Thanks to the Laroquettes!

This is the longest post I ever wrote and it may the longest one I ever will write, but I have so much to say and plenty of time to write while traveling home. I hope you will bear with me as I thank each of the Laroquettes and give everyone a glimpse of why this group was so special. I enjoyed getting to know everyone better. 

The week went by way too quickly. As we travel home, I am reliving the memories of all that we did. We painted, we drew, we met new friends, we painted, we lined danced Baroque style, we drank wine, we ate snails and more cheese and bread than ever, painted some more, and bonded as a group more than we could have expected. This whole trip has been more than I anticipated! (Sorry, I know I am saying 'more' an awful lot, but this really has been more of everything!).  The bar has been set high for future trips. Yes, There will be future painting trips to somewhere (Bali, maybe?) This first group will always be special to me for many reasons. The first big reason is that they were willing to go along with me knowing that I had not done this before and was learning along the way. They took a chance and I will always appreciate that!

Lynn and John - What a great couple you two are! Lynn, you are a very accomplished artist already. I appreciated your generous and thoughtful way of sharing your knowledge about painting and your workshop experiences. We all appreciate you challenging us to drawing in our sketchbooks everyday. I hope we can continue to challenge each other this way. I love that on the last 'free' day, you painted your favorite paintings of the week!  John, I appreciated you driving the second van and getting us all where we needed to be. Your sense of humor and your play on words kept us entertained. Thanks for keeping Ron company around all of the artists! I can't wait to see your photos!

Claire: You are a strong and quiet artist. I love how you could focus on what you were doing when so much was going on around you. I especially loved watching your very first painting of a row of houses while sitting on the Laroque tower come to life. I am excited to see your painting featured in the local Laroque paper! You captured the Canagou and have brought it to the US. You make the Laroquettes proud!

Sherry: I love your sense of awe at nature and how you see beauty in so many ways. I appreciated your questions and your determination to get me to paint on your painting! Your desire to learn all you can and pick my brain is very fun for me as a teacher. Your natural spring painting on yupo was fun to watch happen. It came from what YOU love! I also enjoyed watching your Laroque tower and palm tree paintings come to life! Keep the questions coming!

Sandy: You have a quiet yet energetic creative way about you. I love your use of color and the bleedy markers! You have a great sense of design and painted many beautiful paintings. I can't wait to see what else you paint with all of your great photos! 

Dee: You are a funny gal! You kept us all laughing. I enjoyed watching your art 'happen'. I feel like you made a huge leap while there. Your colors are awesome and so YOU. I was thrilled to see Ann Marie and her husband feel such a strong connection to your art and choose one for their extensive collection. You should be proud and accept that affirmation graciously and wholeheartedly! 

Terry: Thank you for your excitement and joy about each new place and experience. I enjoyed painting side by side with you near the well in Laroque. You made great strides in your painting this week. I love how you painted the rocks at Collioure quickly in your 'accordion' and then did it again larger and even better! I felt your joy when your painting at the lake just 'happened'! 

Lynn S: Thank you for your positive and cheerful way about you. I know you missed some of our previous get togethers and painting sessions but it was not even an issue. You were prepared and willing to dive right in! Your painting of the market at Collioure was so much fun to watch happen. I like that you painted what inspired YOU (and not what was expected by those tourists!) I hope you will always do that!

Mary: Or should I say, Lady Mary? You are a free spirit and you have never met a stranger. The way you got Eliane dancing was so special. You bring that kind of joy out of the people you meet. I love your laughter and sense of adventure. I appreciate your determination to learn new things and I loved how you studied and drew that beautiful yellow leaf. You learned how to SEE more this week, from the tower at Collioure to the yellow leaf and everything else from now on!

Francoise and Allen: I know we all said thank you, but it feels like we can't say it enough. Francoise, without your planning, your connections and your wonderful hospitality, none of this would have happened!  You connected not only the US artists with the French artists but you connected the mayor and the artists and the people of Laroque! I believe you may have set up some expectations for this to be an annual event!?  I also hope we can host the artists of Laroque in the US some day.  You opened your home to us and made us feel so welcomed. Ron and I loved our pre-workshop tour and would love to see more some day! Allen, your sense of humor and patience with us was awesome. Thank you!!! I hope you are enjoying some peace and quiet now. We look forward to seeing you again in VA.

And last but not least, my husband, Ron, was the best tour guide, driver, funny guy, cat herder and schedule keeper. He always knows how to make trips fun. He kept us on time when it was necessary and drove through some very tight places, always with a sense of humor and patience. He guarded the tower while we went off to "stare at things" for hours. He got a lot of reading done and had a chance to relax in between shuttling the artists around. He is a gracious host and a wonderful organizer. I hope he had enough fun to be willing to do this with me again! I don't think I can do it without him and it would not be as much fun! Thanks, Ron. You are the best!

Merci and au revoir until we paint together again! 

Watch for more pics in future posts!

Marni