Mark Cazalet at the Beardsmore Gallery

Mark Cazalet has work in a group show at The Beardsmore Gallery, London.  Mark made a series of vivid and beautiful pastel drawings of the woods behind Les Bassacs while teaching here this summer.  Many of these drawings will be included in this show, which lasts until the 23rd December.

Mark is teaching for two weeks at Les Bassacs this coming summer 

Colour: light, space and mood 10th-17th September 2011 

Painting, drawing and collage 17th-24th September 2011

WINTERFLORA

25 NOVEMBER – 23 DECEMBER 2010

Beardsmore Gallery
22–24 Prince of Wales Road London NW5 3LG
T +44 (0)20 7485 0923 www.beardsmoregallery.com
Tuesday to Saturday 11am–5pm (or by appointment)

Prehistoric caves near Les Bassacs

While doing some reading about the history of the Luberon valley last autumn I came across a reference to a neolithic cave - La Grotte Sépulcrale de la lave at Saint-Saturnin les Apt and realised that it was very near to Les  Bassacs.  David and I set about trying to identify it, armed with this picture of the excavation in 1934.  The cave was apparently used as a burial chamber and housed the remains of 66 men and women and children, some as young as two years old.  Many of the skeletons had shards of flint in their bones indicating that they had sustained the injuries in fights against an enemy armed with flint arrows.  There were also some little broken pots filled with red earth and some bone tools.  They appeared to have been a group of stone-age people living in the valley, fairly well protected from incomers, although the archaeologists speculated  that they were engaged in defending their territory from invaders probably coming up from the Pyrenees.  The examination of the leg bones showed that they were hunter gatherers who had hard lives and had physically adapted to the harsh and mountainous terrain.  The men measured 1m 63 on average and the women 1m 50.  They had elongated skulls, a well-developed forehead and long straight noses.  Ethnically they represent the oldest inhabitants of France.  As hunter gatherers they left traces of their daily fare in the cave.  They found evidence of dogs, foxes, wild cat, pole cat, wild bore, deer, sheep, goat, rabbits and hares and badger bones. There were no traces of wolves which surprised the researchers as the area was known for an abundance of wolves right up to the 18th Century.  There were apparently  no wild horses in the area. 

I was glad to know that we weren't going to be eaten by wolves at any rate!  Pascal who works at the Mairie and lives in Les Cordiers gave me a rough idea of where the cave was and we set off on our bikes out the back of the hameau, through the cherry orchards and towards the gorge that leads up to Sault.  It took us an hour to find the cave, in the end we identified it by the shape of the overhanging rock.  The entrance is entirely covered by bushes.  I would imagine that in 1934 when it was excavated there were many more goats and sheep grazing in the valley to keep the vegetation down.  The funeral cave and the cave that was used as shelter, directly next door,  are both beautiful shapes, with almond shaped entrances.  David took this picture looking out of the funeral cave towards the gorge.

Venice

 early morning venice

'cloudscapes' architecture  biennale 

dusk

a bit of drawing

We have just been to Venice for a few days - unbelievably beautiful, of course, and so peaceful without cars.  Even the weather smiled on us - a few showers, but even they seemed right. 












Went to the Architecture Biennale, which was really interesting, not least because you get to wander around the Arsenale.












The Venetians were remarkably nice given that they must get overwhelmed with tourists, and life seems to go on there despite them (us).









In  such a short time, it was difficult to get going on the drawing.  There is much too much to look at!  Looking forward to going back there, with more time, and really getting stuck into it.

Albany Wiseman shows in Norwich

Albany Wiseman, who has been teaching at Les Bassacs for 20 years and is one of our most popular tutors, has an exhibition at The Fairhurst Gallery in Norwich.  The Fairhurst Gallery, in the centre of Norwich is re-opening with an exhibition of Albany's work.  The Gallery is at Websdales Court, Bedford St, Norwich and the exhibition runs from the 18th November to 7th December 2010.  Albany works out of his own gallery in London at 8 Pied Bull Yard, Bury Place, London WC1.

Pumpkin and Coriander Soup

On the back of our visit to Apt market and the impromptu purchase of a Potimaron, I made this warming autumnal soup.  The goat's cheese is from Saignon and was very mild and sharp. The bread was from the organic bread stall at Apt market, it is made from Kamut, an ancient Egyptian wheat also known as King Tut's wheat as it was said to have been found in his tomb.  Not your traditional Sunday lunch, but it suited us well.

Pumpkin Soup (serves 4)

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 large onion, diced 

3 carrots, chopped into fairly small pieces

2 sticks of celerey, diced

4 slices of bacon, chopped 

25g/1oz fresh ginger, grated

½ tsp ground cumin

450g/1lb pumpkin diced

a few stalks of fresh coriander

600ml/20fl.oz vegetable stock

Salt and black pepper

1 tbsp chopped coriander

Extra coriander to garnish

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and sauté until softened, add celery and sauté for a few minutes. Add bacon and allow to brown with the vegetables.

Add the ginger, garlic and ground cumin and continue to sauté, stirring constantly for one minute. Then add the pumpkin and stir to coat well. Add the vegetable stock, coriander stalks, salt and pepper, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat, partially cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the pumpkin is tender. Stir in the chopped coriander, then remove from the heat and process in a blender – process in the saucepan using an electric hand blender or pass through a sieve. Garnish with whole coriander leaves.

Market day in Apt

Apt market early this morning

We don't often get time in the summer to enjoy the Saturday market in Apt, so we decided to go in early this morning and have a coffee.  People often ask us what Apt market is like in the winter.  Of course the fruit and vegetables reflect the changing season, so no more cherries, strawberries and asparagus, but an abundance of pumpkins, squashes, and mushrooms.

Lactaire, Pied de Mouton, Butternut Squash and Potimaron in the market today

James Smith at the V&A

Letter from James Smith this morning, a regular at Les Bassacs, with news that he has a piece of his sculpture on show at the V&A until 21st November.  It is entitled Don Quixote and his horse.  In typical James fashion the horse has 8 legs!

Programme for Season 2011

David and I have been ensconced in a rainy, grey Les Bassacs, trying to get the programme together for 2011. Today after 3 days of heavy rain, when the clouds lifted and the sun came out, we were surprised to find that suddenly the valley has taken on an autumnal feel. Walking through the fields between us and St Saturnin les Apt, David took these photos.

Successive layers of cherry, plum and vines against the green of the pines and holm-oak have clothed the Luberon in shocking reds, purples and yellows.

”Yesterday evening I was working on a slightly rising woodland slope covered with dry and mouldering beech leaves. The ground was light and dark reddish brown, emphasized by the weaker and stronger shadows of trees casting half-obliterated stripes across it. The problem, and I found it a very difficult one, was to get the depth of colour, the enormous power and solidity of that ground -- and yet it was only while painting it that I noticed how much light there was still in the dusk -- to retain the light as well as the glow, and depth of that rich colour, for there is no carpet imaginable as splendid as that deep brownish-red in the glow of an autumn evening sun, however toned down by the trees.”

Vincent van Gogh 
Letter to Theo van Gogh, 3 September 1882