Travel another way

The funniest painter, Linda Walsh, broke her foot 2 days before coming on the trip. She arrived nevertheless and has been a trooper, carrying her cumbersome foot through Provence.

Lindas' broken foot

Linda, with her broken foot, has excelled at broken colour whether at Monet’s gardens at Giverny or at Van Gogh’s hospital at Mausole de Saint-Paul in St. Remy de Provence. Our mentor, Victoria Brooks, internationally renowned plein air painter from California, covets Linda’s broken colour but not her broken foot. This morning our entire painting group painted Van Gogh’s olive grove and les Alpilles from the vantage point of his original painting.  Victoria demonstrated an extraordinary composition and then provided instruction on mixing all of the colours in the scene before her. She also illustrated the benefits of painting  first the darkest darks, the lightest lights and then medium values.

Victoria demonstrating how to paint in St Remy

Victoria encouraged all of her painters to create the scene in their own style.  In the afternoon, the painters followed the footsteps of Linda’s broken foot to the far corner of the sunflower garden and painted the sunflowers lighting up the church!

Mausole St Paul in St Remy where Van Gogh was hospitalized

Linda’s foot led us to cheap wine at the local cafe in St. Didier. Following Linda’s foot, we found excellent wine, salads and pizza at La Pizzeria “Cote Cour”.

Linda and her good wine in St Didier

Smoked salmon salad

Tomorrow we follow Linda’s foot to seek out beautiful landscapes described to us by charming residents of Isle sur sur la Sorgue!

writer: Kerry, one of the guests of the painting trip with French Escapade

Today we went to Gordes, one (if not the one) of the most beautiful villages in France. Hilltop village built around a castle on a cliff. What else can be better for painters?

Pamela, Linda and of course teacher Victoria painted the hilltop village while Tina, Lynne, Kerry and Marty went shopping on the weekly market in the village.

Victoria helping Pamela for her painting in Gordes

They bought different gifts for friends and family from apron to lavender soap but also cheese, ham and baguette for our picnic.

We had a picnic at the Clos des Jeannons, at Andre’s shop. He makes wonderful olive oil including basil and truffle olive oils. He gave us a bottle of rose wine for us to drink later. What a treat.

More painting in the afternoon before going out for dinner.

Victoria, Lynne and Marty at the restaurant, toasting for their leader...

After dinner, more shopping, but different since it happened in my room: French Escapade shopping.  Some women bought wonderful T-shirts they will wear tomorrow with their French Escapade vizors.

Linda, Kerry and Tina with their new French Escapade T-shirts.

A busy day but so wonderful under the Provence sun.

New group, new faces or almost. I already knew artist Victoria Brooks since she came and taught for me in 2008 in the French Alps. She is back with a new group of art students. This time is Provence. Yep, Van Gogh, Cezanne,…they knew where the light is best for painting so does my new American group.

Today, our first day, demo by Victoria: first, how to set up the easel, then how to use  colors.

Victoria doing a demo of plein air painting

Lynne and her wonderful apron:" A bad day in the studio is better than a great day in the office,"

The view from the guesthouse we are staying at is breathtaking. Maybe overwhelming for some who chose to paint a  vignette: a flower pot, some grapes, some hanging flowers. The idea is to get used to painting outdoor.

View from our guesthouse in Venasque-Provence

The group visited an artist gallery. The artist told them to go and paint by the cemetery in Venasque. “It is very quiet there” he told them. And quiet it was !

After a marvelous picnic with duck mousse, salmon rillette, French baguette, fruits and so on, the bravest went to the cemetery to paint ..not the graves but from there, we had a wonderful view of the hilltop village of Venasque, where we are staying.

Linda using the painting knife for her oil painting

I picked Venasque on purpose. Listed one of the most beautiful villages in France but not touristy. How come? Well, no touristy shops, no cafes, no ice cream places… just wonderful medieval houses, church, fountain and medieval towers. Just what painters want.

Tomorrow will be a complete different day in Provence with French Escapade….

Today the girls went shopping. They didn’t have to go very far…inside the house there is my portable French Escapade shop: visors, shirts, table cloths,…Of course, all painters chose visors (not that they will use them now with this cold weather!!!!(.

Anne and Judy bought the same shirt also,looking like twins:

Judy and Anne and their new French Escapade outfit

Judy decided to wear her new table cloth as a skirt. Why not?

