This was the view from the small semi-detached house in the village of Montaroux where we lived for almost a year in 1972. The Village of Callian can be seen across the valley. My mother had considered finding a place in Callian as there were a number of other artists living there but the streets were very narrow with buildings very close to each other, so she decided it was much nicer to look at than live in.

It was painted in the winter when the leaves were off the trees, enabling a mostly unobstructed view of the hillside. She also chose to paint in the early morning to capture the upslope fog as it collects between the mountains in the distance, and as the mist lingers in valley as seen on the right side of the painting. My mother painted this specifically as a present for me shortly after I had left France and gone to university in America. It might be also be the only panoramic format landscape that she painted, probably because she knew I was very fond of that aspect ratio. You can see from her diary entries that she also started on a painting of me called “Without Worry” mostly from photographs and memory.

Diary Entries