Montelieu, the Book Village

This photo was taken by Kathy Harmon'Lubar in a lovely cafe in Montelieu, France. Montelieu is a "book" village. Which means the village is all about books. They have many bookstores throughout the town that sell old and new books and many rare books. Montelieu is also home to a book making school that teaches children and adults how to create and bind their own books. We were able to stroll all around the village and see the book making school. Then of course, we were famished and had to have some lunch. In this photo we have just finished our lunch and I am doing a quick sketch of a grandfather clock in the corner of the cafe.

Tilted Watercolour Window

This window seems to tilt, doesn't it? I painted this picture when the sun was shining bright in Soreze. Everything was sunlit and brillant. Maybe the sun was in my eyes when I painted it. Actually something odd happened when I scanned it and it seemed to get more tilted. However, it was a very sunny day........wonderful surprizes happen when you paint outdoors.

The Best Tips for Travel Shoes, Paints and Luggage

I did this painting from a photo printed out from a Polaroid Bogo that someone brought to our workshop. I've got to buy one of these tiny printers, it prints out a wallet size photo right from your camera and the Bogo is small enough to fit into your luggage easily.
This painting was inspired by a question asked by Debbie Reid, about how to think thru a painting. I tried to supply her with a guide to keep in mind as you paint. Together we came up with the idea, of painting 25% light, 25% dark and 50% middle tones. I like how the painting came out painting with this specific ratio of tones in mind.
As far as travel tips: I still find my metal palette filled with 1/2 and whole pans of paint squeezed into the pans from tubes works the best for me. This palette allows me to have almost every color I might need at my fingertips so I can get to it in a hurry. It also allows me to include special colors I don't use regularly but find I may need if a specific subject has cobalt turquoise shutters or something....
Luggage and packing- well I packed all my clothing in 2 1/2 gallon zip locked bags and that allowed me to take far more items of clothing then I normally bring. I was very happy with this system. What didn't work luggage wise, was the shopping I did, mostly at the flea markets and inexpensive markets and shops. I out shopped my luggage size. I did bring along an extra bag folded in the bottom of my suitcase and put that into use very early in the trip. It was way too much luggage to travel around with. So, next trip I either buy a larger suitcase, shop less or do my shopping at the end of the trip so I don't have to carry around my priceless finds the entire trip. Guess what I will do? Buy a bigger suitcase of course! Can you give me suggestions as to what size suitcase works for you? If you suggest a Louis Vuitton steamer trunk I won't consider your option for myself.
Travel Shoes- the best thing I did was to only take two pairs of shoes, one of them being a comfortable pair of Metaphisto walk-abouts that my husband laughs at everytime he sees them and says they look like 1930's football or basketball shoes....I don't care, they are fashionable in Europe and they were very comfortable, and gripped every cobblestone on the steep hillsides I was walked on. The 2nd pair of shoes that was excellent for the trip was the pair of black ballet flats I bought online from Planetshoes.com. They were made by Sam and Libby and not expensive. They fit into a tiny piece of real estate in my suitcase and were multi purpose. I wore them as slippers in the morning on the cold floors and out to dinner flats at night, they could have gone dancing if they'd had the opportunity.
More later, as I am fading from jetlag and lack of espresso which I had in Rome yesterday...

