The Last Leg

After nearly three weeks, The Tour de France arrives at its conclusion on the Avenue of the Champs- Elysées. In 2019 the final day had an incredible and blinding light. Everything was bathed in its golden rays. Of course for a painter this is magic and a sheer delight to the eye! The majesty of the Arc de Triomphe and the strength of the architecture of La Defense quarter beyond combined with the energy of the riders as they made their way up the avenue towards the sun was stunning. I was really taken by the almost monotone images of yellow and orange in this image, punctuated only by the blue lamps of the police motorbikes… a little reflection of the mauve blue sky above. 

After mainly working with a palette knife, I added several layers of paint glazes to enrich the colours and add depth. I wanted to keep a looser style, concentrating more on the image as a whole, rather than individual details to accentuate the colours and juxtaposition of sharp and diffused light.

This work is varnished and the sides are finished in a black linen tape so framing is not obligatory. It comes complete with hooks and cord and is ready to hang. All you need now is to decide where to hang it!