Feeling taunted by the serene, clear Mediterranean waters that surround the shores of Southern France, but that I cannot not step foot in for fear of catching a cold, I set out to discover Saint Paul de Vence, a city reigning in the hills of the Riviera that even on the gloomiest of days feels warm, and welcoming.

Although the rain and the fog kept me and my two friends company all day, we still enjoyed aimlessly wandering the narrow, stone covered streets of this medieval, fortified treasure, whose cemetery houses the bones of Marc Chagall, Russian born painter who made the Riviera his home.

The picturesque valleys that surround the city would have certainly been more charming in the sunshine, but the fog added a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ to the ancient, mysterious ambiance of the region. Inside the stone city walls, upon which ivy crept up at every crevice, art galleries and workshops hinted to the artistic nature of the inhabitants of Saint Paul de Vence.

After a few hours of ‘flânerie’ and coffee breaks, we stumbled upon Atelier Kleinberg, a gallery that houses the exquisite works of French artist Jeremy Kleinberg. With the artist himself present, we learned a bit about his techniques, his approaches to painting portraits, his muses, and most importantly, the essence of his work: feelings, emotions, states of mind.

And speaking of artists, stay tuned for my next post on the hometown of Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramist, Joan Miro: Barcelona.