In 1998, American Artist Magazine published a special issue featuring 21 artists on tour in Normandy, France at the invitation of American Artist and Forbes magazine. The plein air artists painted scenes of this magnificent seventeenth century chateau and the surrounding countryside. Visiting Normandy, France had always been on my bucket list and reading that Malcolm Forbes had established the first hot air balloon museum in the stable on the grounds made a future visit all that more appealing.
Years later I did have the good fortune to visit Chateau de Balleroy, the beautiful gardens and the museum. I walked the grounds looking in every direction seeing Balleroy from all angles I thought to paint, except from above.
Fast forward to 2010 when I met Wendy and her husband Bud, who is a professional hot air balloonist. In 1993, they had been invited to the Seventeenth Annual International Invitational Balloon Meet at of all places Chateau de Balleroy! What a small world.
Wendy graciously shared her photos with me so I could at last see that view I missed, the view from above, from a hot air balloon!
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