Faculty and Staff Exhibition, Photography Excursion, and students at work around Les Tapies

We've had a busy couple of days at Les Tapies since returning from Wednesday's excursion! Despite returning quite late from Avignon, work has continued as normal and students have been working hard on their major and minor subjects.

On Thursday, students also had the opportunity to view the work of the Les Tapies faculty and staff, who take pride in their status as practitioners.

But first, programme director Fernando Gonzalez, who has restored Les Tapies over the course of decades, introduced an exhibition showcasing the development of the hamlet ever since he began its restoration.

John Smalley also spoke before students entered the exhibition

Students then made their way towards the gallery, where work by the Les Tapies faculty and staff was on show.

Students seemed to appreciate the fact that their instructors were also serious practitioners with equally serious bodies of work.

The next day, students returned to their own work.

Barry Iverson's photography major students took an early morning trip to several sites in the valley, first to a waterfall in St. Sauveur, and then to the river in Les Ollières.

Having photographed the waterfall, students made their way back to the vans for the short ride to Les Ollières where yet more water scenes awaited.

Back at Les Tapies, Drawing & Painting students were also very busy.


Excursion to Sénanque Abbey, Gordes Bori Village, and Avignon!

On Wednesday, students were asked to wake up a little earlier than normal - around 6am - in order to make an early start for a packed day of traveling. On the schedule were three key locations: Sénanque, the site of a 12th century Cistercian abbey; the Bori village of Gordes, a 16th century village of distinctive stone buildings; and Avignon, home of several popes during the Papal Schism.

After a sleepy, two-hour car ride, students were treated to an incredible view of the hill town of Gordes.

Gordes

Students then returned to the vans for the brief ride to Sénanque, home to the Cistercian monks. It was picturesque, to say the least:

Sénanque Abbey

The group!

Les Tapies students sit to draw the abbey

A quick break

After about an hour and a half at the Abbey of Sénanque, students loaded back into the vans for the short ride to the Bori village in Gordes. The 16th century village, restored in the 1970s, is distinctive for its buildings, which are constructed without any type of cement. The walls are thick and windows tiny, which would have ensured occupants stayed warm in the winters and cool in the summers.

After about 45 minutes at the Bori village, students set off for the last destination of the schedule: Avignon.

Lunch with the faculty and staff

Even programme director Fernando Gonzalez was tired at the end of the day!

On return to Les Tapies, students were met with the "super moon" rising above the Ardèche mountains. A perfect end to a wonderful day!

Orientation: The Beginning

Students and staff pose in their new Les Tapies t-shirts for a group photograph

With many students having travelled long distances before arriving at Les Tapies, the first full day of the programme was relaxed. Students were served breakfast from 8 to 10am, enjoying cereals, fruits, and French pastries purchased that morning from the neighbouring village of St. Pierreville. They were then given Les Tapies t-shirts, asked to pose for group pictures, and set off for the approximately one-hour walk to St. Pierreville.

On arrival, students were greeted with a traditional Sunday market in the small mountain village. Vendors sold locally-grown fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses, and plants and flowers.

Before returning to Les Tapies, students in John Smalley's van were treated to an alternate view of the hamlet:

And on return, students were served a selection of hors d'oeuvres, including cheeses, various sausages from the Ardèche region, and sangria (made with grape juice in lieu of wine!).

Students were left to their own devices until dinner (barbecued sausages and coleslaw being some of the highlights). Cake was served for dessert, as instructor John Smalley celebrated his 59th birthday and his 12th consecutive year of teaching at Les Tapies.

