Pétanque

Pétanque – Oil on canvas – 24 x 32 inches.

The game of pétanque, or boules, is a common pastime in many parts of France. The object of the game – aside from passing a summer afternoon with friends – is to toss your metal boule so that it gets closer to the target, the cochonnet, than the boules of your opponents.

In the painting, all eyes are fixed on the thrower, the man in the white shirt, and on the boule, the steel ball he has launched, visible directly above him. The cochonnet, small and reddish in color, is less apparent. This is because, in painting the scene, I was more interested in the light and colors and the spectators than on the game itself.

Want more exclusive content? Use the links below to browse the previous posts in this #steemexclusive series, always shared only on WOX. Special thanks to @stef1 for the idea.

1. José
2. Monforte Gardens
3. Siena Sketch
4. Room Study
5. My Friend Manolo
6. Calle de Caballeros
7. Bridge Sketch
8. Tim, a sketch from my book
9. Iceland Sketch
10. Shopping Sketch
11. Holbrooke Hotel Bar
12. Chandelier
13. Passengers to Portland
14. Gladiolus
15. Weston
16. Madrid Estanque
17. Travelers, anywhere
18. Helicopter
19. Sketch for a Gift
20. Sketches of Sculptures
21. Dragon
22. Self Portrait
23. Monster
24. Retiro, Madrid
25. Pomegranates
26. Waiting Room
27. Street Corner
28. Irish Beach Sketches
29. Canyon Sketch
30. Street Corner
31. Daphne Sketch
32. Jockey Street
33. Weston
34. Eagle and Volcano
35. A Patient Patient
36. Drawing in Lugano

More images on my website: johnmichaelkeating.com