A big week here in Brittany. I am in two art shows, one in Callac and one in Huelgoat.
We artists gathered in Callac this morning to be interviewed by the local press. Woo hoo! Big time stuff. Local papers are still important in these parts. Each little town has an allocated page and we, of course, were top of the page.
It’s also market day in Callac. In the high summer this translates into more local market gardeners selling seasonal produce and lots more people turning up. Even though travel is restricted European tourists having been appearing. The market-goers were happy bustling around, chatting with pals, having their first apero of the day at one of the cafes. It was a jolly and lively scene this morning.
All the Callac paintings are watercolors. Wee are in the gallery at the tourist office.
On the edge of the market square is the tourist office/Maison de l’Epagneule (House of the Spaniel!). This is where our art show is taking place. Our commune is famous for Breton spaniels – long-legged shaggy beasts who are theoretically used for hunting. A friend of ours raises spaniels but he is very picky about who he sells them to. Often times the buyers get turned down because they are not deemed up to scratch. He really loves those dogs.
Many of the local hunters belong to organized hunting clubs who hold shooting competitions and boozy lunches during the season. Some of the members just turn up just for the lunches to get drunk, but others go out afterwards to slaughter the local boars and deer. Not a great time to go for a walk.
Anyway, part of the tourist office is dedicated to The Spaniel, with videos, photos, and historical information. The other part is a public gallery. It’s not very big but it has great lighting and the staff are helpful and friendly. They organized our little press junket. I was worried that we’d have to take the photographs with our masks on but thankfully the photographer was not that particular.
This is not the case for the French government. I don’t know if you heard, but this week Monsieur Macron is debating mandatory vaccines or proof of a recent test in public settings. Probably the safest thing to do but I don’t think the French are buying it. French society is a weird combination of requiring identity papers at all times and really resenting it.
Huelgoat paintings are oils. The show is hung in the building behind the church in the main square. The green wall looks good!
The other show I’m in is in Huelgoat, a larger town with a bit more going on in terms of cafes and forest walks. More visitors pass through Huelgoat so I’m hoping some will stop in at our gallery. The walls are painted a fierce pthalo green which concerned me, but in fact the paintings looked great with that background. Space was limited so the work is little squished together. Otherwise it looks pretty good.
In Huelgoat I’m showing larger oils. In Callac I’m showing watercolors.
In both of these exhibits I am showing places and situations that I love. When you look at these paintings you are out on the street, sitting in a cafe, talking with friends, looking at a beautiful view. I realize that both of these shows are depicting a kind of anti-lockdown. For me, interacting with these people and places and celebrating them is what life is about. The lockdown has simply amplified this feeling.
My next goal is to paint an outdoor music concert, packed with people! Let’s see what Monsieur Macron has to say about that.