Art teacher Durinda Cheek set out to get a group of women painting in France’s Provence during an oil and watercolor workshop. She brought both to demonstrate. So much to be inspired by – the mas we are staying in is still the same as last week: the restored 17th century house. Onto a painting frenzy and then some. Tons of color, tons of imagination, tons of passion.
The day started with Durinda hanging out materials and then everyone one run off to the garden to start painting.
Barbara is the quick one. She painted 3 oil painting in the morning and was busy painting a watercolor in the afternoon.
Durinda found her spot and painted tiles, roofs and cypresses.
Jeanne was “cheating” a little by painting a painting…..
Jackie Grandchamps obtained her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology in Belgium, and then moved to the U.S. in 1995 to conduct cancer research at Stanford University in California. Her heart has always been in travel however, and she turned her passion into a full time job in 2003 when she launched her travel business, French Escapade offering an authentic travel experience to women.
She says, “I wanted to make my dream come true: sharing my love of traveling and giving people the opportunity to really experience a different culture. Instead of the traditional ‘tourist’ sightseeing trip to France, I wanted to immerse very small groups of women in the culture, let them meet locals, eat authentic cuisine and ‘live’ an authentic experience. That’s how French Escapade was born.”
