April 2026

Coucou! I’m back from an unforgettable, magical painting trip to the French Alps. I knew the scenery would be out of this world, but it exceeded my expectations in every way. I’ll start at the beginning.

Brandi and Dylan picked me up at the Luxembourg airport on April 19 (that seems like a year ago!), then we drove to Trier, Germany for lunch. Trier is Germany’s oldest city, founded by the Romans in the first century BC. It’s a cute little town, rich in history. After lunch we drove to their house in Wittlich, I took a short nap to get over a bit of jet lag, then we went to dinner. It’s white asparagus season, and apparently the Germans go absolutely cuckoo over white asparagus - spargelzeit! It doesn’t taste anything like green asparagus, it’s creamy and mild. Loved it!

The next day B and I went shopping for art supplies at Boesner’s, a big art supply store in EU, so that we would be ready for 10 days of painting in the Alps. We also stopped at the grocery store and picked up a bunch of white asparagus so that I could paint a still life, inspired by Manet’s painting of white asparagus. I was pretty happy with how it turned out!

And then it was time to hit the road. Our first stop was Spangdalem for gas and cash. She also showed me around the base. Can you believe they have a Popeye’s on base?! Apparently Ramstein has even more American restaurants! 

We passed miles and miles of rapeseed as we drove to a small town near Lyon called Ruffey les Beaune. It’s a *very* small town about halfway between Wittlich and Saint Gervais les Bains. We stayed at a gite, which is a home out in the country that has space for overnight guests. It’s quiet, secluded and really gives you a taste for authentic French countryside living. Nothing fancy, but very comfortable and friendly. The owner donned his chef’s coat and prepared a fantastic dinner for us, which we shared with a couple from Belgium. They spoke enough English for us to be able to have a very fun, entertaining dinner conversation. In fact, they had recently been to a wedding at Isle of Palms in South Carolina and were flummoxed to see a “crocodile” swimming in the pool!

 After a delicious breakfast we hit the road to Saint Gervais! We had a cute little apartment overlooking the town square. The location could not have been better. We walked to everything: grocery store, boulangerie, restaurants and the local pub. We also had a balcony where we could watch the comings and goings and the surreal landscape that surrounds St G. 

On our first night we met up with our fellow painters at a pizza spot just around the corner from our apartment. There were 6 of us in the workshop: Pam (American), Maria, Georgie and Alison (Brits), Wolfie (German) and myself. Brandi was with us but not officially part of the workshop and instruction. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly, easy to talk to. 

Our daily pattern was meeting at the local boulangerie around 9 to grab croissants, driving to our painting spot, painting until around 12:30-1, a quick lunch break, then painting again until 3-4 p.m. At night we were mostly on our own.

Our first painting spot was near Megève. We had a pretty significant hike up to our spot, crunching through patches of ice and snow on the way up. At every turn I was more and more in awe. As soon as we got to the top I realized I was basically in an Edgar Payne painting. I could hardly focus on painting because I was so dumbfounded by my surroundings. Words and photographs simply cannot do it justice. 

I had never painted snow or mountains before but reminded myself that it’s just shapes, value and color, so I set up next to a patch of snow and dug in! Surprisingly, the little 8x10 came together pretty easily!

That night we went to Edelweiss for tartiflette and wine. 

We returned to the same spot the following day, and I was starting to get my bearings, so I pushed myself to try a new scene and to move up to an 11x14 panel. I was really happy with the way the painting turned out. It’s definitely one of my favorites.

Next stop: Notre Dame de La Gorge. The location is much, much more than a church. There’s a nearby stream, snow capped mountains, hiking and biking trails and cabin rentals. There were so many people who walked by us as we were painting and complimented our efforts. It was so nice. I decided to paint the church in the morning and a tree scape in the afternoon. We returned to the same spot the next day and finished up what we started. A is a strong believer in not finishing a plein air painting in one session. You build the structure on Day 1 then finesse on Day 2. I really like this approach.

