Provence

Rating:
Summary: LUMINOUS PAINTINGS OF PROVENCE
Review:
Provence, that sunny, charming unforgettably beautiful region of southeastern France has become a longed for Valhalla to many Americans, thanks to Peter Mayle's best selling A Year In Provence and Toujours Provence. Now, Mayle teams with English painter Margaret Loxton to offer 30 delightful scenes of Provencal life.

Loxton's figures, which, to me, are reminiscent of Botero, are robust pillars of village life engaged in everyday tasks - tending the vines at the hem of dusky mountains, intense during a game of boules or observing the street scene from a sidewalk café. Her sun-washed colors are as tantalizing as the aroma from a field of lavender. Mayle's refined on-target text adds the perfect touch of explanation to each painting.

"Provence" is a small treasure for those who want to remember and those who want to dream.

- Gail Cooke