a weekend with the french artist claire basler

by Sharon Santoni

 

SUNSET OVER GARDEN WITH A VIEWIf you follow me on instagram, you will know that I have just had the pleasure of a weekend away to visit my friend Claire Basler, in her château in the middle of France.my-french-country-home-claire-basler.7

Claire is one of the girlfriends in my book, but most of all she is the most extraordinary artist and to spend time in her home is to visit a different world where beauty and creativity are part of everyday living; where the château is so huge that a specific lifestyle is imposed; where the view takes your breath away and where time can apparently be manipulated and more achieved in a day than in normal life.

my-french-country-home-claire-basler

Claire’s signature style is her dreamy flowers on a background of clouds or gentle landscapes.   Her botanical knowledge is faultless, no doubt helped by the fact that her home and studio are continually decorated by huge branches perched in glass vases; swathes of peonies, cow parsley and eremerus …. at times it is difficult to know where the flowers end and the paintings begin.

claire basler dining room

She used the same technique in her studio for her current show, and the soft white walls served well as a background both to her paintings and her bouquets of branches and flowers.

flowers and paintings in art exhibiton

Claire and her husband Pierre bought the Chateau de Beauvoir  nearly five years ago.  They won’t mind me telling you that no sane person would have bought the chateau, which dates back to the 13th and 14th century.   It is out-sized, impossible to heat, and quite austere to look at.  When they bought it it  needed a ridiculous amount of work.

painted room in claire basler's chateau

 Their combined talents and incredibly practical and pragmatic attitude have created a cosy, welcoming home, whose doors are regularly opened to visitors from all around the world.   They have a gift for easy entertaining, be it for six or sixty, that makes normal mortals wonder why they stress about a dinner party for eight.CHATEAU DE BEAUVOIR,

For her show every available space in the château was used to display her many canvases.

artwork displayed in barn attic

And if you are wondering whether I came away with a painting tucked beneath my arm , I’ll reply that there are several that caught my eye , although I’m not saying which, and now I just have to figure out where they could find a home here …. happy days.

paie of floral paintings by Claire basler

If you would like to find out more about Claire and her paintings, check out her website below.  You won’t be disappointed.

 

Claire Basler.com

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32 comments

Colleen Taylor June 12, 2016 - 10:00 pm

Ahhh, Yes, Claire! I remember so well. I’m in love with her work & thank you for letting everyone revisit this incredible artist’s work. Her home is a work of wonder! XOX

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Jans June 12, 2016 - 10:39 pm

WOW. This is beautiful!!!

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AFN June 12, 2016 - 11:05 pm

Extraordinary. A beautiful gift. Takes my breath away. Thank you
Sharon for sharing all this with your readers. In appreciation for all you are about, and all your talented friends too. A.N.

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Our French Oasis June 12, 2016 - 11:41 pm

Stunning art, fabulous views, an incredible chateau with beautiful gardens and friends, you must have had the best weekend imaginable.

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Sylvia Stanley July 18, 2021 - 5:53 pm

As I’ve said before, I can’t stop looking at her beautifully ethereal paintings. They are STUNNINGLY beautiful!!

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Vicky from Athens June 12, 2016 - 11:45 pm

Lucky you!!! What a special treat to spend time in that magnificent chateau. Her art is exquisite!

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Mary Crozier June 13, 2016 - 12:03 am

Your first photo in this post is worthy of painting too-beautiful sky and I love the alliums in the foreground. I have just started painting at this later stage in life and now look at the world differently. Thank you for sharing Claire. I have purchased your book and feel like you are an old friends (as well as your friends featured in the book)!!! Happy Sunday!

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Sharon Santon June 17, 2016 - 12:53 pm

Hi Mary

I love how that photo turned out, too. I think it’s wonderful you began painting.. the world certainly does look different when we’re finding new ways of seeing.

best

Sharon

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Mayree June 13, 2016 - 12:09 am

A new love for me! The chateau, gardens and magnificent art take me to another place.
It seems almost mystical. It would be wonderful to be surrounded by one of her murals.
Thank you for sharing. It has brought joy to my quiet Sunday afternoon in Washington state.

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JaneEllen June 13, 2016 - 12:16 am

Thank you again for sharing another couple and another breath taking residence in France. Even tho haven’t gotten out of U.S. these wonderful photos enable me to dream and at least picture what it’s like.
Whole lot better than no photos. Your friends art is so beautiful its hard for me to express my admiration of her exquisite talent. How wonderful for you to visit them for weekend, what an experience. I so look forward to your posts. Enjoy painting you took home with you. Happy week

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Shannon@Belle Bleu Interiors June 13, 2016 - 12:48 am

Absolutely beautiful!!! The artwork is stunning and the chateau is gorgeous. Thanks so much for sharing this with us.

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Esther George June 13, 2016 - 1:47 am

Good Morning Sharon, what can I say, Absolutely Breathtaking… Thank you for sharing beauty, this was just what I needed this morning. Till next time, regards Esther from Sydney.

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Joie Lynn June 13, 2016 - 1:51 am

incredibly beautiful and really so French. And the Chateau looks very welcoming.

