My French Fellowship

Sketching in the Lotus Pond Farm

Bonjour! I’ve arrived. And it’s enchanted!

I pulled in last Friday, September 6, 2019. This fellowship in Southern France has been in the making for 8 months. I am sure I’ve bored my friends and family to tears with all of the details. It’s good to live in the now for a change..

One day VCCA, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, near Lynchburg, VA, received a note from France. In it it said we have property and buildings that we would like to donate to an artist residency. Would you be interested? For starts who would believe it was for real but in 2006 after constructing and refurbishing they opened the VCCA French Artist Residency in Auvillar, France. It’s an hour NW from Toulouse, in a town of nearly 8000, on a river complete with ancient Roman buildings and on a steep hill overlooking a grand valley.

Pinch me.

The rooms are immense, every detail has been considered, privacy and quiet reign and I think my studio is over 600 square feet. My bedroom has hand painted tiles on the floor and a bathroom with a bidet. ( I may have to have one of these in every home going forward.) We fix our own meals except for 2 nights a week when a local chef comes in with a flair and friendly locals are invited over.

I have fallen in love with the resident director. My wish is her command. On a brisk walk the other morning we passed by a lotus pond which is part of a retail flower farm. I knew the moment I saw it I would have to get in there and sketch. After some hilarious sleuthing I got the green light. This is all from a director who is here to please.

The internet is fairly slow. I am posting just a few pics on the blog. Please shoot over to my Instagram feed to see more of this gorgeous place. I’ll be posting more photos in my story feed.

XO, Rebecca