Follow the painter into the hills – Story of a fresco

In my garden, near the garage, grows an olive tree. Unpruned for two years, it grows freely, stretching its branches toward the sky. This tree reminds me of Van Gogh .

For a long time, I've had the idea of a large wall bursting with color and materials in mind. Now it's time to bring it to life.

I have in front of me a wall 8m40 long and 2m80 high , ready to accommodate my project. I grab my Van Gogh inspiration notebook and start looking for an idea. Quickly, a Provençal landscape with cypress trees takes over.

Then, a clear vision emerges: this wandering painter, his gear on his back , from an art book

— Van Gogh, a painter, a life, a work — which testifies to my attachment to Van Gogh and his influence on my color palette . After an exhibition at the Halles de la Villette , where the works projected on screens and the darkness prevented me from drawing , I filled this frustration by filling my Van Gogh Inspiration notebook by leafing through this book dear to my heart . This notebook has become a real treasure , and one of its last pages is precisely the transposition of this painter on the move in a Provençal landscape .

Is he returning from an outdoor painting session or looking for the perfect spot to set up his easel?

le tableau disparu de Van Gogh qui m'a inspiré

Here is the page of the notebook that I will use for my fresco.

The original having disappeared, its exact hues are unknown, but my connection to Van Gogh guides my palette. For me, this painter is Van Gogh himself, haunting the landscapes of Provence and finding refuge at home on my wall.

From notebook to wall

I want to bring this painter to life, life-size, on my fresco . I enlarge him to my own size. His face is barely suggested , but I find in my notebook a reinterpretation of one of his self-portraits , which I adapt to his position.

At first, I imagine him coming home to put his equipment away in the garage... but something is wrong . The wall above the garage, unfinished, gives me another idea: what if he went up onto the flat roof to paint the starry night?

A changing sky

The idea is there: a deep sky, evolving in layers, from ultramarine blue to violet, from cerulean blue to white . But painting a sky on a lumpy wall is a challenge.

The uneven surface makes it difficult to apply a uniform blue, requiring at least two coats .

I work quickly, mixing the colors directly on the wall , except for the painter's details.

My usual palette guides me:

Ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, violet, light yellow, gold ochre, English red, vermilion red, olive green, black, white.

For the starry night Ultramarine blue with a touch of purple.

I use a UV resistant exterior paint , different from my usual acrylic tubes . Two coats of matte varnish will follow to ensure the longevity of the work.

Create a depth effect

Little by little, the fresco takes shape. I add hills, cypress trees and play with textures . The irregular wall becomes an asset .

But there's a missing foreground . To accentuate the depth, I build as I go: a bench, some succulents... Like an invitation to sit and watch the painter wandering in the hills.

Or even, the painter has just left this bench...

le Banc -pour préparer à l'apparition du peintre en premier plan

Anecdote: Mother-in-law's cushions and other textures

Finding texture effects is a game . Each area must have its own material, its own light . Sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected places.

To differentiate the background from the intermediary, I multiplied the texture effects :

🌿 A field of olive trees, with gnarled trunks and dense foliage.

Texture : champ d'oliviers

🌳 A solitary tree casting its shadow on the ground.

💜 A lavender field, where I use the lumpy part of the medium to achieve the lavender color with my purple.

texture champ de lavande

🌵 A red ochre ground, dotted with cacti, notably mother-in-law's cushions – these round and very prickly cacti .

'textures des cactus' - Gros plan sur les détails du premier plan, avec les fameux coussins de belle-mère.

I accentuated their volume with color schemes to reinforce their roundness. (And between you and me, these plants have a funny nickname! I had two, both adorable. Nothing to do with these plants that are merciless at the slightest touch! )

A street art (more like a garden art) that takes us to Provence

When my gate is open, the neighbors stop, intrigued. Then, a word bursts out: " Magnificent ."

This project is more than a fresco .

It is a journey, a tribute to painting, to light and to the artist's infinite quest.

Van Gogh

 'fresque terminée' - Vue d’ensemble du mur achevé, prêt à traverser le temps.

and to finish the video for the joy of walking with Van Gogh in Provence.

And now I invite you to follow him.

Please let me know what you think of my Van Gogh-inspired mural.