the feedback was positive... on to the next one!

House in Les Adrets

2010-10-30T23:53:00.000+02:00

The first house-painting of November is a sunny villa in Les Adrets de l'Esterel, a lovely village in the South of France.To be precise, in the departement 'Le Var', part of the Rivièra, especially known for its nature and beautiful red rocks.

The village of Les Adrets has the forested hills of the Esterel Mountains behind it and also offers a panoramic view oni the bay of Cannes and the Iles de Lérins. It is close to the beaches of the coast and the lake de Saint Cassien and that makes it a perfect place to live...

To see how the painting came to be, watch the movie below...

A modern house in Valbonne

2010-10-11T22:56:00.000+02:00

As the start of a well-filled last quarter I painted the house of a lovely retired couple. They actually "won" this painting as a prize in a lottery - and I loved doing that, it got me started again!

The sky (the only thing that still, after all those years, goes wrong sometimes), the drawing and then starting a small part of the painting - to get a feel for the colours, the shapes, the character of the house...

Very important, the name of the house - Somalo - (Sophie Marie Louise) the owner welded the letters himself, so it has to look like the real thing! Same goes for another sculpture on the wall...

There it is, in the middle (click on the painting to enlarge it). I also added some flowerpots and furniture, and a lot of foliage.

The grass, the lower stone wall (pool below but they didn't want it in their picture) and I've reached the other side...

The finishing touches - and another one done! I hope they like it - I'll be working on the next one, a lovely villa in the Var...

Cap d'Antibes, Apt and Cap Ferrat

2010-09-13T00:09:00.000+02:00

I haven't posted for a while - didn't have so many commissions and I kind of forgot about the blog... Sorry for that...

But things are picking up again!! Below three that I painted lately:

This wonderful, stately property is located in Cap d'Antibes.

A modern, lovely and roomy villa in Apt in the typical colours of the Lubéron

One of three wonderful luxury villa's on Cap Ferrat, with breathtaking views

Villa in Opio

2010-05-10T00:23:00.000+02:00

House in Opio by Marina Kulik

This lovely house was painted for a birthday, as a memory present for the former owner of this house!

A property in Cap Ferrat part one

2010-03-20T00:31:00.002+01:00

Behold this terrific property on one of the most beautiful locations in the world, Cap Ferrat. My friend and 'Marina Artist Team'- colleague Cathie van der Stel painted it. Cathie is the queen of the one-hair brush! The incredibly rich detail in her beautiful, subtle work shows her patience. This painting measures 70 x 50 cm and to really enjoy it, please enlarge by clicking on it!

House in Grasse

2010-03-03T13:42:00.000+01:00

Just finished another aquarelle of a house, in Grasse...Thought I'd post about it so the owners who commissioned it can have a look at the end product... They'll return to France in 2 months and are interested what I manufactured of course... I made a little movie "the making of" for them too but can't seem to find a way to post that, I know it is possible but have no time to dive into it as I am traveling to my home country Holland for a short holiday!!! So that will have to wait...

Anyway, here it is: A lovely, sunny villa with lots of olive trees, a terrific pool and a flat garden to die for!!

Dreamhouse in Rio

2010-02-25T22:04:00.000+01:00

This house is somewhere near Rio de Janeiro. It was the second house of a Dutch expat family, and they have very fond memories of it. It was their little palace, with its' beautiful round pool (not in the picture), the lush green, the diffused sunlight. They commissioned this painting to get that atmosphere back in the appartment they moved to lately. I truly liked doing the painting: the plants and trees, the shape of the mountains, all is so different from what we have here! And so are the light and the colours, I used quite a different palette...

