Joyeux Noel from Les Bassacs

A sudden and unexpected fall of snow on Tuesday morning gave us a timely reminder that Christmas is upon us. 

Being the first to walk through the snow and down lane is always a treat . . .

and the vines make beautiful abstract patterns in the field.

Merry Christmas from Les Bassacs!

Bee Hives

Some bee hives have arrived on the edge of the nearby garrigue.

They have been a favourite subject for David's paintings in the past

Ignoring the warming signs, David risked life and limb to take these photos.

Cherry trees

The ailing cherry orchard behind Les Bassacs, famous in Les Bassacs folklore for the year that they were covered in ghostly white veils, has finally been cut down.  This will seriously affect our supply of fresh cherries, as David had taken to cycling up to the orchard on May mornings, and filling carrier bags full of fresh cherries.  We don't know what they are planning to grow on that land, but the nearby fledgling lavender field looks promising.

Blossom in december

You realise how unseasonably warm the weather has been when the cherry trees start to blossom in December.  David spotted this one when he was out running yesterday afternoon at Croagnes, and this on the day I bought our Christmas tree!

Olive picking time in the Luberon

We have been enjoying some very still, sunny weather after a couple of weeks of rain.  This morning we walked up the little path to the olive groves behind Les Bassacs to find that the olives are being picked.  

It is still a prosaic scene, even with the use of the vibrating rake connected to tractor batteries! Traditionally olives are picked by combing them off the branches with hand rakes into baskets tied onto the waist of the picker or dropped into nets beneath the tree.  This was something that Vincent Van Gogh painted in 1889, and a method that was current until about 5 years ago here.

The Olive Orchard, 1889 Vincent Van Gogh

Our pickers were employing vibrating rakes. This means that they didn't have to climb ladders to get to the olives. The olives are being harvested at this green stage to be preserved in brine and sold in the markets on those marvellous olive stalls in the summer. If the olives were being used to make oil they would have been left until they had turned purple or black.  These women had come from Robion to do the picking and the olives were going to the Robion olive co-operative to be treated.

Summer 2012

The details of the summer programme are up on the website.  I always under-estimate the amount of time it takes to redo the website.  This year I have had to update our picture in the 'about us ' section, finally acknowledging that we don't look so young any more.  Still smiling though!

You will find the updated site on www.artsinprovence.com

David's website

David's new website is at www.davidatkinson.eu

Another cave

Continuing with my theme of exploring local caves, David and I managed to locate some caves written about by a local archeologist.  At the limit of the stone-age, neolithic man was busily trading in ochre from Roussillon and flint from the flint beds near Mont Ventoux.  They carried the flint through the gorges that incise the Monts de Vaucluse and then worked them by heating and flaking them in flint factories in Murs and Roussillon. 

The many caves to be found in the gorges were used as temporary shelters on the journey.  Rudimentary signs were left by the passing occupants signaling the presence of water - by a red stripe.  These symbols can still be seen.  In this cave red stripes clearly indicate areas where water weeps from the rock face and also a sign denoting a deer.  

Both these signs can be clearly identified in this beautiful cave near Les Bassacs.

brochure 2012

Brochure 2012 is slowly coming together and we hope to have the dates posted soon!

Camper Van studio

We have the old camper bus out and finally licensed (as a vehicule de collection given that it is 40 years old) to be driven in France after being in our garage for 20 years.

David has taken to using it as a mobile painting studio, and with some calm sunny autumnal weather has started a series of afternoon paintings of the cliffs at Lioux.

Falaise de la Madeleine, Lioux

The impressive Falaise de la Madeleine is a limestone cliff 700 meters long by 100 meters high, the result of a fault that occurred 30 million years ago.  It is one of the welcome landmarks you can pick out on entering the Luberon Valley from Gordes and always signals 'home' for us. 

The old village shelters in its shadow, and is renowned for its howling hunting dogs.  The name Lioux is derived from the Gaul word leuca meaning light, and the village has been inhabited since 960.  Hannibal passed through the village on his way to the Alps with his elephants.  To mark this occasion the village coat of arms features an elephant!

Lichen

David photographed these lichen in the ochre woods; an exploration of subtle autumnal colours.

Mark's pastel drawings

During Mark's teaching stint at Les Bassacs he always does a series of drawings, usually executed at the beginning and end of the day. 

Mark's pastels

This is the exuberant and beautiful 2011 edition.

Last course of the year - Collage with Mark Cazalet

We were fortunate that the good weather held out to the last.  The cool mornings with plenty of sunshine during the day made for ideal painting conditions. 

At this time of year the shadows get deeper and deeper as the sun sits lower in the sky, here they exaggerate the fluid shapes of the worn away ochre cliffs.

Viper

David found this viper coiled in the undergrowth this morning.  The low temperature last night meant that he was slow to slither away.

Night skies

A fierce Mistral brings a beautiful aftermath - stunning deep purple skies with a lone planet at center stage

Gros chêne de Murs

The ancient oak tree at Murs where David often drops groups for a mornings painting is one of three oak trees aligned North-South outside the village.  It is thought that the trees are 500 years old and this particular tree has a trunk with the circumference of 6.8m and is 24 m high.  It provides much needed shade for our painting groups and is lovely spot for a picnic with pretty vies through the branches to the village of Murs.

Colour: Light, Space and Mood with Mark Cazalet 10th-17th September

The warm, still sunny weather continued throughout Mark's week with temperatures peaking at 31C, perfect for painting outdoors in the shade.

 Mark encourages James to experiment with colour as he paints in the garrigue above the St Saturnin barrier.   Note Mark's own exciting use of colour in his yellow socks paired with an orange and blue checked shirt!

Rebecca Hind showing at the Curwen Gallery

Rebecca is showing at the Curwen Gallery, 34 Windmill Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 2JR from 9th-30th September. 

The show entitled Causeway features her beautiful watercolours inspired by air, fire and water.  

 Rebecca's lively and expressive work communicates a strong sense of wonder and a joy as she explores the dynamism of these elements.

You can watch a film of Rebecca making one of her large watercolours on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v91lGeSl3kg

The Gallery website

www.curwengallery.com

Adie Parker's group

 The good weather continued throughout the week, with lovely summer temperatures and sunny days, although the heat was definitely getting to the kitchen!  Adie's group took advantage of the opportunity for plein-air painting and pic-nicked in the square at Oppède le Vieux under the shade of the beautiful, ancient plane trees.

Early morning across the valley

On Friday evening the weather broke and with the ensuing thunderstorm the temperature has dropped.  This has meant that the mornings are cool with deep shadows and sparkling colours.

Saturday morning post-storm

This morning two balloons went up,  signaling calm weather.

Rebecca's week 20th-27th August

The beautiful hot weather continued during Rebecca's week with temperatures reaching 38C, but it was a dry heat which meant that, as long as painters sat in the shade, they could keep working. 

Rebecca laying down washes in the shade of a tree

The group pioneered a new location, looking up from below Roussillon

and also the little ochre quarry near Rustrel.

Rebecca at the little ochre quarry

With a bright blue sky, the colours of the firs and the ochre sing!

Terry's week 13th-20th August

With the heat building during the week, Terry's group painted in locations elevated above the valley, where the air was slightly fresher. 

Landscape above Lioux

Thursday being picnic day, the group went to Simiane-la-Rotonde, erstwhile home to the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson.

His most famous photo of the village was taken on a terrace overlooking the valley.

The terrace is still there

He was a man renowned for his meditative attitude and his 'patient eye' something that painters also have to cultivate!