Inside Provence

Rose de Provence

Perhaps I should say indoors at Provence. This rose was placed on a table in our room at the Mas des Carissins, St Remy.

One of the first things that struck me at the Mas was that light in the room was at once warm, diffused and brilliant without washing out the colors. The tall double doors faced south and when open flooded our room with a mysteriously rich glow. In California, south-facing windows brings in such strong light that light colors sometime loose their vibrancy. I had expected Provencal light to be the same. Of course, to our delight, it wasn’t. I didn’t realize that St. Remy is as far north as Eugene, Oregon.

For this painting I asked the very nice gentleman at the front desk, Angelo – a Frenchman of Italian decent, if I could borrow a rose from one of the dining room settings. I was going to use a glass from the room as my vase. He had better plans. He led me to an area in the gardens (there are several at the Mas) and allowed me to select my rose. He also gave us the perfect vase. Voilá.

By the way, St. Remy is probably best know as the place Vincent Van Gogh convalesced after his breakdown in Arles. It is that and so much more. But that is for a few other posts. Just know that Vincent’s irises still bloom there.