Places We Painted

We'll be making notes here of potential locations for sketching and painting and then recording where we actually painted.

PLACES WE PAINTED updated on a regular basis

Week One / Home Base (Katherine, Robyn, Ronelle and Sarah)

• Hameau de Couguieux - the little hamlet which was 'home'
• Bedoin - the local town
• Mont Ventoux
• the mountain near to the "Postcard from Provence" house
• often used as training for or part of the Tours de France cycle race

Week Two (Katherine, Robyn and Sarah)

• Isle sur la Sorgue 
• a medieval town with a river running through it and round it; 
• home of the weekend brocante market 
• Abbaye de Senanque
• Cistercian abbey
• lavender fields

Week Three (Katherine and Sarah)

• Gordes - a very beautiful and very old village which sits perched on top some of some precitous cliffs on the edge of a plateau
• Sault - we drew the view of the lavender from the belvedere in the centre of town and got stuck into painting the lavender fields up close outside this town

Week Three (Katherine)

• St Remy de Provence - a town with a brilliant market and the monastery where Vincent van Gogh stayed on its outskirts.  This is where "The Starry Night" and a number of other famous paintings were painted.

PLACES TO PAINT - where we might be going next

Of course we can all look at Julian's blog A Postcard from Provence for inspiration!  Ruth has also provided us a with a list of places we can get to easily from house.

Here's a few ideas for trips away from base whivh we haven't yet got round too

The towns

• Sault 
• Superb views of the countryside from the esplanade and a good market.  
• Should be good for views of Lavender fields at the end of June
• the last time Katherine was here she was being filmed by the BBC's Holiday programme for an episode about painting holidays.  See The first time I went painting in Provence
• Vaison la Romaine
• a Roman bridge with a single arch over the river is still being used despite being some 2000 years old
• Gordes 
• classed as one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France.  
• Amazing sight from the road below the town.  Amazing views looking out from the town.  
• Katherine would like to draw and paint that fountain one more time!
• Roussillon 
• another one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France - just down the road from Gordes
• it has fabulous ochre quarries nearby
• Arles
• a UNESCO world heritage site
  
• this is where Van Gogh lived between 20 Feb 1888 and 8 May 1889.  Many of his famous paintings were painted in or near Arles. See Van Gogh and the Yellow House in Arles and  Van Gogh: Drawing media and techniques
• Saint Rémy-de-Provence 
• a chance to go walking in the footsteps of Van Gogh.  
• Official website http://www.saintremy-de-provence.com/en 

The Hills and Mountains

• Les-Baux-de-Provence and the Alpilles
• an old chateau fortress to look at from a distance so as to avoid the tourists!
• the Massif des Alpilles, now classified as the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles (Alpilles Region Natural Park, has magnificent landscapes
• Dentelles de Montmirail
• short steep mountains named after the lace they are supposed to resemble

The Vineyards

We're in the Rhone valley and have quite a choice!  Here are a couple of famous places.

• Beaumes-de-Venise
• home of one of the best dessert wines Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise - is a short distance away.  
• It also has an olive mill
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape 
• outstanding views of vineyards.  
• It's also where the Popes based in Avignon used to have their summer palace when it got too hot in Avignon.