Blog

2023 France

Avignon

We arrived in Avignon from Beaune early afternoon on Wednesday 26^th April, after a long five-hour train ride, with one change at Lyon where we could thankfully grab a cup of coffee. I had bought peanuts and cookies the day before to tide us over, as we have learned that there are no refreshments to be had on the intercity trains.

When we stepped out of the train, we immediately felt the warmth, 20 degrees warmer than Beaune,  and sensed the difference in culture. A group of ragged young people with many dogs were camped out at the station, from time to time singing tunelessly and half-heartedly pan-handling. Apart from a few lone drugged out people sleeping in doorways in Paris, and a small tent encampment on the road in, we had not seen homeless in Bayeux, or Beune, so it was an unpleasant reminder of the worldwide epidemic of homelessness, particularly amongst able bodied young people. We also began to see many more ethnic people of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and African descent as well as Muslim women in hijabs. Many families with young children and people with dogs of all kinds stroll about in the sun. Dogs come into restaurants with their owners and are well behaved.

Thankfully our hotel was a five-minute walk from the station, so there was no problem with our rolling luggage. This was the first traditional hotel we stayed in, and it wasn’t too bad, especially at the rate of $92 per night! There usually is some odd thing one runs into in small hotels, and in this one the nicely updated bathroom had not one single hook or rail for towels! We soon discovered that the AC wasn’t working and the room had baked in the strong sun,  so we spent an uncomfortable night, but next morning we complained (as did many others) and we were moved to a room on the other side of the building with no sun, which despite not having AC was tolerable. We had exactly the same experience in Paris four years ago, when the very fancy hotel we were in  had not switched their central system over to cooling.

Our very first experience of the culture in Avignon was unfortunate: the café across the road where we went for a light lunch charged us nine Euro for a bottle of tap water which we had not requested. The food was incredibly overpriced, as we discovered later,  and very nasty too, so we were a little disappointed. The water scam was certainly a first.

In the evening we took a long walk to see the incredible walls of the city, dating from the 13^th century. The walls with elaborate battlements and ramparts and gates, are built on top of granite cliffs, and in some places the medieval builders had somehow hewn through the stone to create alleys into the city. Difficult to even imagine the amount of labor that went into it! One can walk around the entire old city on top of the walls, a circuit of three miles, but that was too ambitious for us. Instead, we walked to the banks of the Rhone from where one has great views of the walls, and also of the Saint-Benezet Bridge, at the Pont d Avignon. Built in the 13^th century, it was damaged by floods many times and was rebuilt up until the 17^th century, so today it stands as a bridge to nowhere,  with one side incomplete. A famous children’s song, “Sur le pont d’Avignon” celebrates the dancing that took place under the bridge on the Il de la Barthelassi.

We walked  to the Palace of the Popes, (Palais des Papes) the biggest of Gothic palaces,  an eight towered fortress on a rock 190 feet above Avignon. It was the seat of the Catholic Popes from 1309  to 1377. The city remained under papal rule until becoming part of France in 1791.  Winding lanes with cobblestones lead away from the palace, with old buildings and vines clinging to them, which are a feast for the eyes. Taking pictures cannot convey the beauty of these scenes. We also saw a small exhibition of stones from the 1^st century when the area was under the control of the Romans.

Tourism is a major source of revenue and even though it is only late April, the streets are thronged with tourists, many of whom are French. Tourist shops sell lavender and lavender related products, as this city is in Provence. We stopped at a small kiosk selling home made nougat, a favorite of ours which is difficult to find in the US, so we unwisely bought very expensive and heavy nougat!

For dinner Larry had amazing oysters, amongst the best we have had. Fresh and full of the scent and taste of the sea, they came from the tidal straits of the river Garonne near La Rochelle. I had a good seafood salad, so our culinary experiences for the day were salvaged! Our dinner the next day was even better, in a beautiful outdoor garden setting behind ancient stone walls tucked away on a side street. Very elegant and quiet, with a simple menu offering chef driven dishes. Larry had the house pate, and most extraordinary risotto which was very creamy with a texture like whipped cream. I had a fresh, delicate filet of bream, and topped off the meal with tiramisu. The whole dinner together with a glass of wine cost about $78, which was the best value we had this trip. One of the things that is hard for American tourists to get used to, is that tipping waitstaff is not expected here, as they work for a regular salary. All the waiters were pleasant and cheerful throughout, despite no tips, and of course one is never brought the check unless one asks for it, the assumption being that one may sit for several hours. 

