Postcard from Provence, 1 original daily paintings by Julian Merrow-Smith

Dear Julian, I've loved seeing your progression over the past year and half that I've subscribed to your email. Lately, I've noticed a shift in your work which, I might add, I've enjoyed. Did you change your palette? Are you working with more black now? I love the vivid colors!

Hi Jolene, I do use black more but ironically not in this picture. The contrast in the pictures is an attempt to catch the strong light here in Provence. I think looking back that the pictures/paintings themselves may not be as different as the reproductions suggest. I am on my third camera and the level of sophistication has risen markedly with each change.

The contrasting darks do emphasize the lights very well. It turns on the sun! Best wishes, Deano

I enjoy looking at your daily paintings very much -beautiful light, evocative colour and subtle handling. However, the new format detracts from the artworks: the bright, white surround at normal screen luminescence level - as opposed to the previous darker toned beige - makes it very difficult to see the nuances of colour. I am finding that I need to squint right down or form a frame around the image with my fingers to cut down the glare - very distracting. I think the bright white does an injustice to your work. Regards, Harry Westera (Australia)