my red pole: souvenirs provençaux

Having the desire for a getaway from Paris for an extended period of time, I took the train down south to a region well-known beyond France : Provence. It would be my first stop before heading eastward towards Nice.

All in all, it was a 10-day vacation in Provence.

I focused on two cities, namely Aix-en-Provence and Avignon. The former, I had visited some two years ago for a reunion with sketchers from all over France whereas the latter was completely new to me.

Several aspects of the vacation were classic ‒ city walks, eating in restaurants, and hanging out with local friends ‒ and enjoyable. What made the stay even more memorable were the different artistic activities that I indulged myself in.

Thanks to my friend Christelle, I had the opportunity to discover calligraphy hands-on. I tagged along to participate in a day-long workshop in Aix, where professional calligrapher Cécile Pierre introduced me to the technique.

I had been skeptical about the idea of writing out characters in an obscure typeface being fun. But what I experienced myself was quite the opposite. As I practiced out the letters of the Unical script, the hours just seemed to fly by too quickly.

One of the things that I really wanted to do with my time in Aix was to learn watercolor. Sure, I had dabbled in it in the recent past with less than stellar results. This time around, I wanted to sink my teeth into it. Certainly, I was inspired by the work of sketchers that I had met regularly in outings in Paris during last six years. Because while I sketched exclusively with graphic pencils and black pens, most of them embraced watercolor with abandon. In their company, I had always declined the invitation to explore color, and "now", at Aix, I was about to venture out of my comfort zone.

So I signed up for three classes with Hélène Dieudonné, an artist that I found on the Internet. She is based in Lambesc, a town outside Aix. I had taken five hours of classes in watercolor last year in Paris, but that was in a small group setting. With Hélène, I was able to receive more attention as the classes were private and each lasted three to five hours. Undeniably, I learned a lot about the technique, pigments, water, and color. And there is much more to learn, but in the meantime it will be practice, practice, practice !

Besides dabbling in new artistic techniques, I found time to return to old habits, i.e., pen and ink drawing. I had already sketched several well-known fountains and landmarks in Aix during the sketcher réunion two years ago, and I was not very motivated to go back that route. So I settled for something new, challenging and very characteristic of the city all at once : Cours Mirabeau. With its wide sidewalks, numerous restaurants, large boutiques, and vibrant scenery, I likened this thoroughfare to the Champs-Elysées in Paris. Even in times of COVID, there is hardly a rendez-vous spot more popular in Aix than Cours Mirabeau.

When I made it over to Avignon, I was more interested in discovering the city than doing anything artistic, as I had never been there before. And what a pleasant experience it was visiting the old city, walking the narrow, cobblestone streets and appreciating the stony buildings. Certainly, the Palais des Papes was a highlight, as well as the Pont Saint-Bénézet and the Jardin des Doms, a wonderful, tranquil garden perched atop the hill from which I sighted the Pont Saint-Bénézet below.