A Painting Holiday in France! 2018

Cafe Des Arts Beziers France

‘Painting -Holidays -in- France with Simon Roberts’- I saw it on Facebook! It jumped out at me. On further investigation, I found that this holiday was a weeks painting in the South of France in a small village called Pouzoules near Beziers. I had to go!! Everything was included- accommodation, food, wine and art materials. Really good value.

Travelling with one of my art friends from Canberra to Paris, we spent a few days there and visited Lumneres Atelier- Klint- If you are going to Paris, this is a ‘must see!’ All of Klimt’s work illuminated on the walls, ceiling, and all to music! You are surrounded by it, and in it. It was just amazing!

As we had a few days to spend before the arty side of our trip we also took the train and spent time in Beziers and Carcassonne. Both these places were interesting with Carcassonne with its castle my favourite. Beziers had markets every day and needless to say we spent time wandering through the stalls and the streets of the old town.

We found a great Cafe Bar in Beziers called ‘Café Des Arts’, where all the uni students and the arty characters of Beziers frequented. Needless to say we haunted this place- a glass of wine for €3.50 - and pretty good wine for the price!

The day dawned for us to be collected from our hotel in Beziers by Simon Roberts, and we were ferried to a beautiful B&B in Pezanas, Villa Juliette. Simon is an English Commercial Artist and a watercolour painter living in France, who runs the art holidays along with his South African wife who is a very talented cook. He also has classes throughout the year in his studio in Pouzoules. I was happy to be able to work in watercolours with Simon, even though our styles are very different. It was a good break from oils.

Our week went like this – we were collected by Simon every morning and taken to a spot where we painted en plein air. We painted an old chapel near Montagnac, visited an oyster and mussel farming village called Bouzigues, but decided to paint in the town as the oyster cleaning sheds were just too smelly for words!

We painted in a tiny square in the village of Villenevette and at an old mill near the town of Neffes. The highlight for me was travelling into the forest to a painting spot on the top of a hill in a National Park. The view was fantastic, and we painted an old restored mill with a windmill. We travelled to all the places through wonderful landscapes of vineyards along roads lined with beautiful Plane Trees. After the plein air painting we went back to the studio to do some more work.

We were dropped back at the B&B and then picked up and taken to a typical French restaurant for dinner- a different one every night. Not only did we dine in style, but also lunch was included as well, and some fantastic picnic lunches put on by Simon’s wife Monica- they were a painting in themselves! Delicious!

I have never had so much wonderful food and we tasted many of the local wine. Nothing was spared. It was truly enjoyable, and we met some of Simon’s other students on some days as well, which was fun. It was truly a wonderful trip.The weather was very kind, but also very hot being 32 degrees nearly every day.

I was so pleased that I saw this holiday advertised on Facebook and decided on impulse to go. It was a wonderful experience!

Old Windmill at Faugeres France, Val Johnson