A few favourites from Provence and a new YouTube video
Posted: July 17, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: fontaine de vaucluse, ink and watercolour, provence, sketch, sketchbook, waterwheel 11 CommentsI’ve slowly been scanning sketches from my recent teaching trip in Provence and I’ll be posting more of them soon. Here are a few from my favourite spots.
ST PAUL DE MAUSOLE: I visited St. Paul de Mausole for the first time in 2018, when I was teaching my very first workshop with French Escapade. I remember how moving it was to enter the room where Van Gogh spent a year of confinement, look out at the garden from his bedroom window, see the olive trees that he painted, and be surrounded by the landscapes that inspired “Starry Night“, “The Irises“, “Olive Trees in a Mountainous Landscape” and many other paintings.
On this visit, we all did a series of small sketches that represented the place for us. I sketched the lavender fields and the monastery building where the hospital was located, a few of the Romanesque arches in the cloister, some iris leaves (even though they had finished blooming) and a few coquelicots in the garden. It was a very hot day when we visited, and there wasn’t much shade, but everyone sketched something interesting that morning, despite the heat. To note: the gardens — both outside and in the cloister — are much less well tended than they were six years ago. I’m not sure why that is. A lack of staff due to the pandemic, perhaps?
FONTAINE DE VAUCLUSE: On my day off between two teaching weeks, I had a bit of time to sketch on my own. I sat on a bench near the river and sketched the bridge, the waterwheel and the narrow village buildings. At one point, when I looked up from my sketchbook, there were two fisherman in hip waders standing on the landing near the Sorgue river. I was hoping to capture both of them but by the time I started to draw the first one, they were gone. Sketching in that spot by the river is always a pleasure. There’s a bench in the shade and a fountain so I can fill my painting cup. The temperature in the village is always cooler than the surrounding towns because of that cold spring water, and the river is an unearthly green due to the clear spring water and the bright water parsnip that grows in it. If you want to see how I painted this scene, have a look at my YouTube channel. I just posted a video of it there.
Both of these are great. I love the one of St Paul de Mausole and how your let the purple of the lavender be the color choice for the lettering. I had just seen your video of the painting of the river. Great colors and details. Thanks for sharing these memories.
Your new video of the waterwheel was fascinating to watch. You took a very complicated scene & with a few brushstrokes and a few lines it became a magically beautiful painting. I wouldn’t have known where to start or how to go about it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge & expertise. I enjoy all of your courses!
Such luscious colors. I can smell the lavendar.
Thanks for sharing the video and the paintings. I love your style ❤️
And I am curious about your next tutorial!
Hopefully there will be a new one soon!
That’s qute sad re the grounds at St-Paul..It was lovely when we went also.Love these works!
It was a bit sad. The cloister used to have beautifully manicured flower beds and now they mostly seem to be weeds and a few remnants of what was there before.
I like that you recorded the real sounds of the surroundings in your video. It gives the feeling and impression that I am standing in the same spot you were painting this beautiful sketch.
Frieda, that is always what we hope when we record these. We want to bring you along for the experience!
Your sketches from Provence are absolutely stunning, Shari! I particularly enjoyed the watercolor of Fontaine de Vaucluse; the colors are so vibrant, and I could almost feel the coolness of the river. Your new video on painting the waterwheel was insightful—thank you for sharing your process. Looking forward to more of your work from the trip!