Every time we do a painting trip to Provence, we learn a new vocabulary from our artists. This time, our wonderful artist and teacher extraordinaire, Bethanne Kinsella Cople, taught us a couple of new phrases. There was the "alien color" that Bethanne used to describe the unexpected, splash of color that you throw in at the last minute to offest the complementaries in a … [Read more...]
2016 French Trip Dates are (almost) here!
Hang onto your beret: our 2016 trip dates are almost here! We love any excuse to go to France and nothing makes us happier than gathering a group of like-minded women and escorting them to Paris and Provence. We're excited to offer a selection of trips that hopefully appeal to lots of you. If you adore the thrill of the hunt and obsess over anything Louis XV or XVI, then … [Read more...]
Painting in Provence with Nancy Franke
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. That's how we felt when we saw Faye Phillips' darling sketches of her Painting Trip to Provence with Nancy Franke. Her playful sketches capture the magic and imagery of Provence with wit and whimsy, in a way that words and photographs cannot convey. So we asked Faye if we could share her twinkly view of Provence with our friends … [Read more...]
I just want to paint!
This is music to our ears, when we host a group of artists to Provence. And it’s what we heard, over and over this past week, during Bill Davidson’s excellent week-long workshop held at Les Murets, our home away from home overlooking the Luberon valley in Gordes, France. We had a gentle little fist fight at the gallery about who got to accompany the repeat group of … [Read more...]
Franke in France
I’m one of the lucky ones who got to visit Nancy while she was painting in Paris. Not that it took a lot of arm twisting. We had received a couple of emails from her, with a few snippets of her life in Paris. Photos of her painting shirt hanging to dry on the window. Glimpses of the Eiffel tower that dominated the view from her garret. Pictures of paintings hanging on … [Read more...]
Andree Thobaty
Meg and I are of course never competitive with each other, except maybe in the healthiest way, such as, “Oh I thought of the same thing!” or “I was going to suggest that too.” So it’s no surprise that when one of us returned from a trip to France, elated and excited to have discovered the most fabulous new artist, the other one casually countered, “Oh I know her!” (and admitted … [Read more...]
What’s YOUR favorite thing to do in Provence?
“So what is your favorite thing about Provence?” we were asked the other day by a former guest and participant, as we all sat around, sipping champagne, reminiscing and planning for our next trip. Meg didn’t hesitate. “Cassis! I just love the little village, the port, the shops, the boat ride to the Calanques, and Le Grand Bleu is probably my favorite restaurant in … [Read more...]
