Rue du Bac, Melun. (or Rusty Drainpipes !) by Avril Soldani

I can see France, I can smell France and I can nearly touch France. Avril, it's so good, the cracked plaster on the wall,dilapidated shutters, rusty pipes and the glorious sunshine casting soft shadows.You have done it again!

Oh yes, you have done it again. Satu has summed it up nicely for me.

It's always good to see any of your work, Avril, and this is no exeption; delicate watercolour with strength!

Very interesting Avril, another great 'rust' painting;o)

The rust queen strikes again..... brilliant.

Thank you Ruth, Sylvia, Carole, Satu and Gudrun for your kind comments which are always much appreciated. C

lovely as always, Avril. As soon as I saw rust and delapidation I knew it was yours

Thanks Jenny and Helen. As you say Helen looking at people's work teaches us a lot ; POL has been a source of encouragement and enlightenment ever since I started posting 3 years ago.

Excellent work and great details.

Wonderful detail of this typically French building. It works for me because of the lovely combination of the soft icy blue and the rich rust colours. Beautifully authentic without being photographic. (P.S. I have a couple of photos - one of a detail of a boat hull with fantastic colours and peeling paint on it and a couple of very similar houses to the one above in Venice. If you would like them as references then please put a note on this painting and we can work out how I can get them to you. No worries if you don't need them. However, as soon as I saw all three photos, your name flagged up immediately!)

I have not been looking at the site for a few says and in going through the latest paintings was feeling a bit dissapointed with the quality of much of the work - until I came to this one - faith restored - it is superb.

Thank you Paul, Thea and Michael your appreciation is very encouraging for me and I'm glad my choice of subject pleases. Thea I could give you my e mail address in my forum box as I'd love to see your photos.

My apologies for the late comment Avril, there have been so many postings I can't keep up!!! It is always a delight to see your paintings, they are so unique and your talent at capturing the age of your subject is fascinating. This is beautifully painted.

I've already complimented you on this Avril. What I (also) like about your work is the un-painted: what's the roof like? the door? inhabitants? (ahh, there's a challenge!). Lovely.

Super watercolour, Avril, again your colour choices work brilliantly, a simple yet fascinating glimpse of a crumbling scene