Traveling and Watercoloring Tips for France and Italy

I woke up this morning grateful to be back at home with my family and also extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to have visited the south of France, Umbria and Rome. The challenge when you return home from a trip with new ideas and inspirations is to figure out how to incorporate what you learned into your "real" everyday homelife without alienating and irritating your family and friends. I probably won't go out and greet my neighbors first thing this morning with "Ciao Bella, comme stai?" I will try not to say repeatedly> "Well, when I was in Rome yesterday, (last week, last month)... and I will try not to run out and buy a coffee press and electronic kettle and make coffee the fabulous way we did at Gwen's house in Durfort. Well, maybe I won't promise that. I do know my family is getting bruschetta with olive oil and salt sprinkled on the toasted bread for dinner tonight and I am going to buy the best brand I can afford at Trader Joes this morning. I may throw out all the ratty clothing in my closet and resolve to wear only pressed tailored clothing in form fitting styles. However, those of you that know me well, know how long that will last.....
The one major insight I discovered on this trip is I need to paint daily and quickly in my sketchbook that is filled with 6x9" pieces of watercolor paper. The painting accompanying this post was done in 30 minutes while sitting on the terrace at La Cascade in Durfort. Imagine you can hear the river rushing by as you view the painting. Watercolor students always ask me how often I paint at home. My answers vary, sometime alot sometimes a little depending on my other responsibilities. But now my daughter has graduated from high school and my husband has a demanding job, so how I manage my time is up to me. When I come home from a trip with a sketchbook full of paintings I see my work improve and I see the pleasure and wonder I find in the world when I paint daily. So it is my resolve to find the time to paint often. You can help me by reminding me of my painting goals and trying this out for yourself and see how it works for you. I am always happy to look at your work and publish it on my blog too. Ciao Bella....oops..

Use Your Imagination to See Umbria

I am writing this entry from Spello, in the Umbria section of Italy. Due to certain operator errors, there are no pictures of this charming Italian town filled with balconies, windows and doorways decked with flower pots and flower boxes. So, you will have to use your imagination to see what I describe to you. Narrow winding alleyways and lanes meandering uphill, cobblestone streets so steep you have to watch where you step. Turn down a lane and see an the entire street filled with colorful flowers. Stop in a cafe and order bruschetta, toasted bread glowing with the green gold of the olive oil and salt on top. Taste your espresso and study the foam, its sort of a shade of burnt sienna mixed with a bit of ultramarine blue.
I am meandering myself with my travel paintbox and stopping when I find a subject to paint. Yesterday, I sat in a garden and painted four views from the garden in 4 hours. Today I painted in a restaurant and got rave reviews from the waitress and the couple at the next table. I guess I like painting in Italy. Can you see that?

What Happens When You Take A French Painting Workshop..

When you decide to travel to a painting workshop in the South of France, you get many different experiences. You see delicate beauty everywhere. You experience a different approach to the environment. There is an emphasis on creating lovely spaces everywhere. An attention to detail and color and arrangement of furniture that inspires you. In the countryside of France, they use incredible bright, cheerful colors and many antiques to decorate their homes. There is also a friendliness everywhere in the French countryside. Local people are delighted if you attempt to speak a bit of French and they don't laugh at your accent. Also, painting with a group of fellow artists and sharing your thoughts and ideas can inspire you for years to come. Friendships form among the workshop participants that will continue for years. Your eyes open wide to the different images, the old building and textures that are so different from what we encounter at home. You can't help but go home with a new attitude and the desire to paint your living room a vivid sky blue and add a yellow couch and red bookcase. You also find yourself economizing on toilet paper and using coupons for groceries and not buying new socks so you can save enough money to return to France soon.

Highlights of My First Weeks Workshop in France

Here are some pictures of the highlights of my first weeks painting workshop in France. As you can see my participants are lovely, the food is scrumptious and the scenery is inspiring. A good time is being had by all. The 2nd weeks workshop has begun and my participants are equally lovely and all is good. We almost purchased a house overlooking the river in Durfort but the deal fell through so I bought a purse instead, but what a purse!

Shopping and Painting and Teaching and Eating in the French Countryside

I am writing this blog entry in Durfort, France where I have been teaching a workshop. The first week of the workshop ended today and my students took off for Paris and other locations. So, after eating a sandwich in a sidewalk cafe I tried to fit all my new shopping finds into my suitcase to see if I will be able to get everything home when I return in 2 weeks. The situation is not looking good as I have several shopping bags full of stuff that will not fit into my suitcase. My options may be: wearing four pairs of pants and 3 sweaters and two pairs of shoes home on the airplane, buying a bigger suitcase or shipping some things home by mail. Stopping shopping is not an option. I will post paintings of some of the things I purchased when I get home..........