Jardin de Palais de Papes, roses covering the walkway

Avignon is certainly worth a visit and is a good city to walk through in a day or two to get a feel for its medieval past, but I will say that it is more run down than any  other place we have seen so far, and the homeless on the street are not a pleasant sight. The old city within the walls is home to only  approximately 13,000 people so it is really small and easy to navigate. The larger metro area is nearly half a million people, but as a tourist one is unlikely to visit those areas. The city hosts a major international Festival of Performing Arts each year.

Art lovers will recognize the name of the town from the famous Cubist painting by Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, created in 1907. The painting actually references prostitutes in Barcelona, on a street named Carrer d’Avinyo, not Avignon in France.

On to Marseille today, a short train ride and then by car for the next several days as we explore the Cote d’Azur.

Monday 24, April 2023

Beaune Burgundy region

After a wonderful, educational and moving weekend in the ancient town of Bayeux, in Normandy (1066 and all that) we returned by train to Paris, from where we found our way to the train to Beaune which required taking a metro to another train station, with many escalators and lifts up and down and huge crowds, quite a challenge with suitcases. It really took the full two hours we had estimated to get from Lazare to Bercy with ten minutes to grab water and a sandwich. It was an unpleasant trip crammed into second class for several hours with no coffee or water! A cute baby behind  us alternated between screaming blue murder and gurgling and babbling with a French accent. The trip took about three and half hours, so we were glad to disembark in Beaune. 

Beaune is a very pretty town, population 22,000, whose history actually predates Roman times but today we can see many reminders of its Medieval history. Dating back to the 13^th century it was already a prosperous wine growing region. It is the capital of the wine growing industry in the Burgundy region, which encompasses 32,600 acres. The farms themselves are very small by our standards, and most have been owned by the same families for many centuries.  A beautiful medieval city wall together with battlements , ramparts and a moat can be seen around the small old town.  Lovely flower gardens and vines which are all in   brilliant bloom at the moment and cover some of the ancient ruins. . There is an elaborate city gate which may be from the Renaissance times. Lovely old, cobbled streets, facades of many styles, some with window boxes, steeply pitched roofs covered in moss, elaborate dormer windows, masses of various shapes of chimney pots crowding the tops of the buildings, ancient doors into courtyards and gardens are all a feast for the eyes. The town was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015, as part of the “Climats, terroirs of Burgundy site.”

We walked almost a mile to our apartment from the train station as there were no taxis or Ubers, but it was fairly easy and we were rewarded by a lovely spacious and well appointed apartment in a very old building. Stone walls and low beamed ceilings together with new Ikea kitchen and bath, well equipped pantry and super comfortable bed, a large table to sit at (what a luxury) combined to soothe our weary souls.

After the first order of business, a nice wine from the shop across the road, we set out to explore the village and looked for food shops, but by 7 pm everything had closed. We found a nice brasserie and had a meal. The old town is very modest, small, and old fashioned. We slept well except for a neighbor’s dog that barked most of the night.

This morning I set out early to forage and found a few items plus of course, lovely chewy freshly baked  baguettes and we breakfasted on that together with the delicious leftover cheese and sausage from last night. We have been carrying our Starbucks coffee around with us and can use it in the ever-present Nespresso machines.

Our tour this morning was of the famous winery, Chateau Pommard, in the small village of Pommard about 15 minutes away. We learned a lot about the unique farming methods here, like no irrigation allowed by law. This winery uses horses to plow, which must be a lovely site! There are currently five on the team and each one has its own personality and characteristics. You can read more about these lovely animals at www. chateaudepommard.com

Interior at Chateau Pommard                                       The entrance to the gardens at the Chateau

The chateau itself has a magnificent façade and the reception areas and tasting room are beautiful. Our guide was a most charming young man who seemed incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about wines in particular the wines of Chateau Pommard. He himself comes from a wine growing family from Bordeaux, but he did not elaborate on why he was working in Burgundy! We both found the five wines we tasted to be extraordinary and different to most wines we drink at home. The one white they produce had  a buttery quality and had notes of almond croissant! There are 200,000 vines in all, grown on seven “terroirs,’ which means soil and each one is a unique mixture of types of earth in different proportions yielding different flavors of wine. Iron rich clay and limestone together with marine fossils and alluvia such as clay, silt and sand: each create changes in quality, flavor, aroma and textures in the wine.  The vines send their roots extremely deep into the ground in search of water as there is no irrigation allowed, up to 25 meters!

