This is the 4th blog post in my series from Perigord Retreats
Another jaw-dropping place to visit!
Some little watercolor sketches in my pocketbook-size sketchbook from Moleskine
“In a centuries-old town where little seems to have changed since the Middle Ages, La Roque-Gageac is a true print-it-off-and-pop-it-in-a-frame kind of village. Stroll around the picturesque houses, admire the stunning views and enjoy the lush microclimate in this little piece of Perigordian Heaven.” For more info about this town click here.
Le Roque-Gageac is a town built into the side of a cliff overlooking the Dordogne River. It is breathtakingly beautiful, and I could have easily spent a week there painting away.
The first thing I noticed was palm trees and ferns nestled in the streets. The same flowers and plants that are growing back home in California.
Some of us walked up to a small museum and lookout tower at the top of the town with incredible views, and of course, we grabbed our sketchbooks to capture the beauty. This is a place where I could have stayed for days and just painted.
A quick sketch from up in the cave looking down
The arches built into the walls made for perfect cover from the rain!
When we started to walk into the town below, it started to rain, so we escaped to a lovely cafe to paint and sip tea and coffee. I love taking these little breaks to pause and paint and chat about what we've seen and where we want to explore next!
Sketching at a cafe with this amazing group is always a highlight. Vera is so proud of her sketching as it's completely new to her!
On our way to meet up with Harrison for a picnic lunch, we found a fabulous art studio belonging to Patrick Mignard.
Patrick is an amazing artist who only speaks French. Thank goodness Dom was with us, she is French and was able to help us communicate. We spent a lot of time in the shop, learning all about his life as a watercolor artist. He even gave us a watercolor demo and showed us his personal sketchbooks!
Gorgeous work from Patrick - he was so kind to share so much with us!
We were treated to a real French picnic with the most fabulous food along the river for lunch. Katel’s picnic was a three-course meal of quiches, salads, apple cake, and wine. Oh, Katel—I miss your cooking so much!
After lunch, we wandered the town, exploring the alleyways and secret pathways, and took many photos to reference when we returned to the studio to paint.
The rain showers and sunshine made everything so green and lush!
Do you see what I mean? Every place I looked was breathtaking! As I write this blog post, I want to stop what I am doing and paint these beautiful images in my sketchbook.
If you’d like to create, explore, and paint with me in Ireland next year, registration has just opened! Click on the link for more info. July 14-21, 2025
Or sign up for my Retreat Waitlist and be the first to know when other amazing retreats open up for registration. https://www.andreagarvey.com/artretreats
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