Judy and her new skirt

Niki and Nancy bought the same visor so I wanted to take their picture together but Joan wanted to be in the middle because she didn’t belong to any picture:

Niki, Joan and Nancy and their new French Escapade visors

The shopping was done in 10 minutes because they wanted more paint more or was it to eat more? For sure, for Joan it was to eat more. She admitted that she came on the trip for the French food and she was not disappointed.  She is now doing a little painting for the chef to thank him for his wonderful food.

Our chef, Mr Poulet

Check back tomorrow to see the painting of Mr Poulet’s food by Joan.

Today has been a rainy day so indoor painting for everyone; still life. Everyone painted a bouquet of flowers on top of a wooden chair with a French hat sitting on it. Ok, it is not a real French hat, it is actually Joan’s hat but everyone agreed that the still life with her hat looked very French. Below are a few pictures of our guest painting.

Judy painting

Joan painting

Nancy painting

Anne painting

But France is not only about painting but eating and drinking. Therefore, we went to the Chartreuse cellar, the longest liquor cellar in the world. We learned about the Chartreuse monks making the Chartreuse liquor. We know it is a mix of 150 herbs but they keep the recipe secret. I guess we don’t need to know, as long as it tastes good. They make 9 different types of liquor, from the elixir of long life at 75% alcohol to the fruit liquor at 21%. You can’t find them in the States. You can only find the green Chartreuse (55% alcohol) and the yellow one, called the liquor for ladies, because it is only 41% alcohol. We also got a chance to see the life of the monks in a 3D movie wearing great glasses…. Very good day after all.

Drinking Chartreuse liquor when traveling to France

Watching a 3D movie at the Chartreuse cellar

Stay tuned for more adventure with French Escapade

I am back in France on my first 2010 tour. A painting tour in the foothills of the Alps with art teacher Niki Reynolds.

What a fun group it is! small (5 women) for a lot of fun and laughter. The tour is not only about oil painting even if it is the primary reason for them to join the tour but it is about enjoying each other’s company, French food, French culture and having a good time.

The weather hasn’t been the best it can be. That is the least I can say. It is quite chilly, about 13 degree Celsius (55F), which is usually the weather for March.

That doesn’t stop our guests from painting: if it is too cold outside for some of them, they are painting inside.

Most are beginner painters (Nancy, Anne and Judy) while Joan is an experienced outdoor painter. By the time the beginners finish to set up their easel and paint, Joan has almost finished one painting. Oh well, they found that rather amusing. Me too!!!

Niki is a great teacher. You can check her art on her site at http://nikiparas.com/

She is spending a lot of time helping the newbies. That is the beauty of being in a small group. You get plenty of personal help from the teacher.

On thhe first day, we had a professional chef preparing dinner for us. Not just any chef, but Jean Claude Poulet has been the chef for the Louis Vuiton family. What a treat.

Jean Claude prepared  superb food for us. I didn’t take pictures of everything and I should have.  Below is a picture of him preparing the asparagus as hors d’oeuvres, then a picture of him with the bananas with cinnamon for dessert, a close-up of the banana and finally a picture of our group.

If you want to join one of our painting tours in 2011, make sure to check www.frenchescapade.com

Stay tuned for more tomorrow.

Jackie

Best,

Last year, we decided to make videos to show what our tours really are about. Whether about our painting trips or our cultural trips, we hope they convey our philosophy of travel.

Thank you to all of our guests who have participated in giving testimonials. We were not able to insert all of them in the video but we really appreciate your enthusiasm and time.

Here are 2 videos (1. our general tours / 2. our painting tours in Belgium)

Video 1

Video 2

We also offer painting tours in France and in Switzerland. For more information about all our destinations, check www.frenchescapade.com

I love my job because it offers a great variety of tasks: my favorite one being leading the tours, of course, because I enjoy interacting with my guests, sharing their joy and showing them wonderful new places.

However, most of my tours happening between May and October, many people often wonder what I do then. No, I do not sit and relax for 6 months ! It is in fact when I have to do the toughest part of my job: marketing, selling and organizing.

However, having started my company 6 years ago, it becomes easier and easier: I have solid contacts and partners, and “word-of-mouth” makes wonders ! Right now, my cooking tour is really successful and Belgium is getting more interest than the past years . Belgium 2010 is  a cultural tour with an optional  writing workshop. My new tour in Tuscany  is getting filled. As for Provence and the painting workshops, they remain the greatest hits !