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Heather June 13, 2016 - 3:06 am

Extraordinary! What a beautiful merge of art and reality, she has a remarkable talent to bring them together, making it extremely difficult to decifer which is which – she is truly blessed by her love of nature brining it to life – just a beautiful gift from God she shares with us

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Susan B. (une femme) June 13, 2016 - 3:14 am

The paintings are extraordinary and that space…divine.

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Pam June 13, 2016 - 3:29 am

Wow, it is another world. Those paintings are so beautiful and peaceful and that home in incredible. Thank you so much for sharing.

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dottie monta June 13, 2016 - 6:54 am

One of your most beautiful posts yet!
Claire’s works are exquisite. I found myself thinking how happy a few cosmos, a summer favorite, would be in her windy renderings. Lo and behold, a few works later, there they were!
Her placing live greenery in front of her paintings is dear to my heart (I do flowers and at a church, I like to work live branches and greenery near the wooded mural behind the altar.) Clair’s combination of paintings and plants and branches at the chateau is absolutely breathtaking.
We are grateful to those of you willing to share such extraordinary beauty, Sharon!

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Jan Miller June 13, 2016 - 10:39 am

Breathtaking. I so wish I wasn’t down here in Perpignan !!
Claire’s paintings and the chateau are to die for ,I must get in my little car one day and visit. Thank you for your photos and words. All lovely.
Jan

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Taste of France June 13, 2016 - 10:40 am

I also thought the first image was a painting. In a setting like that, who wouldn’t want to paint! Her works are beautiful and ethereal.

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Kiki June 13, 2016 - 1:41 pm

I couldn’t comment before as I was totally and utterly caught up in Claire’s world. I swooned over her website and can’t get over the sheer size (and the work that goes with it) of EVERYTHING… the château, the park, the ‘trees’ in her rooms, the number of vases & containers, the work to keep it all clean and fresh – AND she’s painting as well…. I don’t know how some people can do this all. Claire, je vous admire sans réservation!
And LUCKY YOU to be able to be part of her friends, and owning of her fantastic paintings. I will die a happy person having seen this beauty. Thank you so much Sharon, for sharing your bonheur of such beauty with us. Merci, merci….

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Nancy June 13, 2016 - 5:00 pm

Oh!! Such a wonderful weekend you had!!
I went to her site….there were some paintings that absolutely touched my heart! What an artist! And then how she painted entire walls for some of her rooms! Who needs wallpaper! She is so gifted…and the Chateau! Merci!
Nancy
wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com

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Julie June 13, 2016 - 11:35 pm

This post was truly delightful! Her paintings are so gorgeous! how would you ever pick just one? I bought the book, so i could have them all at my fingertips! can’t wait to get it.
Thank you so much for sharing your delightful and talented friends!

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Marilyn June 14, 2016 - 3:17 am

Breathtaking!

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Susan June 14, 2016 - 5:52 am

Thank you so much for sharing this incredible artist! What an incredible gift she has! Her work truly touches my soul. How fortunate you are to count her as one of your many friends.

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Rissi Cherie June 14, 2016 - 2:21 pm

Such a beautiful post, Sharon. I always enjoy your posts. Mme Basler is an outstanding artist. Thank you for introducing her work to you readers.

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Judy June 16, 2016 - 7:01 am

Breathtakingly beautiful! Both the paintings and surroundings!

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Maude Ciardi June 16, 2016 - 3:10 pm

I am an artist and was very inspired by this artist. So inspired that I will hopefully start painting again. It has been a while since my last inspired work.
Thank you for this post. You are my favorite blogger and give me the opportunity to visit places I only imagine. I would love to visit your country home but . That is not in my future right now. . Keep up the wonderful posts.

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Petra Matthew June 16, 2016 - 4:43 pm

I went over to the site of Claire and it is all unbelievable beautiful. In one of the pictures you see her working and then I realized how big those paintings are. In both the paintings and drawings I get a feeling of the weather, like you are in it almost. And now I want big, no, huge plants in my house too! What An inspiration this lady is. I hope she reads all these comments about her.

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susana K. June 18, 2016 - 7:41 am

What a magnificent art work! What a great talent!Thank you for sharing this presentation !
I do some art work but I always avoided to paint nature in such a detail since is perfect and cannot paint it so naturaly but this artist is a great inspiration for me too.I hope I will manage to get to visit her stuning studio in the near future.

Kindest regards,
susana

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Judy Falkoff May 25, 2017 - 2:08 am

How can I get an opportunity to come and paint at this wonderful place? Are there internships or any opportunities to come and paint? I am an artist. I will be visiting my daughter and her family in the Czech Republic. They will arrive in August for two years of mission work. Thank you, Judy Falkoff

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Wilmari Borel March 26, 2019 - 8:14 pm

Hi Sharon, we want to visit Claire during her open days this September. Where would you recommend be a good place to stay? It would be me my husband and our two daughters of 12 and 15 years old. Would Avignon be a good option – how far is it from Chateau de Beauvoir?

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Ingrid Van den Berg March 23, 2022 - 8:46 pm

Thank you for sharing this. I admire her work tremendously. Her work will live forever….like the old master’s of centuries ago.

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