May 10, 2018.

At the gateway to Normandy, 75 km from Paris and 60 km from Rouen, the village of Giverny (pronounced Jee-va-nyee) is located on the right bank of the River Seine, at its confluence with one of the two branches of the River Epte lined with willows and poplars.

Claude Monet, the painter who founded the Impressionist school lived in Giverny for 43 years. His house and his garden, the village of Giverny and its surroundings, were his subject matter and they still attract half a million visitors each year from all over the world, as well as painters, charmed by the unique light of the Seine Valley.

If I could live in any house in the whole world, this is the one I would pick. It is SOOOOOO my style. Everything French vintage and so colorful. 

Atelier Hans

While we were walking through the village of Giverny we happened upon this cute little Atelier of artist Patrick Hans. It was amazing to walk through and look at all of his original artworks. I regret not taking more pictures, but at the time, I didn’t really think about it. The shop contained many of Hans’ original paintings on the walls and some reproduction prints that you could purchase

Patrick Hans 

1990 Hans broke with the professional world and decided to devote himself entirely to painting. He opened a small workshop adjoining his home in Montigny les Cormeilles, accessible to the public. His works are essentially inspired by Val d’oisienne; he exhibited in numerous salons and managed to be selected for the salons of Autumn and French Artists at the Grand Palais where his paintings of large dimensions have with the public a great success.
Wishing to develop his business, he decided to settle in Giverny, privileged place of impressionism and also profitable place for its inspiration, the quality of life, and the tourist attendance. He therefore lives a few hundred meters from the Claude Monet Museum in a quiet and relaxing place where his home and his studio are in every way source of fullness. He starts working in Claude Monet’s garden. His paintings reflect the influence of place and impressionism. Many articles flourish in the press. A cosmopolitan public frequents his studio.The Fall shows and French Artists are again successful. He begins the cycle of regional exhibitions by the Galerie du Démocrate.
Then, in 1993, it will be the Hirsch Gallery of Lyons the Forest, two renowned restaurants for permanent exhibitions, the Amyot Gallery rue Saint Louis in the island in Paris and salesrooms throughout France.
In 1994, after an exhibition at Crédit Lyonnais in Vernon, it was the Hotel Normandy and the Salle d’armes at the Pont de l’Arche, not forgetting some group exhibitions.
But it is especially the opening of a gallery located in front of the Claude Monet Museum which will attract, during the season 1994, more than 23000 visitors who will attend the walls of this place held by the artist himself.
The year 1995 begins with an exhibition located at Espace Philippe Auguste de Vernon.
Paralally at the seasonal opening of his gallery each year in Giverny, attracting several thousand visitors, Patrick Hans exhibits in November 1996 in the old workshops of Manet, St. Petersburg street in Paris, the cultural center André Malraux Kremlin Bicetre in the month in November 1999, at the Marie G. Tribeca Gallery New York in December 2002 and finally in Japan in 2004, as part of the Claude Monet Museum’s partnership with this country. In February 2000, Patrick Hans moved to the small village of Gommecourt 5 km from Giverny, where he built a large workshop to work and receive customers, while maintaining its Giverny gallery where admirers are crowded more and more numerous to contemplate his works.
Patrick Hans, since 15 years of professionalism, has made a name for himself. Its reputation goes well beyond the regional framework. Its production and sales have continued to grow.His works, except a very large French clientele, are now present in more than 25 foreign countries including the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Australia, Korea, India, etc …
His main sources of inspiration are currently, in addition to the gardens of Claude Monet and the Hotel Baudy, the edges of the Epte and the Seine, the forest and the fields of Giverny, as well as the surrounding landscapes.

So now I am officially an art owner 🙂 I wanted one of his paintings of Monet’s garden since that’s where we were and where his studio is. So this is my tiny little painting.  It’s about 6 by 9 inches in real life.  I chose it because there is pink on Monet’s bridge. I hope to someday buy one of his big paintings.

Hotel Baudy

We ate at the Ancient Hotel Baudy.  The Hôtel Baudy was a center of artistic life in the Giverny heyday. It is now still a café and restaurant, with period decoration. Monet and all his painter pals used to hang out there.

Le Moulin des Chennevieres Giverny is the cute little B&B where we stayed. It was a few minutes walk to Claude Monet’s House and Garden and was the perfect location to stay in Giverny.

The Inn is an old-timbered stone mill, from the 17th century, is situated in Claude Monet’s beloved village, just a short walk from Monet’s House and the Museum of the Impressionisms. This favorite gathering-place of the 19th century Impressionists, permeated with art history, is a living reference work of famous painting subjects.  Home to several artists,the mill itself was also a favorite subject of the numerous painters: in 1892 Théodore Robinson did a serie of paintings of it which are now part of some of the greatest art collections in the wold, included the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The surrounding park which covers three hectares and enhanced by century-old trees, is crisscrossed by several différent branches of the Epte River, with a small central island which is home to our exotic animals, including Wallaby, ostriches,emus and alpaca.

It was so fun to explore the grounds of the B&B. We watched a mama wallaby carry around her baby in her pocket. The cute little guinea pigs were just running around.