Durfort France- Peter Welsford's Drawing Class

One of the joys of traveling is meeting people from around the world. Peter Welsford's studio is across the street from La Cascade. He invited us to take one of his Tuesday morning drawing classes.
I enjoyed working with the pastels- a new medium for me. I like their rich color and freeform nature when used in drawing an object.
The sunflower fields started to bloom mid-July and offered a great subject to draw.

Nature Gathered

I'm in a new 8x8 art exchange called Nature Gathered to explore a different theme each month for a year. Members post their artwork on the blog monthly. In July, our theme was birds.

It's amazing to see the variety of unique interpretations and wonderful art techniques that each artist uses. My "Birds" combines acylic painting, collage and drawn lines. I wanted the feel of summer, togetherness and the peacefull experience of being outdoors. Please visit our blog and see what we're doing.

Durfort, France "the idea collector book"

The last part of my trip to France included a train ride to Toulouse, meeting my second art group with Dayle Doroshow and a drive to Durfort-our home for the next week at La Cascade. This group focused on art journals and dolls made with items found in local markets and a theme of ancient France. My favorite book was our idea collector.
the front cover made with French fabric and a polymer clay transfer
the inside cover with toile and a sewn signature with a variety of papers in different sizes
fabric samples
An ink and pen drawing of La Cascade by Peter Welsford, a Brit whose studio is across the street from La Cascade.

1930's stamps found in a Vide Greniers or an "empty the attic" flea market
An envelope, accordian book to hold workshop notes and treasures
The back of the idea book with a V-W pop-up and fabric frame

A Visit to Jumencourt

I took the train from Gare du Nord to Anizy-Pinon to visit Pascale, a fellow artist in our PhotoArtJournal group. It turned out to be a highlight of my trip. We drove to her home in the village of Jumencourt. She prepared lunch for her mother and I, gave me a tour of her studio, shared her art projects and took me to see the medieval castle- Coucy-le-Château. We spent a wonderful day together. Merci Pascale!
The gargoyles and ancient patterns on the castle walls offer inspiration for future art projects.


The castle garden reflects how it looked in the 13th Century.

Monet's Home & Garden in Giverny

To see Claude Monet's home and gardens in Giverny was a dream come true. We left rain drenched Paris and traveled by train to sunshine.
The gardeners plant and maintain the gardens much as Monet did during his life.


Hollyhocks grew everywhere in France and are one of my favorite flowers next to roses.

I sketched the water lilies and enjoyed the peacefulness of the pond.

Paris Markets and Walks

Here's an overview of my French vacation in a collaged calendar. Each day I added a photo or note that represented my experience.

I stayed in Montparnnasse- the 14th Arrondissment and really enjoyed the neighborhood.
Monsieur Gilles, the hotel receptionist, became one of my French professors.
A sketch walk in Jardin du Luxembourg.

The food market Saturday morning on the Boulevard Edgar Quinet.

The Port Vanves flea market
I visited one museum located at the Hotel de Cluny- Musée National de Le Moyan Age (Middle Ages) to see the unicorn tapestries, Book of Hours and other treasures.
The bouquinists along the Seine offer not only all kinds of books but wonderful botanical drawings and prints.

More Travel Journal Sketches from Brittany

Mari Le Glatin Keis led us on daily sketch walks. She encouraged us to pack light & simple, relax, play with color, stay small, collage and sketch with words. I tend to fill the whole page with an image so working small was a challenge for me. Here's the view from my farm house bedroom window.

We spent a whole day at the Château La Roche Jagu. Bus loads of school children filled the botanical gardens and castle. They sat on the lawn and drew the castle. I drew mine and filled the whole page in their style. I used pastels to prepare these pages for sketching. The colors are rich and vibrant.
The castle construction workers left their marks after each job completed. At the end of the day, their marks were counted to determine their compensation. Artichoke fields cover the landscape in this area of Brittany.
Inside the château, we viewed an exhibit- Passions Botaniques. I loved the medieval drawings that combined human forms as part of the plant.
The botanical gardens that covered the castle grounds inspired many sketches.
Our last day, we took a sketch walk at high tide along the Jaudy River Estuary. The contour drawing is of the village Plougrescant in the distance.
The above sketch inspired this watercolor- the light shone on the roof tops against a dark sky.