JULIE COHN became intrigued with drawing and painting when she was nine years old. Swept up into the world of her artistic mother, she painted with her in different studios. After attaining two art degrees, a BA at U.C. Berkeley (Art History Minor), and a BFA at the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, Julie knew that she wanted to pursue watercolor painting, a very challenging and thrilling art medium. - See Julie's art on her website: www.juliecohnproductions.com.

Julie has entered her paintings in numerous group shows and has had many one-woman shows. Her art demonstrations and lectures are enjoyed by many art groups in the Bay Area.

One of Julie's exhibits is entitled, “Athletes of the Spirit, An exploration of Disability Through Art and Writing.” To view the exhibit on line, go to www.vsarts.org and click on "meet the artist" on the navigation bar. Then, on the left side of the screen, click "gallery" and "exhibitions". Scroll down and look for an image of a hand which represents the Athletes of the Spirit exhibit.

Also an instructor at the College of Marin, Julie teaches three areas of watercolor: Portraits and Figures, Reflective Objects and Surfaces, and Design for Painters. She teaches in her Berkeley art studio as well. Some of her favorite artists are: Jean Chardin, Jan Vermeer, Milton Avery, Edgar Degas, John Singer Sargeant, Paul Cezanne, and Richard Diebenkorn (the list goes on and on). Julie also sings jazz in the Bay Area.

We will be lodging in beautiful Aix-en-Provence - the capital and heart of Provence. We will spend a few days painting right there in town and then a few days painting in some of my favorite locations out of town. Cassis is one of them. Click on this link to see images of Cassis. The magical mountain town of Gordes is another painting location. Click here for some images of Gordes - located smack in the middle of the Luberon Mountains. We will visit Cezanne's studio and spend part of one day on the plateau overlooking Mt St Victoire. This is the very spot where Cezanne executed a number of his famous paintings of the mountain.

Aix-en-Provence (usually simply called Aix and pronounced EX) is a small, classic Provençal town, famous for being home to Cezanne; the addition of the TGV (high-speed train) station has brought lots of vacationers from the north, and Aix has turned into a great shopping town as well as a gathering place for artists from all over the world.. Three universities and several French-language schools for international students produce a very strong student presence.

Aix has always been a rich city. There is a high contrast between Marseille (only 30 km and half an hour away). Whereas Marseille is one the poorest French cities (but still a unique and not to be missed town), Aix is perhaps one of the richest. Aix has a lot to offer. It is a vibrant, electric and gorgeous. The city center is mostly pedestrian and, though it is quite small (you can cross the center in 15 minutes by foot), offers long hours of nice walks. The old town of Aix is packed with shops, markets, museums, religious and architectural sites and historical sites. The terrace cafés on the Place des Précheurs (by the flower market) attract many of the younger locals, with lower prices than those on the Cours Mirabeau.

Aix is famous for its fountains. I think there are as many as 65 of them. The largest and most famous is on the Cours Mirabeau, the main avenue through town, as well as a moss-covered fountain which draws its water from a hot spring. The "Thermes Sextius" in the northwest corner of the town, along the Bvd Jean Jaurès, are 18th-century hot-water baths set in a large tree-shaded park.

Cours Mirabeau is the center of the center, and the heart of Aix. The Cours Mirabeau is a beautiful tree-lined avenue, with one side lined with wonderful terrace cafés and bookshops. If you sit at only one French sidewalk café outside of Paris, it should be here, where the air is warm, the light sublime and the sidewalk alive. Large plane trees overhang the length of the avenue, giving day-long shade on hot summer days.

The city market runs multiple days a week, but the largest and most colorful is the Saturday market which includes a flower market at the Place de l'Hotel de Ville and the main food market is at Place Richelme.

It has also become known as the home of Cezanne's later works. You can see his atelier with some of the original objects he painted into his still lives. The Bibémus Quarries allow you to see Mt. St. Victoire, the mountains he captured in many of his paintings. You can also visit the Manor of Jas de Bouffan which houses many of his masterpieces.

We will be staying at the Hotel Mozart. Here is a link to the hotel and a link to the tripadvisor review of the hotel.

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