Sunny Villa in Chateauneuf de Grasse

2010-02-24T13:56:00.000+01:00

OK - so it has been silent for over a month, but I'm going to make up for that by a couple of posts because I have been painting like crazy and some of that work was on houses! The first one was a commission of RHF International Prestige Properties. They comissioned a painting of a beautiful, sunny villa in Chateauneuf de Grasse. I worked from a couple of pictures (this is given away by the flowers and lavender - not really there in February...) and here is how it was built up:

I started with the overall drawing, concentrating on the perspective, not easy with the "rounded" poolside wall and the fence (a one-hair-brush challenge...). Then the first wash, with the basic colours. Still a bit soft, as you can still see in the above picture, in the pool. To keep myself happy (and because I am quite confdent) I add details and effects in some parts and then move on to another part.

As you may know, if you make a big mistake in aquarelle you 'll have to start all over again! Be careful, as it would be such a shame to make that mistake if you already put a lot of hours in...

That is why I always start with my weak point: the sky!

...The basic wash for the trees in the background, leaving out the white chairs for a sunny effect (you don't use white in aquarelle, your lightest colour is the color of the paper)...

...widened the pool (oops - that's the disadvantage of working from a picture, in this case a wide-angle one)...

.... darkened the shadows, added more contrast for a sunny effect and finished the trees - and there you have the result! The sunny happy house RHF sold to the lucky new owners!

A VERY HAPPY 2010

2009-12-29T23:58:00.000+01:00

And may your wishes come true!
And may your resolutions work out.
(One of mine will be: more regular and more frequent posting...)

Winter in Chateauneuf

2009-12-15T19:25:00.000+01:00

An absolutely gorgeous aquarelle of the village, by Marina Teding van Berkhout, colleague - and aquarellista like me! She used salt for the mysterious "icey" effects.

The painting can be admired until 19 December in the Salle du Pontis in Chateauneuf village...

View on Saint Tropez

2009-12-03T18:48:00.000+01:00

See here (click for "the big picture") the result of meticulous work with "one-hair brushes" of aquarellista Cathy van der Stel and myself. A commission from my real-estate husband, who sold this capital villa in "Saint Trop"... and wants to give the owner a beautiful memory. And the owner - the thing he liked best about the house was the view...so that's why we painted that for him. He will receive it upon signature at the notary, very soon!

2009-11-22T01:18:00.000+01:00

My good friends Bill and Carole Lomas, who have a real estate firm "Maison 2", sold a wonderful 3-bedroom property in Seillans, a village in the Var... With a stunning view.

They asked me to do a painting, of the house itself, so I started a 70 X 50 cm aquarelle, on my favourite mouldmade Arche "torchon" (rough grain) 300 grams watercolour paper

I always start with the parts that I like best, and often they are the windows and doors, because there's "mystery" behind them! In this case, a nice, light and happy atmosphere...

Slowly working on the rest of the house - and while I am painting, my appreciation for the house grows and grows So that, after I'm finished I so want to be and stay there... but of course I can't - the new owners of the house are the lucky guys and I am pretty sure they'll be totally happy out there!

There were two more views, related to the house that were tempting to do:

The view and the terrace...

Saint Clair

2009-11-20T22:03:00.000+01:00

This is a view on the bay of St Clair, a village in the Var, between Rayol Canadel and Bormes-les-Mimosas. And (to give you an idea of the location if you are not too familiar with our region - the Riviera) pretty close to Saint Tropez. Anyway, I made the above aquarelle for the people who sold this house with its stunning view and a similar one for its lucky new owners. The house itself wasn't that special but imagine sitting on your balcony looking at that view....! Pure bliss... I loved creating the painting and did my best on the island (one of the Porquerolles) that you see on the horizon - as we have sailed there quite a lot and I have very fond memories of it!

Moulin de la Brague

2009-11-19T10:33:00.000+01:00

This is one of the first houses I ever painted, in aquarelle on handmade paper, for my husband who sells houses for a living. He gives away a painting for every house he sells and of course his clients are delighted with a present like that. Lasts longer than a bottle of champagne or flowers... I think I made it some 5 years ago and the funny thing is that the house is back on the market! Check this link for more info...So if he sells it I'll have a new go at it - and I would love to do it once more, from another angle. It is a lovely and actually very impressive house, completely surrounded by nature, yet 3 minutes walking from the old, active center of the popular South French village Valbonne...