urban sketching france : trip down memory lane

Sant-Paul-sur-Ubaye
Sant-Paul-sur-Ubaye

Since I'm planning on teaching a 10 day painting retreat in France this September (details here), of course I'm dreaming about sketching those beautiful old villages and gorgeous landscapes again. And eating fresh croissants and drinking French wine!

A little trip down memory lane today with a few sketches from my previous trips to France over the last decade or so. The hashtag #ReneeInFrance on instagram has lots of my French sketches all in one place.

Join me in September for 10 amazing days of arty goodness.

Longueville
Longueville
Treminis L'Eglise
Treminis L'Eglise
Treminis Le Serre
Treminis Le Serre
Treminis L'Eglise
Treminis L'Eglise
Old farmhouse, France
Old farmhouse, France
La Berarde
La Berarde
Paint a free watercolour online lesson

A free lesson for you!

One of my all-time favourite paintings of a stormy day in a ruined Roman town in Spain.

You can do this! Let me show you how. Join my community to receive this free video tutorial.

Join here
summer flowers & an old fence post

summer flowers & an old fence post

16 June 2026

There's something irresistibly paintable about a weathered fence post half-swallowed by summer wildflowers. It's the contrast that does it — rough, sun-bleached wood against the soft, fleeting delic...

Read more →

recap! travel sketching in france, 2026

recap! travel sketching in france, 2026

9 June 2026

Five times at Périgord Retreats, and the magic is still there.. Every single time I hop on the train in southern France and get whisked through French countryside and villages to Gourdon Station — ...

Read more →

painting zebras in watercolour

painting zebras in watercolour

3 June 2026

Ater spending time in South Africa recently, surrounded by the kind of wildlife you only see there, I came home with many sketches of zebras, giraffes, warthogs, baboons and more and a strong urge to ...

Read more →