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Paint Provence with Tess

Slow Travel Tours Posted on March 7, 2021 by Tess BakerMarch 7, 2021
Busy bee in almond tree

Blooming in Provence

Hello, I am Tess. I am new to Slow Travel Tours and this is my very first blog on the site. I have decided to take this moment to introduce myself.

I am an artist and a chef, I have lived in Provence since 1985 apart from the times that I spent working as a chef on private sailing yachts. Adventures on the high seas are best for the young ones as far as I am concerned but being on the first private yacht that was allowed to sail around the Galapagos was a gift of an experience that I hope never to forget!

In 1992 aged 34 I decided to live in my little house in the mountains of the Alpes Maritimes and decided to devote my life to both my passions, my art and my cooking. Painting has long since taken precedence over cooking and it doesn’t give me a back ache!

Almond trees bloom

I studied firstly at my mother’s side. She was a costume and set designer for the movies and theatre and in her very few spare moments (bringing up and gaggle of girls and many a four footed friend) she would sit with her straw hat on outside painting wild flowers, insects, butterflies, caterpillars, bees, just beautiful paintings, and my mum taught me to paint. Mum taught me my love and passion for nature, my desire to paint it, to be in it, to embrace it, and to thank it for its extra-ordinary beauty. She also taught me my love of art and artists, contemporary art in particular.

I have studied art at art school, I have worked as an artist’s apprentice, I have done many art courses over the years, I have been a student at the Artists Student League in New York over many years.  Some of my good friends encouraged me to teach them water colours in my studio in Saint-Antonin and I loved it– particularly the spring and autumn, when it is neither too hot or too cold and the colours are glorious in both seasons. I started Paint Provence with Tess four years ago, offering week-long painting holidays from my home and in other areas that are special to me.

Spring in Provence

Painting in a sea of poppies is my idea of absolute bliss. Painting in endless fields of lavender feels like a gift from heaven. I love sharing where I live, I love sharing my knowledge. One of the things that gives me the most joy is people finding just in one week that they can paint, and enjoy it and find their inner creative. I believe we all have one.

It is March 6th and today the sun is shining, the japonica is shining, the almond blossom is over flowing, the early iris are reaching upward, my wisteria has thousands of buds bursting to bloom, yellow daffodils are gracing the green grass, blue bells, tiny lupins are everywhere. Wild orchids and the bright yellow of our mimosa still blooming in March! All of nature is waking up and beseeching me to come and paint now.

blossom blossom everywhere and so much to paint

We live just outside the medieval village of Lorgues, famous for a being a strong hold of the Knights Templar, just an hour from Aix-en-Provence and a short trip to the largest area of lavender fields in Europe– Valensole. We’re also near Tourtour from where you can see Saint Victoire and Mont Ventoux, the countryside filled with landscapes and villages bright in colour… there is so much to see.

Painting in Provence

Last day exhibition and champagne!

I wish you could all come and paint with me now too. For that we just have to wait and see. Hopefully in the not too far distant future we will be all be able to travel again and take the dream holiday we have been waiting for all this time.

 Tess Baker Tess Baker has been painting professionally in Provence for 30 years. She offers small-group painting holidays at her farmhouse in the Var, in other areas of Provence, and in other special European locations. Her week-long workshops include painting sessions in spectacular settings, personal instruction, and amazing meals.

The countryside is stunning, and Tess loves sharing her joy and her work with others, inspired by the surroundings and the changing seasons.

To learn more about Tess and her tours, see www.paintprovencewithtess

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.
Posted in France, Paint Provence with Tess, Painting, Provence, Slow Travel Tours, Tess Baker | Leave a reply

Slow Travel Tours Welcomes Two New Members

Slow Travel Tours Posted on March 5, 2021 by Kathy WoodMarch 6, 2021

slow_travel_toursSlow Travel Tours is happy to welcome two new members to our group: Village Vacations in Italy and Paint Provence with Tess. These well-established, owner-operated travel businesses have great reputations and offer special small group tours in different areas of Europe.

