This is the second posting of four featuring the photos I took (plus some art work) of both the Avignon area of France as well as the vineyard country around Vaison-la-Romaine. In other words: Provence. This was a 10-day watercolor painting trip in September with a group from our local art school.
The scenes here are all from an excursion to the nearby village of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and the splendid 14th century Fort St-André there where one finds the gardens of a former Benedictine abbey. The fort and gardens are across the Rhône River from Avignon but close enough to offer good views of each other. Here, one finds terraces, pergolas, vistas, sarcophagi, steps leading off up to what appears to be an old chapel, water lilies, and various flower beds. A wonderful place to explore or sit and reflect. The bus ride from Avignon (on a #5 bus) only takes about fifteen minutes. (This was my fourth visit.)
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| View of Fort St-André from Avignon |
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| The old chapel |
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| View back to the Palace of the Popes in Avignon |
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| My friends and I stopped for lunch at a little cafe on the grounds. I ordered what was billed as a grilled zucchini sandwich on charcoal bread. And that's just what I got! It was delicious. |
Of course, I took my travel sketch book with me since I take it everywhere. Here is a quick sketch of the pergola, made just before the shade I was sitting in turned to full sun in what was nearly a 90-degree day.
And these three paintings are from earlier visits--one plein aire and two painted later from photos I took.
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| View of the fort from the neighboring Carthusian monastery dating from the middle ages |
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| Cypress and olive trees, plein aire |
These photos and paintings are my property and may not be reproduced by anyone else.
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