Pan and ink sketch at La Planay, France, while on a walking holiday with Maxine, George and Jean Winston.
Although generally rainy this day was bright and sunny, so while the others went out walking I was searching the small village for interesting views to do a little bit of sketching with my fine tipped pen.
This sketch was of the La Planay church, Notre Dame de Grace built in 1633 at the end of a confining lane built for horse and cart traffic – no roadway marking, no signs, no street lights, not even any house names or numbers that I could see – only the horse manure in the centre of the lane was missing. The sketch extracted the simple essence of the salient features, gradually revealing the church with its Romanesque arched window and doorway, typical forms of 400 years earlier.
All the village had simple structures, full of character and functional form. I was taught when I was doing measured drawings in the 1940’s that a major rule had to apply – “draw what you see, not what you think you see”
It was a most enjoyable holiday, with lovely friends. Believe it or not, there were two La Planay villages only a mile or so apart – no other distinguishing names at all and of course we had to end up at the wrong one – perhaps a sign or two ? Hmm?
There is a draughtsman error above – can you spot it ? Its in the NW corner.