 | Jerry's Artarama sponsors six artist for a
week long "Plein Air" outing in the south of France. Local area
artist Nicole Kennedy,
Dan
Nelson, Sharon DiGiulio and
Joe
DiGiulio were joined with Conneticutt artist David Dunlop and
California artist Don Hatfield on
a week long excursion through
the Provence and Cote' de Azur region of southern France with stops at
St, Remy, Marseilles, Nice, Cannes and St. Tropez. |
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The week long journey started out with our arrival in
the Cote' de Azur International Airport in Nice. From there it was a
small trek over to the Cannes location of our host Bruno and Laurence
Charvin's Artist Supply store. At that location we were invited to
select any of the over 200 colors that make up the Charvin Oil range
of oil colors. |
A view from the town of
Maussane-les-Alpilles en Provence,France
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Once we obtained our paint and a complementary Julian Plein
Air easel and Soleil
umbrella, donated by Phillip of Julian of Paris, we
were off for a three hour pilgramage to the region of Provence to visit the
historic town of St. Remy , where Van Gogh painted the landscapes of that
area. Our visit and 3 days of "plein air" painting allowed us to
visit many little towns in the area with our headquarters in the little
village of Mouries. |
The town square in Maussane-les-Alpilles
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We painted the following day in the village of
Maussane-les-Alpilles. Some painted in the village square while others
worked right on the mainstreet that undulated through the small village. At
one point, in front of the local church a crowded gathered. A wedding was to
take place and to all our surprise, the bride arrived with her father by
horseback to the church. How amazing was that. |
Dan Nelson, Don Hatfield and Nicole Kennedy converse
outside near the fountain at their hotel, le Valle' de Gayet, just outside of
Mouries.
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We were then off to Marseille, the largest French
seaport, to see the Bruno Charvin Arts store that dated back to 1830. We
toured the store then had a fantastic lunch at a cafe nearby. |
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The main Marina in the port of Marseille
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After lunch we headed off east to Toulons where
Charvin's paint manufacturing facility was located. We toured the
plant and then headed for the French Riviera to stay at Port Grimaud,
just outside of St. Tropez. |
A view from our flat on the coastline
in Port Grimaud on the French Riviera.
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At Port Grimaud we could paint right outside as we
were situated right on the beach while the back side of our flat faced
the Venice like canal village of Port Grimaud or "Little
Venice" as it is sometimes know. from this location it was only a
10 minute drive over to the famous village of St. Tropez. The town was
filled with beautiful yachts and wonderful mahogany wooden, "Rum
Runners". The streets were lined with tourist and we saught out
high ground in order to paint the beautifl scenery surrounding the
local. |
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Finally on our last day we returned to Nice to visit
Bruno Charvin's shop in the city center, get a quick bit to eat at the
local sandwich shop and then off to east and north of Nice for more
spectacular views of the lush and wonderful sights of the Riviera. |
A view just east of Nice on the way to
Monte Carlo
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Finally our last night in France we stayed at the
beautiful "Palais de Petit" before our return to the US on
an early flight. the experience of
painting in the footsteps of such greats as Matisee,Bonnard,Picasso
and Cezanne will always be a memorable journey. |
A view of Nice from our room at Le
Palais de Petit. |
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