Arriving Home

Since arriving home from France, I have begun to settle back in. I have set up my painting table and gotten to work on new paintings based on all the inspiration I found in my travels. I am having a bit of difficulty remembering to put the dog out and prepare dinner when it was only a week ago I was sitting in a Paris cafe with my artist friends trying to decide which color wine to have. Waiting in line at Target buying my daughter essentials, I try to make the time in line go faster by bringing up images of walking thru the gardens in Paris. When the cashier says, "Cash or charge? I am brought back to reality and mumble tres bien." Hmmmm, anyone else ever experienced this?

Want to Come to France with Me Next Year?

Okay, so I am kind of excited about Durfort, France since I just got back from teaching a workshop there. In fact, I can't stop talking about how charming the village of Durfort is, how cozy and beautiful the house is we stayed in and how many lovely places and subjects there are in this region to paint. I am eager to return to this area with another group of painters and have scheduled my next workshop there already. If you would like to come along with me to paint, eat, shop, photograph, laugh, stroll and have a general great time, check your calendars now. My workshop dates will be May 28-June 3rd and you can sign up for an additional 3 days if you like. For the next few weeks I will offer an early bird sign up discount of $50. Check out my website or email me @ rabjsl@pacbell.net for pricing and details.

Six Pounds!

Yes, I gained six pounds on my recent trip to France. Why you ask? These photos may shed some light on the reason. The delicious pie was placed in front of me as part of the plat du jour (plate of the day) I ordered for 12 euros in the town of Albi. I had to eat the whole thing as I didn't want to offend the waiter. The chocolate shop was on a corner with its door open and I had to step in and once I was inside I had to buy something. Then there was this lovely artisan faire in the village of Durfort and this lovely baker had this display of pastries on his table and he smiled at me and I had to purchase a pain aux raisin pastry from him. I am going to walk on the treadmill now.

So How Was Painting in the South of France?

I sat in a corner of a square in the Village of Soreze in South Central France and attempted to capture the wonderful rosey glow of the warm colored buildings. This is what I sketched and painted in about an hour.

My Workshop in France Was Not Only About Painting

I returned last night at midnight from France where I was teaching a painting workshop. The workshop location and the sponsor were new for me and they turned out to be better then I could have ever imagined. The country village of Durfort, was set in between two mountains and the streets were narrow and lined with charming very old houses. The workshop sponsor, Gwen Gibson, was a wonderful, very talented artist who shared her expertise about France with us as well as introducing us to her wonderful friends and the wonderful sights of rural France. My students were talented and enthusiastic about their painting experiences. The chef for the workshop was a magician with food and we all took home incredible recipes and new ideas about preparing food. However, the workshop wasn't only about painting and sketching the quaint windows, doors and flower baskets we found everywhere in this region. It also included, delicious French food and wine, field trips to lovely French villages, outings to museums and historic sites and of course, shopping......