Wednesday 19. 11. 08 This has been another busy week and I have now finished a couple of new paintings shown here. Both are of Clermont. The Allée is just by the old station near Le Terminus and the park is just around the corner from there.
Yesterday I was back at my engraving class after the half-term break and I did my first aquatint – interesting process which I think will take a while to master. As my teacher said, it was quite artisanal with the shaking of powdered resin on to the plate, blanking areas out in varnish and then dipping it into an acid bath. It also has quite an element of surprise when you actually print it! A new student has joined the class, another anglais, an ex art historian from Brighton. The drive back yesterday was a nightmare, everything completely black and it was raining too. Luckily we are going on to winter hours next week 2.30 – 5.30 so it will be light when I drive home.
Journal
Jan & Ralph in Clermont
12. 11. 08 Monday Jan and Ralph arrived this evening and we met at Les Negociants for a drink before coming up to the house and unloading. Bourgignon chez moi for dinner and then off to bed. Tuesday we drove to St Guilhelm and walked through the village and up to the abbey. Afterwards we drove along les Gorges de l’Hérault before heading down to Sete for lunch. We walked along the canal and found a restaurant – oysters for the Marriotts and sardines for me. In the afternoon we drove up to the cimitière des marins which overlooks the harbour and were fascinatd by the photographs on the graves, the ceramic flowers and the cast-iron rings – life-rings? En route back we dropped by the Abbey de Valmagne before heading home for a cup of tea. We dined well in Le Tournesol in the evening and this morning Jan and I did a quick turn around the market before they set off for Nice en route to Tuscany. Brief, busy but very enjoyable.
Red Dot Day
30. 10. 08. Thursday. I finished painting Les Negociants 2 yesterday and sent it out to the usual suspects as proof that I’m still alive and well and painting over here. I had an enquiry last evening as to size and price etc and then this morning an e mail telling me that it was sold!!! Amazing, I only wish I could sell all my paintings this quickly. Thanks again Fran and Clive for your support.
Weekend output
26. 10. 08. Sunday. It has been a busy weekend. I completed a painting Umbrella Pines yesterday and then today as the weather was so warm and sunny I drove down to Florensac and did another river painting. Florensac is on the Hérault between Pezenas and Agde. High noon on a lazy, sunny fall day. After I had finished I drove on to Marseillan and then alongside the beach we go to in the summer, between Marseillan and Sete. Not the crowds of summer, but still people sunbathing and even a few paddling at the water’s edge.
Old Clermont
23. 10. 08 Thursday. Today I went on a guided tour of Clermont under the auspices of an association celebrating local history and Languedoc culture. It began with a reception in the Espace des Penitents with coffee and pastries, during which there was an address by the mayor. Then the historian took over and, after a general overview, described the history of the Espace des Penitents. Construction began on the priory in 1319 and since then it has had numerous uses, from a meeting place for revolutionaries, an orphanage, a gymnasium, a vegetable market to finally now an exhibition space. By this time we had finished our coffee so on we went to St Paul’s and then up through the old town to the chateau. All the while getting the official history but also a more local and more recent history from several members of the group who reminisced en passant about landmarks and events from their childhood. It was absolutely fascinating and, even though some of it was not that easy for me to understand, it was a very rewarding morning.
Back in the Hérault
21. 10. 08. Tuesday. I have been back here just over a week and have been busy with my series on the Hérault. I am documenting the river from source to mouth in a series of 16 drawings, 16 paintings and 16 monoprints. I have finished 3 new paintings and one monoprint since I got back and am hoping to finish the series before Christmas. I have also enrolled in a class for graveurs and am learning various techniques for printmaking – dry point, etching etc. I went to my first one today and was happy that there are only 4 in the class and everyone was very “sympa” and encouraging. As a bonus of course I get to improve my French at the same time learning all these new words. Just had an email from Jan and Ralph Marriott who will be staying here in early November for a couple of days en route to Italy.
Gourmet Canoe Trip
12. 09. 08 Friday Convened at Jon’s for the annual canoe trip out to the Bay. Didn’t get away until 11 as Jean-Pierre got caught up in restaurant business. Usual gang, Jon, Alan, Jim, Jean-Pierre plus Neville, a friend of Jim’s. Couldn’t find a greasy spoon on the highway so stopped for breakfast/lunch in Parry Sound at around 2. In the water and away by 4 on a beautiful early fall afternoon. Made it nearly to the mouth of the Key and camped. Odd weather with mosquitos still buzzing around in September! Saturday morning very misty so Alan and I paddled down to the mouth of the Key to check out the Bay. By the time we got back the mist had lifted and we had a very tranquil crossing to Puddick Island. Tasty dinner of Cariboo steaks courtesy of Jean-Pierre. Sunday weather dull and grey and the wind came up from the north and it started raining mid-afternoon so we retired to tents. Still raining at dinner time so it was steaks cooked on Coleman stove served standing in the rain. Wind really blew and we had to put tarp on our tent because of leaks. Tarp flapped and banged around all night. Monday morning cold with cold north wind still, however, as usual the weather changed by noon and we crossed safely back to the Key, even with a bit of umbrella saiing, had lunch and then paddled back to the highway. Another good trip, back in TO by 10pm.
