The Sun in Tarn

2021

Oilpainting on 40 x 50 cm MDF board.

My friend requested a Christmas present painting for her girlfriend of a moment and place that is specially significant for them both. In his source photo, the receiver, Maria, is climbing a fantastic overhanging pillar in Gorges du Tarn, in the South of France. Being a climber, I had seen some photos of the place before but certainly none as gobsmacking beautiful. My palms started to sweat for plain excitement getting to paint this but also for imagining being able to climb such perfect and difficult route. For those who understand sportclimbing grades, this is 8a in French grade. It is quite a feat since it is also 55 m tall. Hats off to Maria-the-machine!

I missed the deadline by a few days but luckily was able to send a photo of an almost finished painting for Christmas. We teachers tend to be extra busy just before Christmas with evaluation. But in addition to that, the work itself is very layered and requires many days to dry in between. There's a lot of depth in the photo as it "looks" far into the gorge. The forest cover is also multi-layered with more muted colors in the background and into the sun basking vibrance of the foreground trees. Fortunately Joonas was very patient — thanks!

The route's name is Les nouvelles plantations du Christ.

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