As a member of the Metiers d”arts Bergeracois, an association of about 67 artists and artisans, I’ve just completed a small “fresco” for our next group exhibition. The group’s previous touring exhibition was themed “La Bestiaire”, our size limit was and still is anything up to 40 cm square; with 67 different makers, including jewellery makers, leatherworkers, joiners, sculptors, printers, potters, and painters it was a very diverse and interesting expo, it has been touring round France the last 4 years and now it’s come to an end I have my painting back, here it is, it’s our dog Meggie of course!
The next one’s theme is “the Heart” ; as each piece should represent our particular metier, I did a mini-fresco inspired by a detail from a Pompeian wall painting. I based it on a poem by Rani Turton and called it “ My heart trembling like a leaf ”:
It’s been a busy summer with the B&B, the apartment rented out, friends visiting, and mounting and manning exhibitions. The sad death of our very dear friend Carl Gellings in June made us stop and think a while and re-evaluate our lives: yes, we made the best decision in coming to live here 25 years ago. We don’t have permanent employment, but, oddly enough we have felt more secure; our lives are serendipitous but grounded, for La Crabouille is the best place to be.
The days are still gloriously hot, the figs, plums and apples are ripe for picking, which involves dodging hornets and wasps, the figs weep as I harvest them, spilling milky tears. There is that hint of autumn in the air with the cool early mornings, and golden light and long shadows in the evenings.
I have 4 days invigilating the exhibition this week. The drive there is a pleasure, with hardly anyone on the roads, the countryside opens out when travelling further south, with bigger skies, rolling hills and hill-top villages in the distant blue haze. It makes a change spending time elsewhere, Castillonnès is a busy bastide town; the exhibition space is huge, part of a renovated mediaeval “château” it was originally a tythe barn.
The town square, (and the curse of the white van!) :
The exhibition building, I haven’t any decent photos of the interior, so I’ll post them later:
The arcades giving shade from the sun:
Our next visitors for the apartment arrive on Saturday, so we have a quick breather to tidy up the garden etc, and Graham has his annual 20 ton pile of wood to cut ready for winter, it was delivered a week ago, I won’t bore you with pics as I posted a blog about the great wood-cutting event last year! See here.
lizkingsangster 