The vineyard comprises a total of 20 hectares, equivalent to 25 football pitches. A magnificent formal garden with fountains, topiaries, an olive tree and flower beds is a magical place over the little bridge from the chateau.

There are now more than 3800 wine estates in Burgundy and the village of Pommard alone is home to 60 “domaines,” or “properties, with more 187 winemakers.  

Yours truly with the vineyards in the background                                           The entrance  to the Chateau

In the afternoon we wandered around the old town, which was thronged with families with children, lots of dogs,  tourists and locals all out enjoying mild weather at outdoor cafes. We visited a wine cave where wine is still stored, in cool, dark cellars dating from the 17th century. Our tasting was followed by an excellent dinner in another wine cave nearby, which was warm and cozy and very pretty.

We had escargot and risotto with shaved truffles and a delicious Dover sole. 

Off to Avignon tomorrow!

Color Theories for those starting out as an Abstract Painter

OR those making the transition from Representational to Abstract Painting

What colors am I going to use if I can’t see a reference?

Answer: you get to pick your own palette!

Suggestion:

Start by picking a limited palette, three or four colors plus black and white or just plus white and one “earth” tone to mute your colors.

Here is just one of many color combinations to try out:

Painting with a Triad of Colors:

The Split Complementary palette

Pick a color you love; say for instance Blue. This will be your “dominant color.” Now look for the Complimentary of Blue which is Orange. Now find two colors one on each side of that complimentary: in this case it would be yellow-orange and red-orange. These are the two colors that you will add to your basic palette. So now you have three colors. Of course, you can mix a wide variety of lights (add white or lemon yellow) and darks (add a tiny bit of black or umber) Using your three selected colors. You can use those different shades by themselves or mix them into your three chosen colors to create even more interesting variations in your colors. You will also be creating a range of lights and darks, which is especially important to creating strong work that stands out for the viewer. (Another topic for another time.)

How much of each of these colors should I use?

Ideally, if it is an abstract piece, you can try to use a “dominant” color, so that looking at the piece quickly your viewer sees either a cool, blue painting or a warm, yellow painting, or a painting about greens and so on.Think of roughly 60 % of the dominant color (and shades and tints thereof) 25% of the non-dominant color and then 15% of color you choose as your “accent’ or “spice” color.

For most people, colors resonate emotionally so you want your viewer to respond emotionally to your work. Blue is often a calming color, representing the ocean and the sky. Yellow is felt as joyful and exciting, representing the sun of summer or the yellow of Spring daffodils. You can think about what colors say to you! Pick one color as your Dominant or main color, say Blue. Pick one as the second color which isn’t as dominant, and then pick one to be your “spice” or “accent” color to make the main color pop. This plan is called a Split Complimentary Palette because you are splitting the colors on either side of your complimentary to your “main” color.

The most important thing you can do starting out, is get a good color wheel, one that has a moveable second wheel so that you can instantly see your suggested color combinations. In the end, you are in charge and the colors and color combinations you pick must feel good to you: interesting, comfortable, and harmonious. Learning the rules of colors and how they work in relation to one another gives you the tools to make good decisions.

   The Dalai Lama said, “Know the rules well so you can break them effectively.”

Recommended books on Color Theory

• David Kessler: Bigger, Faster, Fresher, Looser
• Patti Mollica: How to Paint fast, loose and bold
• Nita Leland: Confident Color, an artist's guide to harmony, contrast and unity.

https://trianglevisualartists.com

I will be showing new work at the Kirby Cultural Arts Center in Roxboro North Carolina in June 2023. It is a group show for the Triangle Visual Artists or TVA, a pop up art group comprised of ten artists from the Triangle and Raleigh areas in NC. 

Members of the group include Sharon Barnes, Jillian Goldberg, Chrystal Hardt, James Keul, Henri Lorie, JOan Meade, David Taylor, Dennis Szerszen, Tomasz Huekel, and Trudy Thompson. Each artist works in an individual style and media include weaving and fiber arts, painting, photography, scratchboard, watercolor, and metal cut mobiles and sculptures.

The show runs from  June 1- June 31 2023 and there is an opening reception on  Friday June 9,  from 6 -8 pm. 

See more about https://trianglevisualartists.com 

The Kirby is located at 213 North Main Street in the  charming town of Roxboro near Durham, NC.