April 20, 2006
Spring was about receiving ââŹâ collecting imagery that I will explore in my paintings for years. We traveled through Germany and France taking in great museums as well as the light of Provence that inspired the impressionists.
I enjoyed the great museums and galleries – the MusĂŠe d’Orsay, the Louvre, the MusĂŠe d’Art Moderne in the Centre Pompidou ââŹâ saw many great works. But even more inspiring were our actual wanderings in the rambling streets of Montmartre, the views from the Arc de Triomphe and Notre-Dame’s north tower. Driving through tiny villages in Provence where Roman ruins littered the landscape and where every day was market day in a different town. Taking pictures, collecting tiny fragments of broken pottery or scraps for my art book. Surviving on the daily espresso and croissant, baguette, and 9-fruit juice from the market.
Overall the most inspiring aspect of traveling in Europe came as no surprise: oldness. Oldness has always inspired my creativity. With oldness comes moss, character, marks, deterioration, colour, fading, imprints, pathways. A reminder of a way of life, quality of life, devotion to skill, celebration of tradition and wisdom that has been left behind. A reminder to take stock of what we value.
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