close-up of the artist, Beth Hempton, wearing a striped shirt
Sitting in my beautiful French salon with no walls (mid-renovation)

Join my VIP club to support my creative work, get early access to my limited art releases, chances to win paintings, & more! You can join for free, or as a paid subscriber - peruse all the perks at the bottom of this page.

Hey there! I’m Beth.
Artist. Teacher. Texpat Francophile.*

I’m a painter of nature & nostalgia, obsessed with the beauty in the details. That’s one way that I describe myself.

There’s More, 2024, acrylic gouache on panel, 18“ x 24”

Another is that I'm often overcome with anemoia: nostalgia for a time you've never known. I love browsing antique stores and flea markets, admiring pretty household items & clothing from decades before I was born.

The fascinating details and impressive handcrafted nature of everyday objects of the past, built to last and still here to enjoy, continually delight me. Historic architecture, antique decor & housewares, and vintage fashion are my eye candy.

painting of a colorful bouquet of flowers in a vintage ceramic vase.

Life’s simple pleasures, such as picking fresh flowers from my garden, or walking to the farmer's market on a sunny day, are my biggest inspirations.

Standing in the entrance hall of our very old house in France

*What is a Texpat Francophile???
It's a name I made up for myself as I make the transition from living in Austin, Texas, USA to a new life as an expat in the Loire Valley of France.

Patrick and I at Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise, Leonardo da Vinci’s final home

My husband, Patrick, and I are fixing up a maison bourgeoise in the historic quarter of Amboise. She’s a grande dame of the 18th century, created by joining multiple small medieval houses into one large house. She’s higgledy piggledy and full of surprises.

A painting inspired by the gorgeous rose garden at our French house

Our dream is to hold art workshops in the salons and garden, once we've restored them to their former grandeur. We’d love to bring people together for creative retreats and unique art experiences - and of course, delicious French food & wine!

Why subscribe?

So many perks! The real question is, why wouldn’t you? Check out what you’ll get:


free subscription - VIP club:

  • all of our public posts delivered directly to your inbox, so you don’t miss any

  • a new coloring sheet each month featuring Beth’s art - an easy way to de-stress

  • mini art meditations - fun, relaxing ways to focus & get your creative juices flowing (no art supplies or special skills needed)

  • simple art & crafty DIY tutorials

  • sneak peeks at Beth’s works in progress & upcoming art collections

  • early access to shop Beth’s original paintings before each limited collection launch

  • a raffle entry for each painting giveaway (a chance to win every time Beth releases one of her limited collections of art)!


paid subscription - Very VIP club:

  • all of the above plus...

  • subscriber-only bonus content: extra coloring sheets, more art meditations, and behind-the-scenes videos

  • Beth’s sketchbook tours & process videos

  • in-depth artsy & DIY tutorials (+ access to the full archive)

  • TWO raffle entries for each painting giveaway!


Mysterious decorative sculpture in our library

Your subscription helps fund the restoration & renovation of this amazing house, ensuring that her unique details and historical elements are not lost to time.

Your support will allow us to transform her into an artsy event space where we’ll be able to hold workshops on drawing, painting, writing - any creative topics we dream up - with a variety of guest artists.

Our goal is to share both our love of the arts and our admiration of the French culture with fellow creatives and adventurous travelers - Thank you for being a part of it!

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Subscribe to Artsy Fartsy in France

🍰🥐 A sketchbook, blog & vlog about making art, living in France as a foreigner, and transforming a wacky wonderful, very old house into a creative workshop space 🗝️

People

🍰 Artist, Teacher, Texpat Francophile 🥐 I share sketches & snippets here and also vlog on YouTube @austintoamboise 🖌️ Making art, living in France, and transforming our wacky wonderful old house into a creative workshop space 🗝️