I craved to encounter Good King Rene and rule with him during his last decade in Provence. Standing on this glorious tip of southeast France, overlooking the Mediterranean was remarkable and allowed me to feel a bit like him. The endless rivers and mountains instantly created a luscious painterly background to the elegant sheep and goats grazing on the rugged landscape below. Everything seemed peaceful and inviting. It was hard to imagine that between the World Wars the region was so full of such gruesome tales of widespread riots. My father and I continued trekking through the mountains to the Camargne, our heads instantly cleared of any disruptive thoughts. It wasn't long before we were stunned to find hundreds of flamingos bathing in the low waters before us. It was truly surreal. My father held a passion for the written word and I noticed he was taking notes on his pad. He had always desired to be introduced to the best known French authors during the nineteenth century and I saw that he felt his closest connection with them at that very moment. I, myself, loved to paint and clearly understood now why Cezanne & van Gogh were drawn here. The clarity of the light was so invigorating. I imagined painting beside them, early images of horses and color drenched landscapes. We moved downhill, enjoying the moderate temperature of the early evening, our bellies speaking to us. We stumbled upon a quaint deli with a cobblestone facade. Peering through the large picture window, our mouths watered at the abundant seafood, olives, lamb, grapes and melons before our eyes. We took off our sweaty caps and settled our walking sticks at the door. We were immediately served Ratatouille with a tall glass of Pastis. Townsmen stared and smirked at us. We felt as if we were sitting amongst King Rene and his crew. We were anxious to explore the cliffs of the Calanques tomorrow, curious as to what hidden souls we were about to discover. We poured ourselves another glass of the French liqueur and scooped a second helping of the scrumptious stewed vegetables.
~Written by Jennifer Alfia
"Provence Rooster", original acrylic measuring 30" X48". Price: $395.00. For more information on purchasing this painting, please contact me at dimarzos@aol.com.
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Creatively Yours,
Jennifer Alfia
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