Rue François Sibilli, Saint-Tropez, France

The bright sunlight in the South of France always gives me a great challenge. In this painting of Rue François Sibilli, I wanted to show the strong contrast between the deep shadows and the brilliant white light on the road. I started by looking at the large shapes of the buildings. The warm orange and red tones of the walls need to sit well against the cool blues of the sky and the shadows. I used a mix of Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna to get that earthy feel for the Mediterranean architecture.

People often ask me how to keep a street scene from looking too busy. My secret is to simplify the figures and the cars. I do not paint every detail of a person. Instead, I use a few quick strokes of Cobalt Blue and Alizarin Crimson to show their shape and movement. If you look at the figures in the middle, they are just simple marks. This helps the viewer's eye move through the painting without getting stuck on small parts.

For the dark shadows across the foreground, I used a strong wash of Ultramarine Blue mixed with Neutral Tint. I like to leave little gaps of dry paper to show the white lines of the pedestrian crossing. This creates a nice rhythm in the bottom of the picture. The dark tree on the left was painted with a thick mix of Viridian Green and Burnt Umber. I make sure the edges are soft in some places and hard in others to make it look more natural.

This original painting is currently for sale. If you would like to own this piece of Saint-Tropez, please contact me for more information. It was a joy to capture the heat of the day using these bold colour combinations. I hope it inspires you to pick up your brushes and try a high-contrast scene yourself. Remember to keep your water clean and your brush strokes confident.