How a Wednesday afternoon tradition on the English Riviera became a series of paintings.
Every great series starts somewhere. For me, Ladies That Lunch started with a car, three women, and a standing Wednesday appointment that none of us would have missed for the world.
The Wednesday Ritual
For a few wonderful years, a small group of us in Paignton had a simple but sacred routine. Every Wednesday — our afternoon off — we'd take it in turns to drive. Sometimes to a garden centre, sometimes to a favourite café, sometimes all the way down to the beach to sit, talk, watch the sea, and simply breathe.
One of us ran a hotel apartment. I owned a small guest house. Our third was a little older, recently retired, and gloriously free of the schedules that still ruled the rest of us. Together, we explored the English Riviera — Paignton, Torquay, and all the beautiful, unhurried corners in between.
We talked about everything and nothing. We laughed a great deal. We put the world to rights over tea and ice cream and, on the better days, a glass of something celebratory.
Those Wednesdays were a gift.
Why I Painted It
When I think about what Ladies That Lunch is really about, it's not the venues or the outings — it's the feeling. That particular ease you only have with people who truly know you. The way an afternoon can feel both ordinary and precious at the same time.
I wanted to paint that. Not a documentary of what we did, but the spirit of it — the warmth, the wit, the friendship, the little moments of joy that add up to something you only appreciate properly in retrospect.
The characters in the series are whimsical, a little cheeky, and thoroughly themselves. Just like us.
The English Riviera as Backdrop
Paignton and Torquay are genuinely beautiful — golden beaches, lush gardens, grand old hotels, and the kind of sea air that makes everything feel more manageable. Living and working there gives you a deep affection for the place, and I hope some of that warmth has found its way into the paintings.
The beach scenes, the café tables, the sunny afternoons — all of it is drawn from real memory, filtered through watercolour and a little artistic licence.
The Collection
The Ladies That Lunch series includes original watercolour and ink paintings — each one a self-contained scene, but all sharing the same spirit of friendship, freedom, and a very good Wednesday afternoon. Fine art prints are also available for each painting.
- Ladies That Lunch at the Beach – Ice Cream, Sunshine & Friendship
- Ladies That Lunch: Shopping with Friends and a Curious Cat
- Ladies That Lunch – "Can I Come Too?"
- Champagne on Ladies Day
- Gossip in the Café
All originals come with free UK standard postage and are ready to hang.
Maureen Chaloner is a British watercolour and ink artist based in Wiltshire. Her work celebrates friendship, humour and the small joys of everyday life — painted with a whimsical, warm-hearted style that brings colour and personality into any home.