David Hockney's iPaintings

You still have time to see “David Hockney: Fleurs Fraîches,” an exhibit of images (flowers, places and people) created by the British artist on his iPhone and iPad.  It's at the Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent in Paris until Jan 30th. With “Brushes” and other apps, Hockney used his thumbs and fingers to create full-color images directly on the device’s screen, modifying the hues and

I Love Paris When It....

Isn't this great? This Paris Snow Globe print by artist Clare Owen is $20 plus shipping from her shop on Etsy. For more about Clare, see her website  and blog.

At Home in Provence

Ten years ago, while on holiday with her husband and three children in Provence, Vicki Archer, an Australian, fell in love with Mas de Berard, a ramshackle 17th-century farmhouse in St. Remy. Yep, you know the rest: Vicki and David bought and then set out to restore the house, transforming it, over three years, into an exquisite showcase of Provencale style, all country-chic elegance and ease...

French Vintage on Sale

Jill Mitchell is offering discounts of up to 50% on the French vintage items in her two online shops. (This mid-century French school poster, for example, with North America on one side and Asia on the other, is now $60 plus shipping.) To see Jill's shop on Etsy, click here and use the code word "holidaysale" to get a 30% discount through the end of the year.  To see Jill's Ebay store click here;

Provence and the British Imagination

On Nov 19 and 20, the Universite de Provence in Aix will co-host "Provence and the British Imagination," a conference (in English) exploring the role of Provence in the British literary and aesthetic imagination, from the 18th century to the present. Speakers will include artist Julian Merrow-Smith and writer Anthony Penrose, who will discus Provence in the work of his father Roland, the 

Antoine Godard: Sept. 6, 1967 - Oct. 11, 2010

I wept yesterday when I received the email from Valentin Godard, the 17-year-old son of my friends Antoine and Nathalie. Valentin’s words? “My father past this night.” It took me just an instant to figure out what he meant—and still, I didn’t believe it. The Godards had been in Barcelona when strong, beautiful Antoine suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 43.
I’ve known Antoine since before I

Provence in Focus

Lee Warren is a U.K.-based landscape and "natural world" photographer who shoots for magazines, books and ad campaigns. I came across some photos he took in the South of France late this summer and just had to share. Lee tells me: "The shots were taken August just gone. This was our first visit to Provence but we're already planning to return next year. It really is a stunning part of the

Today I Would Go to Provence, France...

"If I had no obligations and a private jet suddenly appeared at my front door...where would I go today? Today I would go to Provence, France, mais oui..."
Donna Mulholland is an artist and watercolor journalist who lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. This drawing, of her dream to fly to Provence, is part of an "in flight"- themed sketchbook that Donna is producing for the Brooklyn Art

Can You Ear Me Now?

Now you can dress up your cell phone and all your other electronic devices with reproductions of classic paintings such as Van Gogh’s Starry Night. (And none too soon, I might add.) Van Gogh painted Starry Night (and close to 150 other oils) while hospitalized in St. Remy in 1889, following the cutting-off-of-the-ear incident in nearby Arles. (By the way, two German art historians recently said

Party Like It's 1399

Tarascon's annual Fête Médiévale runs through Sunday and if you like friendly natives in colorful costumes, this is the fête for you. Starting tomorrow, the Place du Chateau (the area around the castle) will be transformed into a medieval marketplace evoking the reign of King René, who built the castle in the 1400s. There will be jousting on horseback, knights in arm-to-arm combat, dancers, fire

Remembrance of Breakfasts Past

I've known the photographer and painter Carol Gillott for many years and have always loved her work.  When we first met in New York, she was a was doing a lot of portraits of chefs, which found their way into top food magazines and onto many restaurant walls. A passionate Francophile, Carol now travels to Paris three or four  times a year and is always always painting, her

Irving Penn's Les Petits Metiers

Legendary American photographer Irving Penn who passed away in 2009 aged 92, shot a striking series of portraits of workers in mid 20th-century France, London and New York. They're currently on view in Paris at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, through July 25th.  The show is called Les Petits Métiers (Small Trades). You can see more images at the Fondation's website or on Le Monde's blog. 

New Art Festival Launches Thursday

When I heard that AP’art, a new regional art festival, was coming our way this week, I asked my artsy friend Angela Billows to give us all the details. Here’s her report.
This year sees the launch of Ap’art, an international contemporary art festival set amongst the beauty of the Alpilles Mountains. It runs from July 8 to 13, to coincide with the summer festivals in Aix-en-Provence, Arles,

Love Photography? Get Thee to Arles!

The Rencontres d'Arles is an international photography expo that takes over the city of Arles each summer with seminars, workshops, gallery shows, open-air projections and more. It's Europe's biggest photo festival and, some say, the most important event of its type in the world. The 41st annual festival opens officially today and runs through Sept 19th.


Over the years Arles has played host to

Gallery Opening

Christian Manoury opens his temporary art gallery, Inside Out, in St. Remy on Friday April 23rd. He'll be showing contemporary painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics and Oceanic tribal art from a variety of artists. The opening party is April 23rd at 6 p.m. and all are welcome. Inside Out is at 24 Blvd. Marceau in St. Remy. For info: 06-75-09-72-89, insideout13@wanadoo.fr

From LA to Aix

I was recently asked to recommend some wedding photographers here in Provence...so I went to Robert Hale's website where I found this beauty of a shot. Robert and I "met cute" as they say, one day in the Marseille Airport. We were both in that line where you pay your extra baggage fees (story of my life), and Robert, standing behind me, saw my blue passport and started a chat. Turns out we both

Snow in Les Baux!

In Provence, early March usually heralds the beginning of the outdoor cafe season. Instead, we got snow. A Marseille-based photographer who goes by MarcoVdz took this great shot in Les Baux, using a Nikon D5000 and Photoshop 7. You can see more of Marco's dramatic Provence photography, with and without snow, on his Flickr page and on his website. [Disclaimer: Marco took this photo in January...

Feel Like You're Being Watched?

A cloud-free southern Europe was photographed from space in early March, with Spain (lower left), France (center), Switzerland (upper right) and Italy (lower right) all visible. Four mountain chains are clearly distinguishable: the Alps, Jura, Pyrenees and Massif Central. The western portion of the Alps is visible (bottom right) on the border of France and Italy. The Jura Mountains, north-west of

Buy Art to Help Haiti

Photographer Chuck Anderson is donating 100 percent of online sales to Haiti earthquake relief. This print for example, called Lights for Drowning, is 18" x 24" and costs $45 plus shipping. See all the work for sale here.

Rafael Soldi of Bonni Benrubi Gallery in New York has organized the Haiti Relief Benefit Print Sale, which you can see by clicking here. Emerging photographers have donated

Sous La Neige!

Photo by Francis Manguy, http://francis.manguy.free.fr/photos/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/barrail/3184983866/ Photo by Polbar: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46064269@N00/481062305/ Photo by Jaffi: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31055972@N04/4017623848/ Photo by Beril Hansson: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bertilsud/91856488/

Photo by Jonathan Giuntini: http://www.flickr.com/photos/