France was great!

The shutters, the fog, the sun, the perfect weather, the red Virginia creeper (do they call it that there?), the friendly people, the flowers, the bastides, the winding roads, the chestnut forests, the gypsies, the firethorn bushes, the Lot River, the food, the Cahors wine, my fun students and our wonderful hosts William and Rosalie Haas at Domaine du Haut Baran made this a most memorable trip.

We painted every day in villages such as Montcabrier, Monpazier, La Rocque Gageac and Les Arques. However, on market day in Sarlat, we didn't paint. Instead, we photographed the market and had a history lesson about that medieval town.

Actually, all the towns and villages had medieval streets and buildings or lovely Renaissance architecture. We only had rain one night. The drought this year caused the autumn colors to arrive early — to our enjoyment and the wine's delight. This will be a good year for the wine!

I hope to have many of these paintings "finished" for my exhibit in January at the Prairie Art Alliance. I hope you will come to see it!

Let me know if you are interested in taking a trip to France for a workshop with me in the future. No dates are scheduled yet.

Love,