Cafe de la Poste. Lutry. Palm tree on the balcony. 10.06.2025. 20.5x36.5 cm

Café de la Poste, Lutry. Palm Tree on the Balcony. 10.06.2025

This original plein-air oil painting was created in Lutry, Switzerland, in June 2025 near the historic Café de la Poste, one of the most recognizable gathering places along the shores of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). Painted directly outdoors, the work captures a sunlit fragment of architecture and vegetation where balconies, terraces and foliage merge into a vibrant composition of light and colour.

Rather than presenting a panoramic landscape, the painting focuses on an intimate detail of place. A palm tree rises beside the balcony, surrounded by flowering greenery and sunlit architectural elements. The scene feels suspended between garden and village, where cultivated plants, terraces and buildings create a Mediterranean atmosphere unexpected within the landscape of Switzerland.

The composition is built through luminous yellow, green and pale blue tones. Sunlight floods the awning and façades, while the foliage breaks apart into energetic brushstrokes of colour. Thick layers of oil paint create a textured surface where leaves, shadows and architectural forms seem to vibrate within the heat and brightness of the day.

The palm tree becomes the visual centre of the painting. Its presence introduces a contrast between exotic vegetation and the historic lakeside village of Lutry. Along the shores of Lac Léman, the unusually mild microclimate often allows Mediterranean plants to thrive, contributing to the distinctive atmosphere of the Lavaux region. The result is a landscape where alpine views and southern vegetation coexist within the same environment. (Lausanne Tourisme - Official Website)

Café de la Poste is known as one of the longstanding lakeside establishments of Lutry, situated within the historic village near the waterfront. Its terraces and surroundings form part of the everyday visual life of the town, where architecture, vegetation and lake light continually interact. (Lausanne Tourisme - Official Website)

On this June day, the sunlight transformed ordinary details into a composition of colour and atmosphere. The painting preserves a fleeting moment where brightness, warmth and vegetation became more important than narrative, allowing the sensation of place itself to emerge through light.

Created during a single plein-air painting session, this work belongs to my ongoing series dedicated to Lutry, Lavaux and the landscapes surrounding Lake Geneva. Each painting records a direct encounter with atmosphere, architecture and changing natural light observed outdoors.

Original plein-air oil painting by Olga Tacan.

Location: Café de la Poste, Lutry, Vaud, Switzerland
Subject: Palm tree, balcony and summer light
Region: Lavaux near Lac Léman (Lake Geneva)
Medium: Oil painting
Date painted: 10 June 2025

Oil on paper

Plain air painting

Size 20.5 x 36.5  cm

Size with passé-partout  36 x 45 cm 

Date: 10 June 2025

Location: Lutry, Switzerland