Fine Art Artist Elena Maza Gallerie Provençal 5

Gallery 5: Gallerie Provençal Artwork

Elena painting the view from the village of Joucas. Photo by Rene Reyt.

In the Spring of 2002 I was fortunate to share a house in the hamlet of Les Gardiols, situated in the Luberon Valley of Provence, with five other artists. It was my first trip to France, and I had to dig deep to remember my elementary-school French, (suprisingly still there), but managed just fine—the French were very friendly. Navigating in a rental van, we visited many of the picturesque hill towns in the Luberon, shopped at the local markets and made our own fabulous dinners with local produce and wine bought at small family cellars. The history associated with French artists enriched our visits to St. Remy, where Van Gogh spent two years in an asylum; Arles had impressive Roman ruins as well as associations with Van Gogh and Bizet. And who could visit the golden city of Aix-en-Provence without making a pilgrimage to Cezanne's last studio and his oft-painted Mont St. Victoire?


Francoise painting the lavender fields.	Elena at Aiguines, on the way to the Verdon Gorge.	Shirley True and Marguerite Beck-Rex toast one of our fabulous dinners on the patio.

Lunch at Isle sur Le Sorgue: (L to R) Elizabeth Goldston, Elena, Marguerite, Suzanne Hill, and Shirley.	Marguerite and Suzanne view the exhibits at the Souleiado Museum in Tarascon.	Dinner in Paris with our hosts Gerard and Marie Elise Martin.

Once More in Provence

In 2004 I returned to La Cerisiae once again. The Luberon Valley was just as lovely as before, and this time the lavender fields were in bloom! We visited many of the same villages as in 2002 and explored some new areas farther afield in Haute Provence: the Verdon Gorge, famous as France's Grand Canyon and the town Moustique, known for its faience pottery. On another day Francoise Valenti, an artist from Rousillon, invited us to paint in her secret villages to the north. Every day brought unforgettable new sights and experiences.

After a two-week sojourn at La Cerisiae, two friends and I rode on to Paris on the TGV (the high speed trains called Tres Grand Vitesse), where we were privileged to spend four days with the delightful Martin family. For me, it was a dream come true: so much to see and do in such a short time, but among the highlights were a day at the Musee D'Orsay and a day of painting in Giverny, Monet's home outside of Paris.

New Works

Welcome to Provence

Lavender in Haute Provence

Original Painting - Sold
Digital prints available,
please inquire.

Lavender Morning

Roman Monument

Courtyard
at the Souleiado

Mont St. Victoire

Lavender Fields