coquelicots.

One day trip we made was to a quaint little village called Villefranche de Conflent.  It was one of the cities that Vauban designed in his time.  He was an advisor for Louis XIV, and his specialty was designing fortified cities, all of which look really similar.

Most of the local businesses had closed already since it's a highly touristy area, but we visited several boutiques while wandering up and down the village streets.  Just as we were about to leave we saw a set of stairs heading up to Galerie des remparts, and decided to take a peak.  The artist was hard at work in his studio right next to the gallery, and his pieces were so simple and beautiful.  He had landscapes of the area and still lifes that were bright and luminous- I just wanted to jump in.  On top of the beauty of the paintings, the frames were reason enough to convince me.  Nearly every one was framed in handmade/cut pieces of wood- some twisted a bit or had knots in the wood, it was so very authentic.

I'm not a big art buyer, but I am slowly starting a collection from the places I've traveled.  I have a soft spot for coquelicots, poppies, and when I saw this one I decided to go for it.  His work was sooo reasonably priced, and I just love both the vibrance and simplicity of the frame and the poppies.

So now I have a new wall decoration!  I highly recommend checking out his site.  It's in French, but if you click on where it says 'Galerie' on the main page, it will take you to his collection where you can see each painting a little closer up.

Enjoy!

alli