 |
| 5/26/15 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, Pentalic Aqua Journal (the bay view from our hotel balcony) |
Our final stop in France was Villefranche-sur-mer, a small
resort town a short train ride from Nice. Unlike Nice’s shiny glamour,
Villefranche is a charming village with crooked, narrow streets. It has a slow,
sleepy quality (except when a cruise ship is in town!) that is just our pace.
The pastel-colored buildings, palm trees, lovely beach on the bay and warm
sunshine all made me feel like we were not just traveling but on summer vacation at last! There, we could
finally relax at outdoor café tables and enjoy the music of street performers.
 |
| 5/26/15 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, Canson XL 140 lb. paper (my favorite curved street in Villefranche-sur-mer) |
One of the best parts of our stay in Villefranche was our third-floor
hotel room at the Hotel Provençal
with a wrap-around balcony that gave us a 270-degree view of the town. It was
clearly the best room in the place, yet we didn’t ask for it or pay extra for
it – what luck! Several times I precariously balanced my paints and sketchbook
on the balcony railing to sketch the view and even the courtyard of the hotel
next door. In the early morning, swallows darted everywhere, missing me by
inches!
Since I wasn’t home for Memorial Day when I usually pay my
respects at a cemetery, I was pleased to be able to sketch a war memorial at
the Villefranche Cemetirie.
We flew home from Nice with vibrant memories, a full
sketchbook (Greg filled several camera memory cards, too) and a long list of
things we have saved for our next
trip to France!
 |
| 5/27/15 various inks, watercolor (the view of the neighboring hotel's courtyard from our balcony) |
 |
| 5/26/15 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor (a bell tower visible from our balcony) |
 |
| 5/27/15 Sailor Doyou and other inks, Caran d'Ache Museum colored pencil (war memorial in the Villefranche cemetery) |
 |
| 5/26/15 Platinum Carbon and other inks, watercolor (Villefranche beach) |
 |
| 5/26/15 various inks, Museum colored pencils (Villefranche beach) |
 |
| 5/27/15 Platinum Carbon and other inks, watercolor, Museum pencils (Villefranche cemetery) |
 |
| 5/26/15 Museum pencils, Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun and Tsuyu-kusa inks (Citadelle) |
 |
| 5/28/15 watercolor, Molotow white acrylic pen (the bay and a tiny peek of the ocean behind the land, sketched from our balcony) |
 |
| 5/27/15 Platinum Carbon and other inks, watercolor (Villefranche's colorful buildings) |
 |
| 5/27/15 (Platinum Carbon and other inks, Museum pencils (Villefranche cafe) |
 |
| 5/27/15 Sailor Doyou ink, Museum pencils (buskers band) |
 |
| Our hotel room was the one with the "Provencal" sign above it. Check out that wrap-around balcony! |
 |
| I tried not to look down as I sketched from the balcony! |
Love that balcony...but not the look all the way down. You did such a wonderful assortment of sketches of people, buildings (which I know you really don't enjoy sketching), and landscapes. You have wonderful images that will evoke such wonderful memories. I find paintings and sketches from my trips can bring me back to that time so much more than photos do. Thank you for sharing your memories of your trip...now I'm feeling like I need to go somewhere.
ReplyDelete