At the top of a small hill in rural Provence sits La Maison de Beaumont, a centuries-old building that has served many roles: once a noble residence, later a school and city hall, and now an arts residency. I spent a few weeks there recently, living, working, and observing village life from a quiet corner of southern France.

The House

The main building of La Maison has a long and layered history. It served as the Demeure Seigneuriale, the official residence of the King’s local representative, until the late 18th century. After the Revolution, it became the village’s city hall, and later, in the early 20th century, the local elementary school. Today, it offers living and studio space for visiting creatives.

The Village

Beaumont-de-Pertuis is a small hilltop village with narrow stone streets built like long switchbacks, offering occasional peeking views across the pastoral valley.

The earliest records of habitation date back to 1079. One local story tells of Eucherius of Lyon, who lived in a cave just south of the village overlooking the Durance River. That cave later became a pilgrimage site, and eventually, a chapel was carved into the mountainside, according to the residency’s website.

The village itself is very quiet. Besides the residency, there was just one small shop, two restaurants, a church with a bell, a few fountains, a handful of niche businesses, and a scattering of homes.

I spent a lot of time walking and photographing the textures and light as it shifted throughout the day. The surroundings are modest but visually rich, especially at golden hour.

Around the Village

One day during the residency, we took a short walk to a nearby working studio. We learned about basketmaking with artist Nicolas (more info here), who welcomed us to his beautiful small family farm.

We met his wife, Dominique, and walked the fields, learning how willow saplings grow and are used to make baskets. He showed us his home studio and even offered a taste of his homemade wine.

On a rainy day, a group of us also visited a nearby historic church, Chapelle Notre-Dame de Beauvoir, and learned about its ongoing restoration efforts.

Getting around without a car was made much easier thanks to a hired ride service called Eden Trip. When I arrived in France, our driver Mo picked up me and another resident from the airport and, on the way to Beaumont, brought us to a proper grocery store so we could stock our apartments.

Later, we hired him again for a day trip to the coast, which turned out to be a shimmering, sapphire highlight of my time in the region. On another day, he arranged for a colleague to take us on a special birthday outing to Aix-en-Provence.

At the end of the residency, Mo drove us back to the airport. There, he helped my friend and me communicate with the check-in agent while we navigated how to check a large tube containing artwork. His help with translation and logistics was incredibly appreciated. Though the service wasn’t cheap, it was fair and very much worth it for the ease and peace of mind.

I’ll be sharing more about my day trips to Aix and Cassis in my next post.

Personal Growth and Revelations

At first, I experienced a bit of culture shock. The time change, the language, the church bells (they were relentless, every 30 minutes, RIP the jetlagged), the French food, and just re-combobulating myself in a new country all hit at once. I was grateful for the small amount of high school French that I had maintained.

I met a lot of amazing and inspiring artists during the residency and spent a great deal of time socializing. Since I was working remotely throughout the trip, I didn’t produce paintings at the same pace as some of my peers, and that’s okay. I’m especially grateful for my spacious home studio in New Mexico, which is where a majority of the “magic” happens in terms of painting.

That said, I took hundreds of photos, both in the village and on day trips. The experience re-ignited my love for photography and gave me a lot of material to work from and to write about.

I’m a multidisciplinary artist. I write, I paint, and I take photos. The phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” has always bothered me. I have multiple callings, and sometimes it’s hard to juggle them. But the full quote is actually, “Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one.” I think it’s valid to pursue more than one form of mastery. I’ve found that many creatives understand what it’s like to have overlapping and competing interests in the art world.

I loved exploring the village with my camera. On her last day, one of the other residents and I ran around and did a photoshoot (check out my Instagram to see the shots).

Once I let go of the pressure to produce a huge body of work during the residency, I had a much better time.

I’m so grateful for the experience. After two weeks, the little apartment felt like home. I enjoyed the time spent socializing and allowing for a bit of relaxation before heading onward to my second stop on this Europe trip, Prague.

Stay tuned for Part 2: Day Trips in Southern France, and Part 3: Easter in Prague. A lifetime of travel and stories awaits—this is only the start 🙂

Thank you for being here with me on the journey.

Until next we travel!

<3 Skye