terraces

The other day a group of us went picnicking by the river hidden in all that foliage. The house with the green shutters is abandoned, but so desirable – it has a view, beyond the garden, of both the ruins of the castle and the mountains off in the distance. The part of the castle most visible from there is the part blown up by dynamite, part of a standing skeleton.

Later, I bought a lovely sketch of the church in our neighbouring town from an artist there who has an upcoming show of paintings of local architecture. The sketch is charming, very lively, making me think again that it’s wrong that drawings get so little respect.

Galina

I’m never sure whether I should write on bad days, but I’m thinking that until I get enough distance to make it sounds funny it’s probably best not to, eh?

It was nothing horrible, I’m just a delicate flower when it comes to a few certain things. Well, ok, I’m a delicate flower that lifts heavy weights and skilfully wields a pick-axe, but other than that…

stairway

I have to do some writing about my work and I’m dreading it. I don’t feel very articulate about what I do, and I don’t have a clear idea of what people want to know about me or my art. I did brainstorm a list of stuff about the work I’m currently doing, maybe I need a ghost-writer to shape it. I wonder if people still hire ghost-writers, it seems such an old-fashioned term.

I’m not a writer at heart (I used to say I avoid writing the way I avoid cutting myself with knives, that is, sometimes it happens despite my best efforts), so it has surprised me how much I enjoy publishing a blog, but my posts do tend to be pretty brief.

inconnu

Work in progress. The texture will be softer, the various edges will be worked, and the gilt enhanced.

There is a thunderstorm overhead, a very dramatic background to work to.

cheval

These are views of the town today, local products day, but I spent my food money for the next few weeks on these streets yesterday at the vide-grenier (flea market) on bits for assemblages, so I enjoy the fragrance of the food only. The live music and dancing last night had everyone out late after our street dinner party (good company, delicious food).

This is a big part of today. The horse and rider on the course did some amazing manoeuvres, the blond with the forelock is a total sweetie.

Besides hundreds of horses, ponies, and burros there are traditional woodworkers, blacksmiths, and a small herd of sheep to be shorn. It’s time for me to head back out, there is a whole section of town I didn’t get to this morning with fowl, rabbits, pottery, and more food, of course. Then tonight is a concert of Andean music.

opera

This is one of a few black and white pieces I’m working on.

I was talking with a very talented painter yesterday whose works range from notebook-size to barn wall-size. I know very few people who are comfortable working both very small and very large, and she modestly told me that working on something three times as tall as herself was not much of a challenge, that working small took much more skill. As someone who works exclusively on a small and smaller scale I can’t agree – I wouldn’t even know where to start on a big piece. I did do the one door-sized piece, but not only is that not terribly big, the composition was pure luck.

I adore huge paintings, if I could afford one of her larger pieces it would be worth getting rid of furniture to give it space. Actually, depending on which one I chose, I might just have to build the house around it. Which would be totally worth doing to have her painting of the Venus columns and l’abbaye-école (not on her website, sadly, and neither is the lovely ‘Icare’ which might require a small tower addition to the house). I just need to sell a bazillion of my small works, then I’ll get right to that.

summery

It is hot! A good reason to take a break and walk along where the horses will be during the market this weekend.

I will not be actually buying a horse (this week anyway), but will be taking photos for a piece I am working on. The winds have started to blow down from the hills so the temperatures should be cooler by then.

view

This is the view I should have been looking out on today as I worked…but did not. It is the fourth and last day of the village festival, even tonight people only started showing up around 11-ish when the band got going, it will taper off about 4am, thus the reduced daytime productivity. I did notice the pétanque balls were clinking all day (it is such a satisfying sound somehow), apparently unaffected by the late nights.

I have little experience with village festivals in any country, but to me the crowd here looks far more urban than party-goers in les Etats-Unis outside of the big cities NY, LA, SF, Boston & Miami, and the range of ages on the dance floor is much wider. The eight-year-old daughter of my neighbour began the evening at 9:30 on the bumper cars and was dancing with no sign of slowing down at midnight.

Next weekend is the vide-grenier (flea market) and horse sale, I don’t want to eat this week so that I can buy more bits for assemblages.

Revisiting this one, with more colour. This is not my usual palette and I find it changes the emphasis quite a bit.

sonnet

Detail of a recent piece.