Painting in Southern France

Of all the places I have painted, France is still my favorite. It is where I discovered art, when I was 21 and lived in Paris for a year.

When I left Paris in 1973, I made a vow to myself that I would return in a short time.  But it would be nearly 20 years (years of a law career and raising two children) before I returned. This time - In 1992 - I brought with me the canvas, easel and paints of an artist. I painted in Paris and in Provence where my sister and her family lived.

I brought one of my  sketches back to finish in my art class at the University of Minnesota. The sketch was of Roman ruins, not too far from my sister's house in Belcodene, with Mont St. Victoire in the background. 

The professor looked at the painting and said to me: "Now, you have become an artist!"

In 1996 I spent a week with a group of artists in the Luberon Valley of Provence. There I began to find my style of painting - a style that I had been looking for during the past six years.

In 1997 I once again visited France, and spent a week in Giverny, just a five-minute walk from  Monet's house and gardens. I was allowed to paint in Monet's gardens when they were closed to the public.

In 2000, and again in 2004, I spent time in an area of France that I knew little about.  It is located north of Toulouse and west of Provence. I stayed in a magical place near Villefranche de Rouergue.