More From France

I got all too used to waiting for the smell of coffee to waft up the top floor where my shared room with olive leaf wall paper lay nestled under the roof.  Our kitchen, as opposed to the working kitchen where the big meals were prepared, sported an assortment of crockery and handpainted cupboards. Although the coffe made was just a sort of everyday Arabica, after a 30 year hiatus I was in love again.

Early morning view from one of the bathrooms at La Masion Verte in Roujan.

Looking into the courtyard. Note the wrought iron railing,  the different sorts of railings on the houses were a study all their own.

A window in the "morning room" where we gathered for coffee and croissants.

Yes, I lived, for a time, in a house with chandeliers, it is true.

This dregs of a coffe drink is not from France but from the Heathrow Airport where the food and food choices are actually quite good and you can get free WiFi. 

Progression

Valmagne Abbey was noteworthy for being very much beautifully restored having had the luck to be left mostly intact by various rioting hoardes. Currently, it boasted a medieval herb garden which had me rather excited. However, as it turned out the garden needed a bit of love so rather than start weeding, as was my impulse, I traipsed back to the cloister and its cool pinky greens. Having spent time in the garden patting the plants I didn't have enough time to do a proper on-sight drawing so I made some quick sketches and took photos. Later in the studio I worked up a more finished drawing using pastels. On returning home I did a much larger version using the pastel drawing and photo for reference. For this larger version I used 300 lb Arches watercolor paper, Inktense blocks and  colored pencils.

The sketch

Photo, shows the walls and floor not quite level or perpendicular also the pinkness of it all.

Pastel, oh and some colored pencel I think, I fought with this one, well I kind of fight with them all if truth be told.

Big version stage one.

Stage two....

Done, in that I can't do anymore, of wait maybe just a little tinkering in the shadow, just over there.....

The Return

There is nothing so annoying as someone going off to a fabulous other land, having a great time and then having to look at their photos. I am assuming this is true because I went off to France and no one has asked to see my photos. Not one single person. That said all the bunnies survived under the care of my son for  the two weeks I was gone. Now before you get too jealous and snipe about people who just go off to France, let me just say that I've not had the sort of vacation that really was a vacation for almost 30 years. There have been other trips,yes, but they were work related or, in the case of going to Costa Rica with 8th graders, there was much responsibilty involved. Having for a time thought about going to Tibet with Acupuncturists Without Borders, I argued myself out of it becuase of the vast amount of vaccines involved. 180 turn about and in June for two weeks I took a Pastel Drawing workshop in Southern France. It was lead my two friends of mine from back in the day who I'd not spent much time with for a long time....Here are some photos from the first day.

We were picked up by car from the train station in Bezier and on the way to Roujan where our  big house was we had to stop at the blooming poppy field, usually by mid June the poppies are gone, but cooler weather left this blessing to be admired and later drawn. 

A graveyard across from the poppy field yeilded interesting images and textures.

Wandering around Roujan waiting for check in time, half drunk from an afternoon of  sipping the rose of the region everything seems wonderful.

Flat Amelia show off the view from my room.

Typical Really

Tyler on Bastille Day 2011

Vive la France

Vive la Revolution!!!!