Venturing into "Provence Verte"

Yesterday was a great day. I had been corresponding with my art teacher (Monique Faillard) about an outing she called a "picnic." She invited the whole family (Natasha, Lawrence, Annika and Jeffrey and even Niko). The time was changed a few times and bringing the baby was scratched when the weather got hot. I wasn't at all certain what to expect. In her last email she announced we will be painting and having the "picnic." A Picnic to me brought images of a park but her yard was large and comfortable enough to share a meal after painting class. I told Jeff to stay back with my contribution to the food and to come by later.


Upon arriving at Monique's studio 20 minutes later than agreed ( I had been forewarned by other outings), I encountered an older Asian lady, a younger woman and 2 girls. The younger woman and girls spoke French but no English and the older woman didn't speak much. After finding out they were Japanese and a few pleasantries, the conversation halted completely. A very awkward silence followed until half and hour later, Monique arrived with all her usual exuberance and charm.

Monique asked about Jeff and I was told to call Jeff and tell him to come at 7:00pm for the meal part. She started taking easels and other material out for our usual set-up. I got my supplies out of my bag and put on my apron only to find out we were going someplace.
I was still not sure what was happening and I was trying to find out what to tell Jeff when she told me not to worry that her husband was going to bring him. We were off in her large SUV at a fast pace, with Monique maneuvering the narrow streets with expert handling of her car. I joked with her about being in NY taxi driver.

We picked up another art student and we left the city. I felt like I had been blindfolded and driven to an undisclosed location with not idea of what awaited me. In the meantime, the Japanese lady became very garrulous and started talking to me in Japanese. She was very expressive and talkative. So between sign language, her limited English and my craziness, we happily carried on a conversation mostly in Japanese with a sprinkle of English words to keep me on track. From then on, I became the official translator for the Japanese lady. It turned out she is an accomplished kimono illustrator and have had exhibitions in France before.

After going for at least an hour and forty five minutes we arrived at our destination, which turned out to be the house of a fellow art student. It was a marvelous location, high on the hills with trees and flowers growing all around. The house was very beautiful with a very inviting swimming pool.

In the meantime, it became obvious there was a serious miss-communication about how to bring Jeff to the site. Both Monique's husband (Dominique) and Jeff thought the other one was driving. With no car between them, the trip was canceled.

Never mind that little hip-cup, I settled down to painting (see picture) and enjoying the site and the company.


















Our hosts were a couple, who I later found out, were from Belgium and spoke English. I met the husband, the daughter and two very cute granddaughters. Two large German Shepperd dogs completed the family. They were extremely kind and hospitable to all of us.

Dinner was served around 9:30 pm. It was a very savory fare that included contributions from all of us except me and the best barbecued duck I have ever tasted. The wine, the company and the outdoor dining were very enjoyable. The conversation was mostly in French and I felt privileged to participate in an Provencal night of friends enjoying a meal together.