The Art Retreat

I decided I must write about my trip to France before I forget the details.  12 days went by in a blur.  I was equal parts nervous and excited travelling alone overseas.  I used to be a pro but it’s been a long time since I did this solo. I made the most of my time from the minute I left.  Driving to the airport, I listened to a book.  On the plane, I read.  At the airport, I sketched.  Once I made it to Toulouse (after 7 hours in Montreal for a layover), I didn’t waste time going about my day.  I couldn’t check in until afternoon anyway, so I was off to see the sites.  Toulouse is easy to navigate on foot, and I had a few places on my list, including the local art supply store, a vintage luxury boutique, and a food hall/market.  I spent the day shopping and people watching, and ended with a chocolate crepe and glass of wine.  Life is grand!

The next day, I boarded the train for Gourdon.  It was a 2-hour ride through the country, and it hit me how nearly everyone around me was on their phone.  From this point on I made a conscious effort to leave mine in my bag or out of sight for most of my trip.  I listened to music and enjoyed the scenery. One town after another, the views became increasingly more magical.  At last, I arrived and was greeted by our host Harrison.  He ferried me to the house, and before long I was sitting around the table with new friends. 

I’ve known Bethany Fields, the artist/workshop host, for 10 years.  She has a magnetic, joyful personality that just makes you smile.  She loves life and is kind and generous to everyone. She’s gained quite an online following with the popularity of her You Tube channel, so it was no surprise that this is how some of the attendees chose her retreat.  Well, I can only say that she attracts like-minded people, and I found myself in the company of 7 other women that march to the same beat I do.  Have you ever met someone, and it was like you’d known each forever? That’s how we were.  We talked about our love for pastels and art, what inspires us, travel, nature, our families, Harry Styles... 

Over the next 10 days we shared our entire time together; breakfast with fresh pastries and yogurt and fruit, picnic lunches on location wherever we were painting, leisurely 2+ hour dinners that ended with watching the sunset over the field, plenty of hours in the car touring the area and hiking up and down from one village or castle to the next, and of course, shopping.  I haven’t laughed that much in years! 

Each day brought a new destination to paint and it was one breathtaking scene after another-  castles, villages, rivers, flowers… My bedroom overlooked the lavender field, but they would not be blooming for a few weeks still.   Every time we passed a poppy field, the whole car would yell POPPIES!  We had one entire morning to paint the poppies in Plein Air and it was AMAZING. We finished just in time to avoid the rain.  We had warm weather, we had cold weather.  We even had a hail storm! C’est la vie!

In the evenings after dinner we would often head to the studio and work on our paintings.  Our last day ended with an exhibit of our work for the staff and a champagne toast.  We had a total of 68 paintings in our show, plus many more not on display.  The whole team at Perigord retreats was a lovely bunch of people to spend our time with and we thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them. 

Eventually (regrettably?) it was time to head home.  Our tight group continues to text daily, and it is like we’re back at the breakfast table again.  We have already planned a fall girls trip to paint in Charleston, SC, and there are many future destinations and plans already being discussed.  I’m so thankful I was able to participate in such an inspiring and restorative adventure.  It was food for the artist’s soul.  And to Bethany, Katie, Judy, Tonya, Liz, Carolyn, and Pam- I’ll see you soon.  Marrakech 2028!  

See the full photo album on my Facebook page for Pastels by Melissa.