I began each of these first 3 days by painting in a small Kraft paper notebook. It calmed my nerves and gave me confidence that my plan would work. A didn’t criticize this but he did ask me to consider just going for it. He reminded me several times that I am an advanced painter and he knows I struggle a bit with confidence, so he did push me a little and I’m glad he did. 

Next painting location: Saint Gervais for two days. So easy and convenient because our apartment was just an elevator ride down to the main square. I decided to paint a little salmon colored cafe, and this time no practicing on Kraft paper. I also did not draw on the panel. I drew with paint and had no issues at all. In fact, I am really happy with this painting, too.

After lunch I found a new spot and worked on a small architecture study. It was important to me to try everything, every subject, everything I’m scared to paint because I knew A would not let me drown. What’s great is that not only did I not drown, my paintings were very successful. Again, a huge confidence builder.

We got our first demo the next day. Can you believe we went this long without a demo???? He wants us to paint like us, not copy him, and I totally get that, but we can still learn so much from watching him: how he starts, where he starts, his brush strokes, paint mixing, etc. Everyone in the group was inspired by that demo. 

Afterwards, I set up across from Brassiere du Mont Blanc and painted a cafe scene with people. I was terrified to tackle people, but if not now, when, right ??? Well, that painting also worked and I was starting to actually believe in myself.

It was also at this point that I realized most painting workshops only last 3 to 4 days. So on Day 4 when you’re starting to hit your stride, the workshop is over. The beauty of painting for 10 days is you push way past your normal limit. I was tired. No - I was exhausted. But I kept painting and learning and growing. 

A group of such a small size (only 6 of us!) gives everyone a lot of time with the instructor. I never felt like I was forgotten or skipped over. We worked hard, too. There are plenty of workshops that focus on fun, drinking, sightseeing and play. This was not that kind of workshop. Other than my paintings, I came home with one other purchase: a homemade bar of soap for Scott from the market in the town square.

Next stop: St Nicolas de Veroce, another small Alpine village known for its 18th century Baroque church and world class skiing. I tackled the church in the morning and a mountain landscape in the afternoon. Once again, the views were mind blowing. I love the contrast of the lush green landscape covered in dandelions and buttercups against the backdrop of the atmospheric snow covered mountains. 

Every time we went to a location I pointed to the biggest mountain I could find and ask A, “Is that Mont Blanc?” And every time he said no. I finally told him that we needed to make a pact : if anyone asks if we saw Mont Blanc, we’re gonna lie and say yes. LOL. Little did I know that our last day would be spent painting Mont Blanc, the 11th highest mountain in the world.

I could have stood in this one spot for the whole week and never tired of it … a truly stunning site to behold.

It was a phenomenal two weeks for sure. Brandi was a champ. Not gonna lie, I couldn’t have done that trip without her. She carted us around little villages and mountain roads like a boss. She brought wet panel carriers for us, camping chairs, paper towels, a spare turp can, insulated coolers for lunches, paper towels, laundry detergent, snacks, Edgar Payne books, and more. 

My fellow painters were also really fun to be around. B and I spent a lot of time with Maria. She’s so funny and kind and she was on Landscape Artist of the Year as a wild card …. TWICE! Wolfie is 83 years old, a retired physician and paints beautifully. Just loved seeing his work and dedication - he is an inspiration! 

I have a lot of ideas and learned so much. I’m going to work on wrapping up a few minor details on the paintings I produced and plan to return to photos for future paintings. There is still so much to explore and work on, and I”m excited about it.

One thing I kept thinking about is that I’ve had a lot of rough plein air painting experiences. There wasn’t a single bad thing that happened on this trip. I felt better about plein air than ever before. It was still challenging and there were times when I got stumped, but I didn’t feel defeated. I’m proud of the work and excited about what lies ahead. 

You can spend all the time you want kissing Eric R’s ass, buying blue check marks on social media, chasing fame and trying to get followers, but you should really be spending that time getting better. 

COMING IN MAY

Pastel workshop, an artist trip to see the Jeremy Lipking exhibition at The Booth, Amy Sherald exhibition opens at The High and a trip to Los Angeles to see the new LACMA! I’m a happy girl right now :)