The Louvre's Mona and the Eiffle Tower from my hotel room tonight.,

 At the Louvre to see Mona, my Italian mother's favorite painting.  Hectic and crazy today because Sunday's are free admittance to museums in Paris.  Wilma and I had a great time on the Batobus (a river boat that transports you to many of the sites all day along the Seine River.  Unfortunately we did not get to see the Museum D' Orsay due to extremely long lines.  No drawing or painting today it was our free day and art appreciation day.     

After a lovely dinner that cost way too, much we're back to the hotel and our rooms view of the Eiffel Tower at night.  Now to get a good nights sleep before our painting day and tour of Giverney tomorrow.  (our last day in Paris and France).

The one thing I've learned on this trip to France with other media Plein Aire painters is that the still life artist in me and the vignette lover in me has much to practice in my landscape cp work to feel comfortable.  I did stick to my guns and worked small the whole time 5 X 7 or 4 X 6.  A few I've shown here or will how in the next few weeks to come.  So stay tuned for more.

Gloria        

We left Bonnieux very early for Paris today, arriving at our hotel very near the Eiffel tower by 2:00 pm.  A bus tour of the city's highlights prehotel check in.  Hotel internet here is free but very spotty for access and slow so uploads of email are taking forever.  I will try to send you a photo from Paris when I can.  Tonight will be an early one as we are tired.  Dinner first-and a brief walk around on our first evening here.

Au revior,

Gloria

Provence Plein Aire - Roussillion

View of Roussillion, France and it's Ocher  pigment in the mountain.

Yesterday was our trip to the perched town of  Roussillion, where the ocher pigments

My beginning for the view of Roussillion.

were mined, in all shades.  Finding the town which is only about 15 min. from Bonnieux was a little tedious as 2 of the roads were washed by mud slides.  So the third option 25 minutes later panned out.  Climbing in switchbacks the whole way up "Bubba" our new vehicle made the trip up smoothly.  Such a change from the vehicle I started out with.  Thank you Hertz!  

Lavender fields in many areas were out (not as much as farther south) and proved good photo ops.  As the driver I had to stay in the vehicle so I'm waiting for the copies my car mates ran out to get while I hung on to the edge of the road.  Look for them in follow up posts when I get back.  Being the designated driver has it's downfalls as I can't shoot so many of the quick shots of this wonderful landscape while driving, like my car mates can.  

As you can see my start for the view of the town was slow to develop.  The Mistral winds were at first a thankful gift for this hot day but soon became.a force to be reckoned with.  As the ochre colored sand and dust blew across the parking lot where I sat in the shade, I soon had more grit in my eyes and teeth than I could stand.   Here I'm working on a 5 X 7 piece of green ampersand pastel-board. laid out initially with 10 % french grey.  The drawing needs corrected some but the various little buildings are at varied angles which I observed first hand while in town.   This is as far as I got in about an hour and 15-20 minutes.  It was difficult to not loose your place while doing the sketch, while holding on to your supplies n the wind.   I hope to add some more to it from my photos.  More to come.  

Have a colorful day! Au revoir,

Gloria

Le Clos du Buis's garden by the pool inspired this drawing as the Luberon hills an Mount Ventu beyond the inner hedge roll out beyond the outskirts of Bonnieux. This very large glazed urn filled with their version of red geranium (has very tiny blossoms)looks out on the pool level before the grounds fall away into the lower garden.  I worked o this two afternoons in my multimedia sketch book.  No wc cp under-painting 100% cp.

The day before we went to Arles (a 1.5 hour trip) to see the Van Gogh Museum and had lunch at the Cafe name after the painting he did of it at night.  I had the Van Gogh salad and it was as colorful as his paintings. The museum was closed and with the warning symbol written in French on the Peugeot I was driving (saying "Get your engine fixed now!") had us having a difficult day..  We located a Hertz office in Arles which had us driving to Neems airport (farther west) to exchange it for a brand spanking new Chevy Captiva.  Ya!!!!!! American!.  It drives so much better but is so much bigger that we named it Bubby.  I'm the largest car in our hotel parking lot..  Scary to drive these perched towns with when you meet a bus/truck or fast driving car in your lane but it handles the mountainous country roads so well with our foursome.  As the appointed driver I am the one who has to maneuver these roads but without Kathy our only French speaking artist navigating for us we might never get there.

Oh, and I am now along with my car mates working on finding the best sorbet in Provence.  So far the best has been here in Bonnieux with the tea shop down the street and at the La Flambe restaurant..  The tea shop has Lavender sorbet which pared with raspberry is lovely., La Flambe has Cassis (Kir liquer) flavor and paired with lemon or citron sorbet is the best palate cleanser after a meal.

There you go one post to catch you up and another one yet to come with yesterday's trip and drawing.  Have to charge both the battery on the notebook and by tummy.  Have a colorful day!

Gloria 
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