For more information and availabilities about all our tours in 2010, check  www.frenchescapade.com

Picture info. 1. Visit of a ranch in Camargue / Provence 2. Picture by Jan Hagan

Provence is the perfect inspiration for many painters. If Cezanne  and Van Gogh are the first names you would associate with the South of France, Picasso was not indifferent to its charms and spent a lot of time in Provence and the French Riviera..

In the beginning, the Spanish painter would often visit friends in the area before he eventually moved  there,  where he  painted some majors works inspired by the spirit of the place.

Here are his Provence landmarks:

• In 1912, he stayed with Braque in Sorgue near Avignon and painted “L’Arlésienne”
• In Vence , he would often meet Matisse
• In Saint Tropez,  he drew the “Odalisque” sketch
• In 1919, he stayed in Saint Raphaël for a while.
• In 1923 and 1924, Cap d’Antibes and Juan les Pins were his summer destinations, where he painted “Paul as Arlequin”
• In 1939, he spent some time at Man Ray’s home in Antibes and painted ” Antibes port at night”
• In 1946, he stayed in Menerbes , the village made famous by Peter Mayle’s books.
• In 1948, in Vallauris, he discovered the art of ceramics 
• In 1955, he moved to Cannes. There, he worked on his series “les Ménines” and also did  “Peace and War “ 
• In Les Baux de Provence, he acted in a Cocteau movie.
• In 1960, he finally moved  to Mougins, his last residence, near Aix en Provence, where he could see Cezanne’s dear Mont Saint Victoire. He died therenin 1973.
• He is burried in the park at his Vauvenargues Castle, in Mougins.

After the extremely successful “Picasso and the masters” exhibit  this fall in Paris,  mentioned on this blog on November 25, 2008, Provence will celebrate Picasso in 2009.

Here are the major events:

• May 25 – September 27: Picasso – Cezanne exhibit at Musée Granet in Aix en Provence
• May 27 – September 25: temporary opening of Vauvenargues Castle (reservations required)
• March 28 – June 28: Picasso 1945-1949 exhibit, 200 pieces from the Happy Years, at the Picasso Museum of Antibes .
• Starting February 29: the Cathedral of images in les Baux de Provence will project Picasso’s  works in the amazing quarry used as an exhibition room. Always a superb experience!

Both our regular tours and painting trips in Provence include Les Baux de Provence, Menerbes, Avignon, the Cathedral of Images and Sorgues.

Our painting teachers in Provence; For 2009: Jann Pollard; in 2010 Victoria Brooks

Poster for the new show at the Cathedral of Images, Les Baux de Provence.

Painters and art lovers                can discover                   Provence                    through           art, gastronomy     and painting workshops               organized by          French Escapade.

“Today, still raining! We started the day by heading to the Virieu Castle to paint but it was too cold and rainy up there so we headed for the town where our chef, Valerie, lives and had lunch at her darling home, shown here. Then we explored the town and took some photos while waiting for a school group to finish at the Berlioz Museum where Jac had hastily arranged for us to paint, out of the rain.

The museum is Berlioz’s home, with a concert hall added. There was a performance of his music going on in the hall, lovely female voices accompanied by a flute. Kathy painted in the kitchen, the fireplace and pots, Josephine tackled the marble bust of Berlioz and did a fabulous job, and the rest of us painted on the balcony under the eaves. The sun came out late in the day and we got about 45 minutes of sun and shadow for which we were all very grateful. We did not get finished with our paintings but we got close. We caught a bit of the French Open on Valerie’s TV at lunch, looks like its been raining in Paris too.” Sandy Delehanty, the art teacher on the trip. Extract from her blog at http://www.havepaintswilltravel.blogspot.com/

Here is our group eating at Valerie’s house.

Painting by Kathy Young Ross in the Berlioz museum (in the kitchen)

Portrait of Hector Berlioz by Josephine Takamato

Little window outside the balcony of the museum painted by Linda Carroll

Like always, Bonnie Crosse was not with the group!!! She was outside painting a Cafe.

Today we went to Virieu castle to paint it and we saw quite a few cars parked nearby, which is very unusual. What could be happening? And what a good surprise! They had a painting contest! About thirty painters were sitting everywhere: in the gardens, in the courtyard, in the fields,… However we decided to paint in the village instead, and to come back at the end of the day to see the paintings done and who the winner was. When we came back they had a release of pigeons in the courtyard of the castle. We got there just in time to see it.  That was amazing. We also got the chance to have a guided visit of the castle and see Louis the XIII’s bedroom, listed historical monument. The guide, originally from England, was very knowledgeable.

