France

The Windows, the Witch, and the Doors of Perception

Today is the day I am thinking about what has come before.  The veil between the world of living and dead is thin and it seems such an appropriate time to observe the essence of time passing. There has been a lot of mental stimulation in my life since I

French dye lab experiments part II

The experimentation continues……..On the second week of my 4 week stay in Lauris, France, I finally got the chance to meet Michel Garcia!  We spent 4 days together and talked so much!   I did not think it was possible.  He is such an intelligent and authentic person.  So open

Dye lab experiments done with French flair……..

It has been a head spinning last few months.  I cannot seem to keep up with the amount of work and opportunities that I have before me.  As usual it is a lot of work and little time for self. I would like to thank everyone who is actually reading

The Red Ochre of Roussillon

The last  village I had the opportunity to explore with my camera was Roussillon.  Large quarries of Ochre were mined in the late 18th century to about 1930’s for artist colors and textiles.  It has since been prohibited to mine in Roussillon, but other quarries have been exploited nearby.  There

Carrieres de Lumieres

Each year the quarry at Les Baux has a show of artists projections.  This year it was Bosch, Brueghel, and Arcimboldo.  They are medieval and Renaissance artists that lived between 1450 and 1593.  Two of them were Dutch and Arcimboldo was Italian.  While their styles were very different they had

Climbing to the top in Les Baux

I make my slow accent to the top of the castle.  I say slow because the stairs where well worn and very steep.  I felt like I was scaling a mountian and had to use the hand rail to hoist me to the next step. This was one of the

Chateau des Baux-de-Provence

As I sift through photos of my recent adventures I keep thinking how camera crazy I was. Like a tourist but also like a hungry artist let loose in her best situation.  This was it.  The moment.  I am in it; I am present.  Everything is hyper clear.  As if

Couleur Garance – The Garden of Natural Dyes

I can not post about my trip to France without dedicating an entry to the Couleur Garance!  After all this was the reason for my journey in the first place.  A few years back I attended a lecture from the renowned natural dye innovator Michel Garcia.  I was at a

Mediterranean Sea and Domaine du Rayol

I was invited to take a day trip and picnic with the staff at the Couleur Garance  in the coastal town of Rayol.  They have a beautiful Mediterranean garden  that overlooks the sea.  This Garden was built in the 1920’s by Gilles Clement.  He wanted to bring landscapes from the

Through the Mountains and into the Woods

The adventure continues……….I actually have so much to share I am hustling to organize my thoughts and photographs.  This is a good thing!  I have not had this much excitement in my life in….,well, a life time. One day while I was shopping in the village deciding what cheese to