The Ladies of Summer
24. 08. 08 Sunday
This has been an odd summer as the weather has been much more unpredictable than usual. However, it has been pretty warm and sunny but we have had the odd grey and even rainy day. Chris and Julia arrived on friday 8 August from London – the usual crack of dawn flight from Stansted. I met them at the airport and we picked up the car, went to IKea in Montpellier for some sheets etc plus the cheapest breakfast in France! Carole and Daisy were due into Montpellier at around 5 on Saturday afternoon but their flight had been delayed in Toronto so they didn’t arrive here until 10 that night. Not a good journey. Sunday, however, we went off to the beach, the ladies by car and Daisy and I by scooter. A very relaxed day and everybody got caught up. Monday Daisy started her horse riding again at Les Trois Fontaines – she only had a week this year and mornings only but she had a great time. This was the year that we discovered Lidl – a sort of no-frills supermarket withsubstantial savings on everything from milk to wine. There is also a real art store now in Clermont called Dalbe which is part of a chain which is much cheaper than Mr Bricolage or Five Magic Fingers. During the vacation we had many tasty meals at home, partially due to my new oven but mainly because of having two good cooks around. We also had some memorable meals out too. One day we drove over to Mont Aigoual north of Montpellier and had a great lunch at La Cravatte and then last night we went to La Palombe which is situated just outside Octon in what was once a deserted hameau. It is miles from anywhere up a long narrow road but the food was superb. Best to check first though as there is only one menu. Chris went back to England last Tuesday and Julia leaves tomorrow morning. Carole, Daisy and I are going up to Paris by train on Thursday and then flying to Toronto Friday. C’est le fin d’été.
The Korean
30. 07. 08 Wednesday. Tomasz has been here from Korea for 5 days. I met him at the train station in Montpellier on last Thursday and we seem to have been busy ever since. We have been to the beach at Marseillan and at lac du Salagou. Saturday we went to the Voix de la Mediterranée poetry festival in Lodeve in the afternoon and then the Art Salon vernisage in Clermont in the evening. We saw Bons Baisers de Bruges on Thursday and Wall-E this afternoon. Stefan and Pam came up from Barcelona on Monday for the day and yesterday I went on my first ever VTT trail ride around lac du Salagou. Plus we spent a fair bit of time just talking, frequently with our after-dinner coffee at Les Negociants. Exhausting but stimulating, now I need to do some work before the ladies arrive at the end of next week!
Marseilles
22. 07. 08 Tuesday. Stayed at Claire’s last night so that we could get an early start this morning. Arrived in Marseilles at about 9 and stopped and had a coffee and croissant in a café where Claire received the results of her degree in 1974! We tried to get the ferry for the Chateau d’If, an old prison offshore made famous by Dumas in the Count of Monte Christo, but the water was too rough so all trips were cancelled. Plan B – we rented bikes. This required a degree in IT to finally get the machine to release the bikes but after much consultation we were successful – this is definitely a two-person task! The bikes are extremely sturdy and heavy but work well. We left the old port and started around the corniche and stopped at l’Anse des Auffes which is stunning little harbour hidden within the larger port. There do not appear to be any designated bike lanes in Marseilles so it quite exciting riding along with cars and scooters whipping by at high speeds. After a couple of hours we dropped the bikes off and found a restaurant for lunch. Not the greatest resto but we were hungry and when Claire offered to pay by cheque or carte bleu she managed to negociate the price down from 24€ to 20€ cash so we were quite pleased. After lunch we drove out to les Calanques which are rocky shores strangely lunar in appearance with hardly any vegetation. We visited Sormiou and Cassis before taking the autoroute back to Montpellier. I had a cup of tea chez Claire before heading back into the wind on the scooter to Clermont. Marseilles is a huge, muscular town (second largest in France) with architecture reflecting its former glories as a jumping off point for French colonies. The population is quite exotic and varied witnessing its history. I shall definintely come again, next time not in high tourist season and preferably when it is not so windy. There is much to explore.