Thursday, April 6, 2017

Arles House 24 and Traveling to Europe


Arles House 24
acrylic on board 6 x 8 inch
purchase
While on a double date with our good friends last year, we were invited to join them on a high school group tour to France and Spain.  They have gone on these European trips for several years now, both as parents and chaperones, and they said there was always room for extras in the group and that we should consider joining them this time. We could attend as guests rather than chaperones, and the price would include airfare, hotels, two meals a day and most of the activities.  On the itinerary was PARIS, the LOUVRE, and the PICASSO MUSEUM.  Say no more.  I'm in! My husband was just as excited about the itinerary as I was, so we set up our payment plan and paid on the trip all year, paying it off just before departure day.

Our tour was ten days long and time was spread thinly in Paris, Provence and Barcelona, however we were able to see so much.  The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Versailles, and the Louvre were all covered in 2 1/2 days, mixed in with a bus tour of the city.  Our favorite activity was just being there and walking around taking in the all the beautiful architecture.

Provence was my favorite by far, slower and quieter than Paris,  and this is my little Arles-inspired piece.  It was a tiny house I noticed while walking in the historic area.  Arles is where Van Gogh was hospitalized for a year, producing over 300 paintings and drawings in that period of time.

home in Arles

We also visited the city of Avignon, as well as Pont du Gard and Carrcassone before ending our time in the incredible city of Barcelona.  When we got home, friends and family were eager to hear about our trip, so I spent time combing through pictures to post on Facebook, writing detailed descriptions of all that we saw.  It took a lot of time to do, but it was time well spent because it helped me absorb more of all that we saw on our journey.  I am so inspired now,  not just to paint, but to visit some wonderful museums and towns close to home.  The world is a wonderful beautiful place.

I hope you are well and thank you for visiting!
♥Lisa

14 comments:

  1. Love the painting. Honestly, if there was any space on my walls, I would purchase it. So pretty and welcoming.

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  2. What a great opportunity you had! Resulting in a lovely painting. So happy for you Lisa.

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    1. It really was a great opportunity and so wonderful to experience it with friends. Thank you Helen.

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  3. Great painting, Lisa. I admire the treatment of the window/curtains and good for you leaving off the squiggly lines!. I enjoyed what I saw on FB but must go back to see if I missed anything. Will you be painting more inspired from your trip?

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    1. Thank you Julie. I am glad you noticed I left the squiggles. They would have taken away from the curtains. I am working on a second larger work inspired by the trip and have a few other ideas sketched out. However, my Faith project is dancing in my head again. It calls...so we will see. I swear I have ADD. :)

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  4. What a great opportunity! Happy for you that you made it work so well. And a lovely painting for a very lovely home. What a great source of inspiration!

    Glad to see you so inspired. It inspires me:)
    Libby

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    1. It really was Libby! Inspiration was everywhere in France. It's everywhere period, isn't it? I know you find plenty in your lovely state. Lucky girl.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting Libby!

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  5. Wonderful painting and it sounds like a wonderful trip

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  6. Wow, what a great trip!! Gorgeous painting Lisa! You captured the house perfectly! Big Hugs!

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  7. Your trip sounds amazing, and I love the painting that your photograph inspired..... I bet you have many more pictures that will inspire more paintings too!

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    1. Hello Kim! And thank you for your kind words. I do have a lot of photos from the trip, and then many other ideas that I just never seem to get to. I am sure you know how that is also since you work on many different things as well from photography to painting, to jewelry, to book making. Sometimes I think I should just pick ONE thing...faces, chairs, narratives, etc and STAY with it, but I get bored. Jumping around from thing to thing keeps that from happening.

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