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I’m back from my two-week trip to southern France. I caught a bad cold the day I landed, and it’s left me in this quiet space of not much doing and a lot of time to reflect.
I expected to be inspired by the wine fields and the patterns they make. I was . . . but what captivated me were the textures and patterns of aging. Aging stucco covered with lichens and fungus. Chipping paint revealing colors below. The kind of age we usually cover up in the US. Here are a few of those images.
For me, they feel like images that can surface in deep meditation, soft swirls of color that embody everything. Timeless. Ageless.
So often images we’re drawn to in the outer world reflect what is going on underneath our daily lives.
In my artwork, even before I left, I felt a shift coming. What called to me in France clarified those images. At least for now, very simple, textured images that seem to embody the oneness of everything call to me. The opening image is a start and I look forward to exploring these ideas in the months ahead.
Other parts of the trip were wonderful. I went on a Van Gogh tour of Arles and St. Remy partially in remembrance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s retrospective of Van Gogh’s work in Arles and St Remy: the show that so touched me decades ago. It was a windy day, and the mistral has been strong in southern France this year. I learned from the guide that Van Gogh loved the mistral. Just think of his paintings – they all have the feeling of wind in them. It’s in the brushstroke.
The guide went on to say that Cezanne didn’t stay in Arles because he hated the mistral. Think of Cezanne’s paintings. They are solid, architectural: no feeling of wind.
Our personalities, likes and dislikes, are, of course, embodied in our work.
Here are a few pictures from that tour. I wish I had taken more.
The rest of the trip was a reset from my world of too many “to do’s” every day. I had great local wines, good food, lots of exercise, and beautiful buildings and street scenes around me. I’m grateful for the time and grateful to be home.
Home – with images of our larger home floating around in my mind.
Sending best wishes to you and yours.