At the end of the visit, we were invited by the organizers for a drink with the French painters.   We tasted a brand new drink made by Bigallet, a drink factory from the Virieu village. They made this special drink for the castle: a wine with honey spices  like in the medieval time. We all liked it very much. What a perfect day it was! Painting , enjoying a medieval drink in a French castle  and meeting French painters!!

Here are a few paintings of the castle by the French painters .

The group was unanimous. They decided that Virieu was the friendliest village in France. Everywhere we sat, locals came over to talk to us. Today as we were having a picnic under the covered market, one of the inhabitants came over to bring us coffee. He brought us sugar, cups and made hot coffee for us. He then invited us into his house to see his garden. He didn’t speak English but was very sweet. I translated for the group anyway.

As you can see on the picture, the picnic was a real French picnic with a tablecloth, flowers in a vase and even candles!!!!! Our chef Valerie went again out of her way to please us and to present everything beautifully.

Later, a woman came over to speak to Linda but she couldn’t speak English. Linda tried her best French but her French sounded more like Spanish. Fortunately, the woman was from Argentina and started to speak in Spanish. She has a ceramic shop in Grenoble and Linda used to have a ceramic shop when she lived in Columbia. What a coincidence!!!! They started to chat away.

Later on, a couple with a small child came over to admire our painter’s work. They were  originally from England, so no language barrier. Their 4 year old kid started to draw in Shelley’s notebook. They told the group where they lived and that their house was open if they needed anything.

What else can you hope for?  Painting cute little houses and getting invited by the locals inside their house. What a treat!

Tonight we had a crepe dinner. Valerie, our chef, made salty crepes but also sweet crepes for dessert. Two of our guests wanted to learn how to make crepes so Shelley and Josepehine watched Valerie and then started making their own crepes. Josepehine laughed so hard making her crepes that everyone else came from the dining room to see what we were doing in the kitchen. 

From Josepehine Takamoto and Shelley MacIntosh: “What fun we had together making crepes!  Josepehine was brave enough to flip the crepes in the air — just like Valerie!  Shelley and Josephine are ready to open a creperie in the US.  Bon Appetit!”

Crepe made by Valerie

Josephine laughing while making crepes

“A most gracious hostess, Chantal Pinaud, granted us a beautiful vista and invited us to paint in her gardens. Although it drizzled and was a bit chilly most of the day, we could not be torn away from our first painting opportunity. Even as the paint refused to dry and little rain droplets did their own special effects on our paintings, we found ourselves entrenched in our positions, determined to finish and conquer our creative obstacles”. Linda Carroll

Here is a picture o f Linda in Chantal’s garden

Here is Linda’s painting of Chantal’s house.

After our painting session, we were invited by Louis Fournier, Chantal’s neighbor. He invited us in his house and served us walnut wine, a local specialty made by his 88 years old mother. Louis wrote a book about the Virieu village. Everyone decided to buy his book. He was kind enough to dedicate every book ( see picture). This was an unique experience and Shelley is sure that this day will be the most memorable and meaningful experience of her trip. From L to R: Jackie, Kathy, Chantal (our hostess in yellow), Shelley, Louis dedicating his books, Linda, Josephine and Sandy.

Since Bonnie was not with us (she stayed home to paint from the house), here is a picture of her when she was still in Chantal’s garden painting her irises.

Our new group has arrived safely yesterday. Sandy Delehanty, the waterocolorist from Sacramento-California (see her site at www.sandydelehanty.com) is here with her group of 6 students, all with different skill levels.

For the first dinner, our chef Valerie, see more about her on our web site at www.frenchescapade.com, has prepared a buffet. The cheese board always comes after dinner in France. On the picture below, you can see Valerie teaching everyone how to cut the cheese. Oups, sorry, I should say how to slice the cheese. Our guests always laugh at us when we tell them we are going to teach them how to cut the cheese, so we now try to say “slice the cheese”.

Shelley is taking note about everything Valerie is saying about food like wine pairing, the origin of each cheese and the demonstration of the slicing. Tomorrow night, Shelley will be the one slicing the cheese for everyone.