Happy Independence Day! ! I have returned to Argenton les Valleés, comfortably back in La maison hirondelle enjoying the peace and quiet! As most of you know I have been fighting for my health and therefore I did not return to Ted's atelier this summer. I am taking this precious time for healing.
La hirondelle is the french word for the inimitable swallow, and as the summer solstice has already passed, one can see them, feel them, winging, slicing the sky in their joyous flight. I wake every morning to the sound of the birds and the fresh smells of the river. I arrived here in May, and as it is already July we are enjoying a hot summer.
To my delight, over the winter EBRS has been working on the loft. It has been sheetrocked, insulated, electric installed and a small toilet and sink are in place. It is essentially a working studio. As you can see, it still needs some finishing work, but it is full of light and energy and I love being up there. On the east or river-side, the view of the gardens below is amazing. One could waste hours just dreaming. The windows face east and west, but when shuttered, there is north light from the velux skylight.
I was fortunate to enter into a workshop with Gundula Jacobs when I arrived in May. As it was already half way through the session and the other the students were already involved
in a still life, each evening she set up a flower study. In five sessions I really learned a lot!
It is also the season for cherries, so I did several sketches/studies as well as tasted quite a few!
"Being an artist is not an occupation; it is your life, your whole being"
Chogyam Trumpa
