Wednesday, October 9, 2013
"A traveler without observation is a bird without wings." - Sheikh Saadi
I just returned from a glorious 10 days in the South of France. I believe in travel. I love to get away from my routine and studio life, for just a bit, to explore, rest and grow as an artist and a person. When artists travel, I believe they truly do see things differently than the average person. We are in awe...constantly...by just the subtle shifts of the clouds, the dappled shadows under the trees, the sunlight as it casts shadows on age old buildings. We cannot travel fast, for fear of missing some subtle, beautiful 'color'.
My trip to Provence was very relaxing and truly enjoyable. I did not bring my paints with me this time as I wanted to just 'absorb' and take time to really 'see' everything around me. We, the four girls, rented a car and traveled to a few of the bigger cities (Aix-en-Provence, Marseilles, Nice) as well as meandering the back roads to my favorite, the small villages (St. Remy de Provence, Les Baux, Gordes, Grasse and more). Two of us shared the driving...only the small villages for my driving skills...and yes, it is like you see in the movies, the narrow winding roads with the speedy french drivers....what an adventure.
One of my favorite small villages was the village of de Roussillon...the Ochre Footpath! This area was long quarried for its pigments. As in paints. and YES! I packed the little remaining space in my suitcase with LOTS OF PIGMENTS! What else is an artist to do?????
Life is an adventure, traveling outside of your norm is a good thing...but it sure feels good to be back to this amazing autumn weather! So enjoy...LE GRAND CHEMINDE LA VIE! (life's great path)
I just returned from a glorious 10 days in the South of France. I believe in travel. I love to get away from my routine and studio life, for just a bit, to explore, rest and grow as an artist and a person. When artists travel, I believe they truly do see things differently than the average person. We are in awe...constantly...by just the subtle shifts of the clouds, the dappled shadows under the trees, the sunlight as it casts shadows on age old buildings. We cannot travel fast, for fear of missing some subtle, beautiful 'color'.
My trip to Provence was very relaxing and truly enjoyable. I did not bring my paints with me this time as I wanted to just 'absorb' and take time to really 'see' everything around me. We, the four girls, rented a car and traveled to a few of the bigger cities (Aix-en-Provence, Marseilles, Nice) as well as meandering the back roads to my favorite, the small villages (St. Remy de Provence, Les Baux, Gordes, Grasse and more). Two of us shared the driving...only the small villages for my driving skills...and yes, it is like you see in the movies, the narrow winding roads with the speedy french drivers....what an adventure.
One of my favorite small villages was the village of de Roussillon...the Ochre Footpath! This area was long quarried for its pigments. As in paints. and YES! I packed the little remaining space in my suitcase with LOTS OF PIGMENTS! What else is an artist to do?????
Life is an adventure, traveling outside of your norm is a good thing...but it sure feels good to be back to this amazing autumn weather! So enjoy...LE GRAND CHEMINDE LA VIE! (life's great path)
