Vence III

Two more houses that RHF sold are coming up - as soon as the paintings are finished. To keep you going I'll post a little 1 minute movie again - it is a fantastic villa -in the South of France - in sunny Vence to be precise! This specific house is not for sale, I did the painting for a friend, but Riviera Home Finders have loads of similar houses and several other types of villa's in the Vence area...and in other area's, ranging from Menton up to Perpignan, and the Luberon.



I made this painting from pictures that I took in the winter and "invented" the flowers and the pool (that was covered at the time). It was mega detailed and a lot of work but I enjoyed doing it so much - I painted it, sitting in the sun, you can probably see that... Next you'll hear from me it is about two houses that were sold in the Var, I'm off for a good deal of weekend-celebrations now!!

Les Taillades II

English version below

Elayne Murphy, RHF's makelaar in de Luberon en goede vriendin, heeft dit prachtige huis in Les Taillades verkocht: Zoals je ziet is het een geweldig huis (het Marina Artists team heeft er ook heerlijk aan geschilderd, deze versie is van Marina Teding van Berkhout oftewel Marina de 2e) met een tennisbaan, een grote vijver en een prachtig zwembad...... en bovendien een adembenemend uitzicht op de Luberon. De verkopers zijn Schotten en de kopers komen uit New York, Elayne vertelde dat beide stellen ontzettend leuke mensen zijn... En wat zijn deze nieuwe eigenaren een geluksvogels! Want het huis is fantastisch, maar het is ook zo'n geweldige plek: stel je voor, een klein dorpje, 4 km ten oosten van Cavaillon - met ongeveer 1900 inwoners. Idyllisch gelegen midden in het Regionale Park van de Luberon, is les Taillades omringd door prachtig landschap. En het oorspronkelijke Middeleeuwse karakter is goed bewaard gebleven. Tot aan de 19e eeuw was hier het centrum van een belangrijke steengroeve. Inmiddels wordt de steengroeve niet meer gebruikt en is getransformeerd tot een openlucht theater! Elk jaar in augustus wordt het gebruikt voor het zomerfestival met dans, toneel en concerten.

En vanzelfsprekend heeft Les Taillades dan ook nog een schattig bakkertje met knapperige croissants en vers stokbrood, een marktje, bloemen en leuke winkeltjes. En restaurants en terrasjes waar je aan lekkere glaasjes rosé kunt nippen of geurige kopjes espresso drinken, in het zonnetje onder de platanen...

Les Taillades

Elayne Murphy, RHF's agent for the Luberon and my good friend, just sold this wonderful property in Les Taillades:

As you can see it is a fabulous house (The marina Artists team had tremendous fun painting it! The above one is done by Cathie, tomorrow in the Dutch version you'll see Marina's version) with a tennis court and an idyllic pool and with a great view of the Luberon. The sellers are Scots and the buyers are from New York and Elayne tells me they are both very nice people... And are the new owners lucky!

Because - What a great place to live is Les Taillades: a small village, 4 km east of Cavaillon - with a population of around 1900 people.
Located within the Luberon regional park, les Taillades is surrounded by a beautiful landscape and it has kept its Medieval charm: until the 19th century it was an important stone quarrying center. (Les Taillades means "the Cuts" referring to where it was built on the quarries).

These quarries were abandoned at the end of the 19th century and have now been transformed into an open air theater! Every August it is used for a festival with dance, theater and concerts. And of course it also has the lovely bakery with fresh croissants and baguettes, a market, flowers and shops with quality food. And restaurants and terraces where you can sip a nice glass of wine or an espresso in the sun under the plane trees...

The making of an Aquarelle

A year ago I made a painting of a lovely villa in Cogolin.

I don't remember why, but I made 4 pictures of the progress - and since today I am able to combine them into a new medium (for me) video... !

It is very short and just a try out - but from now on you can expect a regular "making of" when the Marina Artists Team creates another aquarelle. And they will get better and better! Check it out and see how we do it...

Facts you don't see in the video - This villa is located in Cogolin - a village close to lively St Tropez, with 9.000 inhabitants.

Cogolin has a well known marina and is located near the coast as well as the hills. The old town is built on a hill at the foot of the massif de Maures. (The name Cogolin comes from the old Provençal word cougouyoun - meaning "hill with a rounded top") It is still very Provençal, with an old fort and ruins, a lovely market with typical local produce and a lot of artisans.