All the members of Slow Travel Tours invite you to join us when you’re ready to travel again. Even if you don’t plan to travel internationally in 2021, this is a great time to consider possibilities and book a trip for 2022.

Meet the new Slow Travel Tours members!

Nedra Bottieri - Village Vacations in ItalyFormer flight attendant Nedra Bottieri made a life-changing trip to Italy twenty years ago to re-discover her family heritage. Now with dual citizenship, she has a second home in Umbria. Through her company, Village Vacations in Italy, she organizes and hosts small group tours based in small villages in Umbria and Tuscany, normally customized tours for private groups. Groups have included yoga workshops, writing workshops, and groups of family and friends. Nedra draws on her extensive experience and relationships to plan special accommodations and activities to meet each group’s needs and dreams.


Tess Baker - Paint Provence with TessTess Baker has been painting professionally in Provence for 30 years. Her company Paint Provence with Tess offers small-group painting holidays at her farmhouse in the Var, in other areas of Provence, and in other special European locations. Her week-long workshops include painting sessions in spectacular settings, personal instruction, and amazing meals.

The countryside is stunning, and Tess loves sharing her joy and her work with others, inspired by the surroundings and the changing seasons.


See the Slow Travel Tours website for more information about all our members. Follow our weekly blog to learn more about us, our destinations, and our tours. And join us in welcoming our new members: Village Vacations in Italy and Paint Provence with Tess! (Watch for their first blog posts on the next two Sundays.)

 
Kathy Wood of European Experiences is a founding member of Slow Travel Tours and has played a leadership role with the group since its beginning in 2007.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.
 
Posted in France, Italy, Nedra Bottieri, Paint Provence with Tess, Provence, Slow Travel Tours, Tess Baker, Tuscany, Umbria, Village Vacations in Italy | 2 Replies

Looking Forward

Slow Travel Tours Posted on February 28, 2021 by Michelle LogueMarch 1, 2021

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes – Marcel Proust

Instead of only looking back and reminiscing, sad I can’t travel right now, I’m looking forward, waiting, hoping, planning.  I’m looking forward to the moment I can return to Orvieto and see my friends, my Italian famiglia. And forewarned is forearmed so I’m already expecting some things will be different.  Shops may not have survived the pandemic, the older generation that previously lined the streets for passeggiata may be a little lighter.  But as spring brings renewal and rebirth, I am looking forward to discovering new things, too.

The neighborhood leather shop, run by Federico Badia and wife Hannah, has closed up shop and is currently looking for a new home.

Baida leather

Federico Badia Shoes

Badia shoes

Federico packing up shop

The restaurant next door to San Lodovico, where Adventures in Italy guests stay and create, has moved locations.  I’m excited to visit Ristorante Il Giardino Da Giovanni, and order one of my favorite dishes in Orvieto.

Restaurant courtyard

Pasta wth cacao, mascarpone and prosciutto

Chef Lorenzo, who’s cooking class is always a highlight for our guests, has also closed up Zeppelin’s and moved all business to his farm, Casa Segreta.  I’ve never been there but I have a feeling I will be heading there next trip.

Former site for cooking class

New aprons representing the farm, Casa Segreta

While we’re still in this holding pattern of how soon and what will travel look like “when this is over” I’m planning my return with renewed gratitude and new eyes for discovery.  I hope you’ll join me.

Michelle Logue
Michelle Logue leads cultural and creative adventures in Orvieto, Italy. With a mandate to provide "travel that transforms", Adventures in Italy gives guests an immersive experience. After more than 15 years of return trips, Orvieto has become a welcoming home base surpassing the typical Italian vacation.

Adventures in Italy operates trips in May and September, with two options: Artistic Enrichment nurtures creative expression, while Discover Orvieto invites visitors to focus on the history and culture of Orvieto and live as locals. Find out more about tours and special offers by following Adventures in Italy on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and visit www.adventuresinitaly.ca

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.
Posted in 2020 Pandemic, Adventures in Italy, Cooking, European Travel, Italy, Local friends, Michelle Logue, Orvieto, Restaurants, Slow Travel Tours, Umbria | 1 Reply

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