Instagram

One final goodbye for this group of students as we send them home by car, train, and plane. Safe travels and we hope to see you again soon! #lestapies #goodbye #safetravels #untilnexttime #poolparty
One final goodbye for this group of students as we send them home by car, train, and plane. Safe travels and we hope to see you again soon! #lestapies #goodbye #safetravels #untilnexttime #poolparty
The Drawing and Painting students presented their visual and written portraits of their partners as the culmination of our two week program. Each piece was incredibly unique and moving - they put their whole hearts into the project! It’s so har
The Drawing and Painting students presented their visual and written portraits of their partners as the culmination of our two week program. Each piece was incredibly unique and moving - they put their whole hearts into the project! It’s so hard to say goodbye, but we were so lucky to have these students at Les Tapies for the last two weeks! #portrait #writtenportrait #summerartprogram #lestapies #partnerartproject #goodbye
Adventure day! People were going all different directions today. Some took a break to go zip lining, hiking or exploring a river, and others traveled to a gorgeous viewpoint on the Massif Central to capture the landscape in watercolor and conte chalk
Adventure day! People were going all different directions today. Some took a break to go zip lining, hiking or exploring a river, and others traveled to a gorgeous viewpoint on the Massif Central to capture the landscape in watercolor and conte chalk. #lestapies #adventure #sundayfunday #excursion #zipline #summerartprogram
We love any excuse to eat chocolate, so thank you to Leah for sharing her birthday with us today! We had a chocolate tasting, and the student who guessed each type correctly won a whole chocolate bar of their favorite flavor (good job Olli!). And bes
We love any excuse to eat chocolate, so thank you to Leah for sharing her birthday with us today! We had a chocolate tasting, and the student who guessed each type correctly won a whole chocolate bar of their favorite flavor (good job Olli!). And best of all, we serenaded Leah with Happy Birthday in four different languages!
Beating the heat in the shade of the chestnut grove - plein air painting at its best! #lestapies #pleinair #chestnuttrees #acrylicpainting #summerartprogram #artadventure #hiking
Beating the heat in the shade of the chestnut grove - plein air painting at its best! #lestapies #pleinair #chestnuttrees #acrylicpainting #summerartprogram #artadventure #hiking
Check out the Drawing & Painting majors’ drawings from the chestnut tree grove - each one astonishing and technically masterful in its own way! #lestapies #sketching #chestnuttree #enpleinair #summerartprogram #ardechefrance
Check out the Drawing & Painting majors’ drawings from the chestnut tree grove - each one astonishing and technically masterful in its own way! #lestapies #sketching #chestnuttree #enpleinair #summerartprogram #ardechefrance
We like to start things off here by jumping into the deep end! The Drawing & Painting students spent their first two sessions observing and sketching the skeleton, and then interpreted complex still life compositions with acrylic paints or conte
We like to start things off here by jumping into the deep end! The Drawing & Painting students spent their first two sessions observing and sketching the skeleton, and then interpreted complex still life compositions with acrylic paints or conte chalk #lestapies #summerartprogram #skeleton #sketching #stilllifepainting #stilllife #directobservation
The students experienced their majors for the first time yesterday—Architecture or Drawing & Painting. They’re jumping in head first today with site plans and still life drawing today. Wish them luck! #lestapies #summerartprogram #sou
The students experienced their majors for the first time yesterday—Architecture or Drawing & Painting. They’re jumping in head first today with site plans and still life drawing today. Wish them luck! #lestapies #summerartprogram #southoffrance #architecture #visualarts #siteplans #stilllife #introduction #firstday
Meet our new group of students for the two week final summer session! We are already into our second day exploring the land around us both visually and in our sketchbooks, including our favorite feature across the valley—Lone Tree #summerartpro
Meet our new group of students for the two week final summer session! We are already into our second day exploring the land around us both visually and in our sketchbooks, including our favorite feature across the valley—Lone Tree #summerartprogram #lonetree #lestapies #hiking #sketching #exploring #pleinair
Goodbye to our first session of students! Thank you for a wonderful three weeks—we’re going to miss you! #lestapies #summerartprogram #family #goodbye
Goodbye to our first session of students! Thank you for a wonderful three weeks—we’re going to miss you! #lestapies #summerartprogram #family #goodbye

Welcome to Les Tapies!

Les Tapies is a completely unique place.

Here, nestled into the mountainside, sits a place of culture. A programme that places a premium on perspective, keen observation, and an eye for detail. Les Tapies is isolated from the outside world, but it is not divorced from it. We are reminded of this fact today more than ever.

When the first three of us - Kyle, my father and I - arrived last week, we returned to a site that occupies a very special place in our hearts. For Kyle and me, it is a place of immeasurable personal growth. For my father, it is a place into which he has poured years of care, dedication, and passion. For all three of us, it is a place of uninterrupted work, where effort inevitably translates into results. It is a place where we nurture our craft. It is a place of extraordinary privilege.

The paving stones here are worn. They are worn by the feet of the thousands who were here before us, through centuries of peace and decades of persecution, where our forebears sought refuge and our contemporaries attained tranquility. Today, it is a paradise. But it is a paradise won through years upon years of work, and we take special care to ensure that every student leaves his or her own imprint on the identity of this space.

Les Tapies is a programme designed for children, but the experience is singularly adult. It is immersive. The landscape is raw; the amenities are basic. And the programme is suitably demanding.

It is no wonder, then, that students leave with such expansive portfolios. Students cannot escape the environment; it is all-encompassing, and the teaching is exceedingly rigorous. Only their best is good enough.

Though we are keenly aware of the accomplishments of those who came before, we are also acutely conscious of our own possibilities. Each year presents its own opportunities, and we welcome the potential of each new group of gifted students. This year is no different, and we are incredibly confident in the abilities of our incoming colleagues.

Samuel Phillips, an 18th century educator in Massachusetts, once wrote that ‘The End Depends Upon the Beginning’. Our students are uniquely imbued with this sense of tradition. Their days here will represent an incredibly prolific period for their artistry.

We are thrilled to welcome them to Les Tapies today.

- Thurston Smalley