Every community has one. Mr."whirlygig" 

just happens to live just spitting distance from my

studio window.  Every tourist that comes to Caylus

checks out this local hotspot, so there

 is a continual stream of people who pass comment 

about his decor. The preschool is also just down the road

 from me and the kids do a count of the ladybugs etc. 

everytime they go by. Very entertaining, but as you can

 see I am getting a bit desperate for postings!  

After this I may cutback posting as often so I can focus

 on my work.....and also I'm just not getting out

 much. However, there is a new artist arriving tomorrow

 from New York and perhaps we will embark 

on some adventures. In the next couple of weeks 

we may be going with John and Greta to some 

nearby caves that have drawings and to Albi, a

beautiful ancient Roman and medieval town.

Everyone asks what I do all day.  Well, for one thing
I make sure go to the lake/pond nearby and enjoy the
connection to water, bugs, birds, fish, trees, wind etc.
On sunny days I spend hours painting watercolour there
because I can put the sheets of paper out in the sun to
dry quickly. 

Pathway around the lake.

.

The little point of land with rocks is where I set up
to paint.  My house is just behind the tower on the hillside.

Believe it or not, I often stop at the cathedral. 
 I find the space awe inspiring and 
love thinking of all the people who have been here and how
amazing this must have been in medieval times.
It still is today, even though it is a very modest cathedral.
 Peaceful.

Now, the action items!!  I watch watercolour paint 
dry/evaporate off my plastic yupo paper. It takes hours. 
 And I have to fiddle with tilting the paper etc. as it dries.

 

While I'm waiting for paint to dry I draw into
paintings, listen to music, ted talks and CBC and BBC 
pod casts etc.

I'm using acrylic paint on specially
treated paper that I have done drawings on.
This is one big change for me, using acrylic 
paint instead of watercolour.  

Here I am putting a wash of watercolour paint on 
a large piece of paper. Next I will draw onto the
paper and then probably add more paint.

I spend a lot of time on the internet checking out artists,

 art related articles and on facebook to keep in touch with

everyone.

I am having an absolutely wonderful time,
 at this self imposed exile called an artist residency. 
It's a bit like going to rehab for artists. I'm trying
 desperately to break old habits and the rut I 
was in artistically. Not easy.  After playing with some
 new techniques and materials I am producing 
some different work.

  The neighbour has a little hut to feed local cats.
You can see there are gnomes to protect the bowl of 
food and to keep the cat company at dinner time too.
 Very beautiful cat with unusual stripes on it's tail.

I'm praying that there will be no bats in the
stairwell at night when I head back to my room 
after brushing my teeth. 

Market day is on Tuesday in the village square.
The merchants arrive with mobile refrigerated
vehicles to sell their products.  The fish is
wonderful and we have it often.  

The fruit and vegetable folks set up in the covered
market area.

The cheese merchant with an amazing array of
excellent cheeses.

Sausages, regular and specialty meats.

The old village square.

Escargot?  No thanks....

The studio is very productive. I've done
about 40 drawings/samples so far. I'm spending
all day every day working trying to push myself
further along the graphite and watercolour path to
a more interesting place.  Not an easy task
apparently, but its a real pleasure having this time
to explore.

Jamie Oliver

 I went to an Auberge/Inn for lunch with John and Greta

McNorton to celebrate Greta's birthday. Jamie Oliver

had been there to cook with the woman who runs

the restaurant because she is well known for excellent

southern France cooking.

Monique Valette is the owner/cook of Auberge Lou Bourdie
in a little village called Bach, about 17 kilometres from Caylus.
Her recipes are her grandmother'sand are amazing!  She comes out of the kitchen to greet
 all the guests personally.  We each had a four course dinner for 17 Euro
and it was unbelievable. Soup that was like I had never tasted before,
salad (cold meats jellied with lettuce etc.), roast pork dinner with fresh peas,
carrots, potatoes and onions - delicate flavour and delicious; a piece
of chocolate cake with cream sauce and cafe. Great meal that tasted like
the best home cooked food you'd ever imagine.

