Dreaming of Venice

I am feeling wistful  about Venice. I think it is time to go back there.

In 2018 I went to Venice three times, twice for an exhibition I was participating in and once for a ten-day Paint Provence trip. It was absolutely wonderful.

I first went to Venice in 1987 when I was cheffing on a sailing boat. We moored alongside the Hotel Cipriani and would be driven in the hotel’s Riva taxi to Saint Mark’s square where I would go into the back streets and markets to do my shopping for the day.

I have dreamed about going back ever since.

In 2007 I was cooking in New York and had the great good fortune to go to an Exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art ‘Venice and the Islamic World’

“Venice’s unique geographic location between East and West enabled the City of Doges to maintain a special relationship with the most powerful Islamic dynasties over hundreds of years. It is from Islam the Venetian craftsmen imitated Eastern technique. Including glass making, leather and textiles. Venetian art and imagination took on an oriental attitude during centuries of dialogue with the East.”

In turn, the Venetian culture has influenced many great artists around the world… including Matisse. I am planning a trip in Venice for September 2022.

But now having throughly digressed, I will bring you back to now.

Valensole

What a wonderful group I had on my last trip here at home. We painted in Tourtour and of course in the lavender fields of Valensole, which are I believe the largest producers of lavender in Europe.

We are also blessed to have a wonderful chef who cooks amazing meals for us and wonderful local wine to drink. We enjoyed laughter and fun at the table.

And the Result!

Enjoy some of the wonderful work by my students from this trip.

Vine leaves by Teresa Zak

Just behind our house by Jo Bantick

Vineyards behind our house by Rhonda Langham

Chateau Roubine by Elaine Giraud

A house in Provence by Shirley Riley

Looking Ahead to 2022… and 2023

My trips for 2022 are almost all up on my website paintprovencewithtess.com. I will be putting Venice on for late September 2022.

My May trip to Cinque Terre is already fully booked and beginning to fill for 2023. I am quite excited about next year. I am hoping it is a much better year for all of us.

Next year we will be painting in Valensole and Venice. See you soon, I hope!

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.