The Unfortunate Reality

Every year, when I return, I discover changes that have taken place over the winter. I never find the village just as it was the summer before. There may be a new neighbor, or someone may have moved away, new commerce or loss of it, a death, or the happy arrival of a new baby.




This year, change seems to have hit hard. Sadly, this winter brought six deaths, a huge number for a village of less than 75 year round inhabitants. The well loved homes, of these elderly neighbors, now stand empty, a sad reminder of a great loss to the community.




The economy has had it's affect as well. The village once boasted a lovely little hotel with a wonderful restaurant, but that is now closed. It has moved on to a larger town & left the buildings closed & forlorn.




The village looks a bite tired & sad with so many houses shuttered & closed up. Where once there were plants & flowers adorning balconies & entry ways, there now is only the odd "for sale" sign.




Families that have had summer homes in the village for generations are now forced to sell due to the economy. At the moment their are 13 houses on the market in this tiny village alone.





Some signs are the homemade variety. Hung up in hopes that their village home might bring a large sum & allow the owners to pursue their dreams of a more exciting & financially fulfilling life elsewhere.




Rumor has it, that even the twelfth century chateau, which has been in the same family for the last 3 hundred years, may be put on the market. Let us hope that this is only a rumor. The village has suffered enough loss for one year.

Change is inevitable, & the changes here only reflect what is happening in the rest of the world. However, in a village as small as this one, the unfortunate reality seems large in comparison.

Location:France

A Few Words of Apology & Appreciation

I want to take a moment to thank all of you, who so kindly, left me such encouraging comments & well wishes before I left. They were all greatly appreciated.



I apologize for not acknowledging them sooner. I was so overwhelmed at the last, that I lost track of blogging life. Thank you all, especially Tomoko, who has been ill. I was so sorry to learn that you had not been well, I hope you are feeling much better.




Now that I am here I step back in time a bite. I have no car, no TV, no dishwasher or microwave, & no computer or access to the Internet . I ride my bike 8 k to the next town to use the wifi in a cafe. So I will not be able to follow your blogs as closely & my posting will be even more sporadic than usual. My thanks & apologies in advance.




Although, I lack many modern convenances, I am taking life slower & taking the time to smell the flowers, as they say. I am replacing fast paced rituals with simpler ones. Slowly, I am finding the simple pleasure of each morning sweeping the rose petals from my front walkway, to be as meaning full as my more modern rituals left behind.

Arriving

When I cross the bridge into my tiny village, I feel as if I have come home.




The view of the chateau on my right unfolds...




& to the left, further down the river, the old Roman baths. I breath in the sights, sounds, & smells of my French retreat, my summer paradise.




The little town square stands proud as always. The old town hall, with it's clock tower & bell, clanks out the hour & the half hour.




Turning now onto the street where I live, I feel that I am truly home.






Finally, my house! The rose is in bloom. I throw open the shutters, the windows & doors to let in the sun light & fresh air.




One of the first orders of business is to buy & plant flowers in my pots & small beds in front of the house.




Although there is still much work to be done inside, the house now seems lived in & welcoming.

Location:France

Window With a View

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an exhibition entitled Rooms with a View: The Open Window in the 19th Century. This exhibit focuses on the Romantic motif of  open windows & the view seen from within. The idea of this show appeals to me, as does the idea of painting a scene as viewed through a window. Below is an attempt, I made quite some time ago, of painting the view from my studio window in France.

The exhibition at the Met focuses on the early artists that originated the popularity of this motif. It features some thirty oils and thirty works on paper by German, Danish, French, and Russian artists from around 1810–20. I would have to say that my favorite artist to glorify this genre, would have to be Pierre Bonnard. I love Bonnard as an artist & especially love his window scenes of which he has many.

How can one not love his colors! Bonnard's paintings make me wish I were there, in these rooms, looking out of these windows. 

It will not be long now, until I will again be looking out of my studio window. Perhaps this will be an inspiration for me to attempt another painting of my most treasured view.

Art In the Strangest Places

Although I am about to trade city life for the tranquility of the country side, it dose not mean that I do not find inspiration in both places. On my brief trip to NYC earlier this spring, I was struck by all the geometric shapes & patterns to be seen there.

Whether by design or simply as part of the industrial wasteland, city streets offer much to regard & to inspire. Of course there is the street artist, who uses the city as his canvas, like the one below, who actually got a writeup in the New York Times for this piece.

 I just could not resist these colorfully dotted cement mixers under the grid of the elevated train tracks. Not meant to be art, of course, but visually exciting, none the less. 

 I was also intrigued that the NYC Transit Authority has placed art work on the subways. Now, besides sleeping & reading you can view works of art while riding the train. 

This intricate black & white drawing is difficult to discern in these photos, but it was certainly lovely to look at. I think, I may have been the only one riding, who was actually looking at it.

 My search to find out about the artist & these pieces was unsuccessful. Sadly, I was not able to get a good photo of the art work either, but I was fascinate by it & would love to learn more.

 The subway system certainly deserves praise for this practice of sharing art with the masses, but does not fair so well, when dealing with artist 

Victoria Hunter McKenzie.

 Check out  the story of her tiny works of art on discarded metro tickets below & her Etsy Shop here.

National Doodle Day

I just learned from Lina over at  Art Ravels, that today is National Doodle Day. So what better excuse, than to post a few doodles of my own.

To learn more about doodling &  National Doodle Day  go here  or check out the celebrity doodles which are for sale on eBay to benefit Neurofibromatosis research.

Apparently according to a study, doodling can actually help you to pay attention. So get doodling!

A Post Card in Film

I am  running around now trying to get ready for my trip. Lists, last minuet errands, lines, traffic.... need I say busy.

  Right now, my life here in Boston is hectic.

In France, my next door neighbors, 

Béatrice Amiel & Jean-Michel Filiquier

are documentary film makers.

click here to see the film

They have made a tiny little post card of a film that shows the change of pace I am headed for.

I hope you enjoy this tiny bit of peace & tranquility.