Picture of Auberge Lou Bourdie modest and typical building.

www.thevineroute.com/food/the-auberge-lou-bourdie-food-fit-for-the-gauls

Prayer Chair

This chair is apparently for praying. It is in the bathroom and I usually just place my clothes on it but decided to try it out for size.  When I placed my knees on the seat they sunk comfortably into the already formed impressions of knees past.  The tender padding had an acute memory of the weight of previous sins and life problems that had formed the indentations.  The chair  lovingly hugged my knees in a warm embrace.

Aloise and Greta McNorton, the family who host DRAWinternational.  
 Aloise turned 13 today!  She has such a  sweet and a spunky spirit.
Greta is a fabulous cook and makes wonderful dinners for us all.

All you obsessive compulsive disorder folks that can't stand faded, chalky, or chipping paint would go crazy here. Almost every door has a unique character of all of the above.  I know I am just another person in Europe who is fascinated by  doors, but I can't help it. They have such personality!  This is the back door to my place. 
  Rona and Home Depot doors are boring.

typical door knocker; full size hand

unbelievable texture

One of my favourite doors.  I just wonder who has
opened this door in the past?  How many different
people have passed through from the outside to
the sanctuary of the interior?

For Sale!  Many buildings are left in limbo because French
                        law states that a family real estate asset must be divided equally among all
siblings.  There are  disagreements amongst family members
                    about fixing up, or selling, and for what price.  And, many families have a large
 number of siblings, so........

Delicious bright magenta/fuchsia coloured door on the Church.
Makes the entrance very womb like.

        You see many doors in places where there used to be
         large archways. I'd love to know the history behind 
these alterations.

The little house next to the church. A poster for a special event or
program at the church. 

On the main street of town.  A trio of lovely doors.

This is what newer doors look like.  Beautiful natural wood.

I can see the inspiration for the blue.
It matches the sky.

A sad little door from long ago.

Car Culture in Caylus?

Yes! It is hard to believe that there are car nerds and greasers here, but apparently the love of automobiles is alive and well in France. There was a customized car show at the Chateau last Sunday. It was a rally where they travelled the winding country roads to four different villages showing off their customized cars.  It was chance to enter the grounds of the Chateau, which is only about half a block from my house.

The Chateau du Caylus

A 19th C rebuild of a former medieval Chateau. It is privately
owned and in very poor condition.  It sits empty, the grounds (maybe 5 acres) 
somewhat overgrown and unkempt.  Major cracks in the walls and many
broken leaded glass windows.  There was a local movement to have
the village of Caylus buy it and make it into a cultural centre, but the 
council declined because of enormous expense in fixing it up and maintenance.
The gates are locked and access is not allowed, except for the occasional
event, like the 'car show'.  

The name of this car was 'Wiggley'

Looks like it would be fun to drive!

Hanging out my studio window watching the
cars manoeuvring down the narrow Rue du Chateau.

Artist Jeannine Cook's exhibition and talk about Silverpoint

Monks used to use a lead stylus for their manuscripts, using it to outline illuminations and draw guiding lines for their handwritten texts.  By the 13th C, silver had been substituted as the artist's preferred metal for drawings.  Silverpoint's was  most popular in the Renaissance when Da Vinci, Michelangelo  Durer, Raphael etc. did drawings in silver.  When graphite mines were discovered, silver fell out of misuse (you can't erase silver marks).   Artists preferred the more versatile, forgiving drawing media. Now there are only a few artists worldwide using this medium. You can also use copper, platinum and gold. The drawings are very delicate and as they 'tarnish' (especially the silver), they glow with the changes.  Beautiful!
Jeannine Cook was a fellow artist in residence with me at DRAWinternational.

Workshop for participants to try a little silver point drawing.
We used silver spoons, forks, knives, rings etc. as drawing tools
as well as Jeannine's pens with different gauge silver and gold metal.
The drawings are on paper or board that has a special ground that
is receptive to the metal marks.

At the reception/artist talk.  This was held in the gallery at DRAWinternational.

My attempt at silverpoint drawing.  Done with my bracelet and a stylus silverpoint pen. I put the bracelet on its side to get fine lines.