Rochefort-en-Terre

Rochefort-en-Terre, in Morbihan is the original location of The Alfred Klots Residency I participated in. This was one of our last stops on the trip through Brittany. I wanted to see the original location and the Chateau where resident artists worked. The town itself is beautiful and is another "Cite de Caractere" in Brittany.

Some history of the Residency in Rochfort-en-Terre:

The "Friends of Rochefort" was established in 1998 to support the program as its focus and reputation expanded. Through the generosity of the Friends and of Isabel Klots, MICA has established an endowment fund for the Residency Program. Through 2010, the Residency Program was housed on the grounds of the Château that Alfred Klots created in the early 20th century from medieval structures remaining on the site of an ancient castle destroyed during the French Revolution. Now, because the Château requires extensive renovation and is no longer habitable, MICA has moved the Residency Program to Léhon, another extraordinary medieval village in Brittany.

In 1989, Isabel Klots founded the Artist Residency Program in Rochefort-en-Terre in memory of her father-in-law, Alfred Klots, and her husband, Trafford Klots, both artists, and of their hospitality to other artists. In 1995, Maryland Institute College of Art began to administer the program.

The Chateau (middle image left)

French Fog Series

Here are some small paintings (5"x5" and 6.5"x6.5") from my current "French Fog Series" that I will be showing at Art by the Sea - Labor Day week-end September 3, 4 and 5. I will be at the Spindrift Gallery in attendance. I love painting the fog. It puts me in a relaxed state.

On with it.

My temporary panic was just that. Temporary. I am not sure why I thought I could just bound into working and never skip a beat. I seem to be back in the flow and I am definitely seeing some differences in my work. The colors are more subtle and the brush stokes combine hard edge and some soft which is all new for me. When I left for the residency my paint was crisp and thick. Now I am reaching for a broader approach. One thing that is interesting is how much quicker the paint dries here. I have to take more care in covering my palette overnight. In Brittany the moist air made it so I could walk into the studio and begin painting. In this part of Oregon the dry air makes the paint tough in a matter of hours and I have to scrape down my palette each morning a begin a new. The lusciousness of the paint is what really memorizes me so fresh paint with out stiffness is imperative. Next blog entry I will post some new images that I will be taking to California for my shows.The show will be Art by the Sea.

La Salle Visit

At the end of the residency Carl and I headed south to Morbihan. We had reservations at the B&B Kerkilec - Gite et Chambres d'hotes in the hamlet of La Salle the spot featured in the book by Marjorie Price (see my previous entry "A Gift from Brittany" 6/16/11). Of course when we drove up I was eager to see what the place would look like and whether it would look like my vision in the book. Pretty close and the owner Guy Eckstein was charming. Our 3 day stay was the perfect.

Back in the Studio

I have begun to work on work for the 2 California shows coming up. I have not the usual few months to prepare and so I need to step off the plane and produce enough work to have enough work for both showings. You would think after a long stretch of work time in Brittany I would be "on a roll" as one might say. Not so. My studio does not feel familiar, the paint feels strange, my paintings seem forced and I can't seem to get a flow. So far I haven't produced a single one I would show. Maybe this is typical after having such a rich experience. I just don't know. At least I have my dog Mica back by my side in the studio. So I try to be patient and see what develops.

What I miss about Brittany?

Everything.

Thank you is in order

You may have noticed by the date that I am home in Oregon by now. The last week or so of the residency was so busy that I got very behind on the blog. I plan to catch up at this point now that I am home so stay with me. I have some more Place it Project pieces and a lot more experiences after the exhibition. Then I want to write about how the whole experience is effecting my work now that I have returned to my studio.

A huge thanks is in order here for my wonderful husband Carl Schwab.

Not only has he been my biggest supporter through this wonderful experience allowing me and providing me with uninterrupted work time but he also was helpful to everyone else in the residency. Expert map reader, guide, pathfinder, cook, pastry fetcher, shopper and expert chauffeur. The list goes on. Carl how can I ever thank you!