My Finistère - Roscoff Romance

I love working, fishing ports - old towns that still bustle with locals, and mesmerize with their abundance of regional produce and freshly caught seafood.  In the little Breton port of Roscoff, we took time-out for a leisurely al fresco lunch at a harbour-side bistrot.  Positioned on the far tip of north west Finistère, the harbour is alive with trawlers and lobster creels.  Handsome grey granite 16th and 17th century houses, churches and lighthouses envelop the quay.  Views towards offshore islands and distant white sandy beaches further add to the charm that makes Roscoff hard to resist. 

(And it was awarded the coveted status - Petite cité de caractère de Bretagne in 2009, but shhh, let's keep it to ourselves ...).

Did you spot Roscoff's famous red onions hanging on the wall of a house?

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I'm a professional artist inspired by the coast of Cornwall, Scotland and Brittany - Melanie McDonald Gallery

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My Finistère - Shadows and Reflections in Locquirec

.... these are family shots taken on film, in the small Breton fishing town of Locquirec, on the north coast of west France.  I adore the light at this time of year, the low February sun creating striking effects of light, shadow and reflection.   Clear days have a dreamlike radiance - blue black, umber and smoky gold dominate.  (I've already made a couple of small paintings .... and am looking forward to working on something big and dramatic very soon!)

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My Finistère - Dossen beach, light fantastic

North west Finistère is a mystical region of jagged coastline and ever-changing light.  Treacherous headlands, lonely offshore islands and fickle rip tides make up this wild, untouched kingdom.  Enjoying exposure to north Atlantic swells and radical weather changes, it is sheltered only by my other love, Cornwall.  Dossen beach is, (predictably!), one of my favourite haunts.  An endless length of fine white sand located west of the port of Roscoff, the playground of top class windsurfers and kiters, sand yacht enthusiasts, dog walkers and artists in the know!

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My Finistère - Rockpool magic, Pors Ar Villec Plage

To the west of a small peninsula in Finistère, near where I live, is Pors Ar Villec plage.  Black serrated pinnacle-like rocks, which are surrounded by deep, circular rockpools, rise from the sandy beach at low tide, creating a surreal storybook landscape.  These September snapshots conjured memories of the rockpools of my childhood, so I decided to make a few paintings, (the start of a new project, I hope!).  It's heartening to know that in this mad, computerized world, some things, like the magic of rockpools, remain the same ....

More photos of the rockpools at Pors Ar Villec here

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My Finistère - Locquirec light

La plage des Sables Blancs, Locquirec, is true to its name, a stunning arc of fine white sand.  It's my favourite local beach, and one of the many reasons I love it is that it faces west.  As the sun begins to set, the atmosphere changes, it becomes charged with light and begins to glitter.  Waves of light deflect off the water and oscillate around headlands, rocks and figures.  People are transformed into dark, dynamic silhouettes bathed in weightless glowing light ....

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My Finistère - Roman baths and eternal bliss

Not quite Finistère - I'm on the other bank of the beautiful Douron estuary at Locquirec - technically Cote D'Armor.  Here, the natural rise of sandy dunes and blue green cypress pines create a dappled oasis.  Wandering through the trees on this balmy, summer afternoon .... following old tracks and enjoying the moment .... I find myself at the ruins of the Hogolo Roman baths.  Built in the 1st century AD., I wonder how many people, over thousands of years, have cherished this coast .... that appreciation of beauty and leisure time have always existed.

Interesting fact:  The remains of the Hogolo Roman bathhouse were only discovered by accident in 1892 - they'd been abandoned in the 3rd century AD. and buried under sand dunes.

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