American in Aix
I came to Aix-en-Provence in late August, 2019. It was the full swing of summer and I was overjoyed at the beauty here. They call Aix “The City of a Thousand Fountains”, and it is just as lovely as you could imagine.
The weekly market on Cours Mirabeau stretches the entire length of the street (this is only the far end). Here, they sell everything from shoes to craft beers.
The view of my window with the basil plant I bought from the Oriental Grocery down the street.
Aix is known for being beautiful and ritzy. A lot of the rich from Marseille come to stay here or have a second home here, and it’s even known to be a center for mafia in the area. It’s not hard to tell with the old streets lined with fancy shops and bougie boutiques plus restaurants toting 200 years’ service (check out the “Deux Garçon” which was recently subject to a destructive fire rumored to be started by the Aix mafia). Even with the rich vibe of this little town, Aix-Marseille University has an enormous branch here, and there are students around every corner.
A perfect blue sky contrasts with the bright yellow and blue details of the old buildings in Aix.
I came to Aix as a Master in Fine Art student. The school I attended, The Institute for American Universities has some of the best real estate in Aix. A small school with mostly students from expensive private universities coming to study abroad, the atmosphere at IAU is unique and exciting, if lacking a bit of diversity. The joy of the students coming to live in this picturesque place is definitely palpable.
This is one of two IAU buildings in the very center of Aix. On the second floor is a perfect little library where students do shifts for work-study and spend hours researching, writing and studying, as far as I could tell. Free printing and several little nooks make this a perfect study haven.
As a Master student at IAU, I was enrolled in The Marchutz School of Fine Arts which is categorized within IAU but is very much its own entity. The Marchutz School has a fairly lengthy history (30 years or so) of introducing students to drawing and painting “en plein air” (out in nature, from nature) and teaching their self-coined “new” way of seeing, mainly from real life study and from studying the old master artists.
A quick, under five minute sketch I made out in the fields where The Marchutz School takes its students to paint and draw en plein air, or from nature. Aix and the surrounding area, especially Le Montagne Sainte-Victoire, are known as a hot spot for artists like Paul Cézanne and Leo Marchutz to have lived, worked and drawn inspiration.
Heavy on the philosophical side while attempting open-mindedness to all styles, the teaching at The Marchutz School focused on a traditional style of looking and seeing from nature and painting with quick, open brushstrokes, a bit like Cézanne or Leo Marchutz himself, the school’s namesake artist and founder. For so many artists these days, painting from nature is infrequent at best, and so presented a great challenge to the art making practice.
En plein air painting I made in oil paint with chalk pastel. Here, I used oil paint more like watercolor, hence the watery, clairvoyant feel to the colors.
With a seminar around four hours every Friday, and three half days of drawing and painting during the week, the schedule was time-consuming and full, which works well for artists truly invested in honing their craft. For some, the schedule was challenging, especially compared with some American undergraduate university schedules which tend toward fewer actual class-time hours.
Taking a break from one of the 3-4 hour seminars on Fridays at The Marchutz School studio which sits on the road where Cézanne would come to paint the mountain.
Students taking a class break on the outside patio at The Marchutz School’s studio in Aix. Luckily, it’s France, so breaks are often and lengthy.
Though the curriculum at The Marchutz School was at times challenging and exciting, the style and schedule was not for me, and I made a very difficult decision to pursue my own art education outside of the Master program, for now. So, what do I do everyday?
I practice! I wake up everyday and practice art. I make art in all types of media and of many different subjects. Currently, I am working on a Nude Series (check out my YouTube for videos on this) as well as en plein air painting in nature.
Stay tuned for more stories of my life in Aix as an solo artist! Also, subscribe to my newsletter to get posts and updates straight to your inbox.
Merci! - Avery