One of my friends in New England is from Corsica, and she asked me to paint her childhood home. When she showed me the picture, I immediately felt like I was transported there, because it hit so close to my own life. I love the scenery, the feeling that human life is so present even though there are no visible people: a plastic ball left behind by children who ran off on another adventure, the remains of shelled green beans on the table, the old wicker basket on the side.

I feel like time has stopped, that I’ve just come running back into the house after playing a childhood game, feeling the cool weight of the stones pushing away hot summer weather. Or I feel like I’m on vacation with my children, sipping a glass of pastis with my parents on the patio. Or maybe that my mind can finally rest, even with the timeless signs of human activity teeming around me.

What elements in a photo or picture surprise you with the memories they bring back about childhood vacations?