Perfect ending to yesterdays long day

Hello from my bed in the Hotel de Paris in St. JEAN-DE-LUZ dans le Pays Basque. This hotel is literally across the street from the train station, a 2 star hotel. I figured I'd need to start downsizing my lifestyle little by little, since I will soon be a pilgrim.

Last night, I was tired after the train travel. I went to Chez Pablo for traditional Basque food. I started with a fish soup. Yummy and filling, but not a good photo. My main course, pictured here is a salted cod fish with potatoes stuffed into sweet red peppers. The sauce maybe tomato and peppers.

Outstanding meal, and a friendly, animated atmosphere is what you'll find here. You can just see Pablo on the right of the photo. He works the rooms, and keeps everyone happy or on the spot for the customers amusement, when the customers aren't amusing themselves.

Two Americans were sitting at the other side of my community table. He walked by and said, "Speak French. Only French spoken here." He was joking, he knew they didn't have any French. At the end of my meal, he walked by, handed me a piece of bread and said it was to mop up the rest of the sauce, and he was serious

He sat Michel, a regular, next to me, and I had at least an hour of French conversation with him. What a marvelous place. Michel had a Basque omelet, squid in it's own ink (so much better than what I had), and a light white wine. He had me try his wine. Very nice, and the squid sauce, yum. My last day here, I am going back for that meal.

Then I went off to the church where Louis XIV had his wedding in 1660. I went for a choir concert. An all male choir, and by far the best concert I've heard so far on this trip. After the male choir was finished out came a Basque or Spanish trio: classical style guitar, piano or accordian, and a woman playing the violin. The guitarist sang, I believe, his own compositions. The audience was mesmerized, and demanded an encore. One of the choir requested a song with "la, la, la's" in it, the audience knew, and our joined voices echoed around in the perfumed air of this historic eglise as we joined in the la, la, la's of each chorus.
I remember feeling myself completely given over to the moment with a huge smile spread across my face.

What good fortune I had to arrive here on this very evening, and to have quickly met so many wonderful people. I strongly feel myself, small as I am, part of the continuous flow of the history of mankind.

La Maison de Louis XIV

Louis was only here for 40 days. As part of the Pyrenees Treaty, he had to marry the Infanta Maria-Teresa. This was the town.

The house was built by a wealthy ship owner, and still remains in the famiky to this day.

The tour was in French, bien sur. There was an oval portrait in the boudoir of Louis. He really was quite handsome. They were both just 22 years old at the time of their marriage.

My studio in the rain!

I stopped, really, just to get out of what turned out to be very little rain. Glad I did, as it's now been pissing down with rain for the last 35 minutes.

Voila! One must make the most of rain. I chose a good studio.

At 3 o'clock, I hope to take the tour of La Maison de Louis XIV, the Sun King. He came to this town to get married in 1660. I hope that I didn't need to book in advance 'a cause de' this rain.

I must say, the sound of two different types of laughter pres de moi est tres interesant! A high pitched single, "Oah!" And a low pitched, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha." Exactly the same number of has each time. Wine and incessant rain, what can I say?

Martin, the food photo is for you. You would have loved this.

Saturday at the Marche: des fromages

Just couldn't believe the sheer number of cheeses this frommageur sold. Again a small sampling.

Saturday at the Marche: les poissonsns

Just a small sampling.

my kind of place

I grew up on the water in Maryland, so I am always at home near the sea. I'd hoped to paint this fishing village, but now, it's raining pretty hard. Still no umbrella here, but I'm taking my little easelwith me in a plastic bag from a pharmacy in Paris.

morning

I've tried blogging twice this morning, din't see the posts going through. Here's one more test try.

Gooseberry jam en francaise, for Edie, and a view if the delightful little garden from my window.

Well now I can't add a picture. Will try later.

Good morning from St. Jean-du-Luz

Last night I lost a post I was writing due to gmail making an update. I was worn out from a day of traveling to start. 1 bus and 3 trains to get from l'ile de Re in the Charente Maritime to this little gem of a town south of Biarritz dans le Pays Basque.

Will rewrite about my evening here later. The rain is coming down steadily, but not 'peeing down' as Martin would say.

The gooseberry jam photo is for my dear friend Edie, and I though I share the view of this lovely little garden as seen this morning from my window. Madame was out working in the garden yesterday when I first saw it. She's just gone off under her umbrella.

La Rochelle

I went on our bus to La Rochelle today with about 10 of our group. I wanted to see this town when I was here in 2006, and did as we whizzed by in the car.

Last night I decided that today I'd try some reed pen and ink on the Arches oil paper. I had started making some drawings in my Moleskin sketchbook a few days ago. I love the look of these materials. The ink is Bistre, permanent, by Sennelier in Paris.

I like the color. I also like the washes with my Chinese brush. It worked pretty well on the paper for oils. The paper's got a surface, it's learning the ink to water ratio, but I'm really glad I am doing this. Washes in the Moleskin can be iffy, but you just gotta let it have it's character.

I'm off to make a few more drawings now that I'm back on the island.

Dudes on the quai

Last night on the quai, three Englishmen doing a nocture. Graham, Rob, and Steven.

L'ile de Re

Does it get any better than this? Nearly sunset at 9:50 PM, drawing with my reed pen and bistre ink while drinking a Leffe, surrounded all day by great artists like Bert Wright, who will be painting with his good friend John Stobart in two weeks in Massachusettes - how does anyone spell any long? French or English spellings??? Ha to through in the bathing suits just for fun.

Ile de Re: last nights dinner

Squid cooked in it's own ink.

My materials

Tout simplement.

I am trusting that Arches knows what they are doing with paper for oils.

I have found that this paper sucks the oil out of the paint, forcing me to use more paint in order to spread it onto the surface.

I have to admit that this paper was a last minute, untried decision on my part. In France, it was now 'trial by fire', and I have tried different things to make friends with this surface.

First, I tried Liquin, which I purchased my second day in Paris, and a few brushes. In hopes of not using solvent, I brought walnut oil to clean my brushes. It didn't work for me at all. Pas de tout!

I gave up the Liquin. In a short time, I also gave up the oil and brushes.

I decided the palette knife would be my saviour. It was a struggle, this surface, but I knew in time, I'd make friends with it.

St. Malo painting

My first night in St. Malo, I walked through the narrow streets within the walls. I went back to my room early because I decided my view was as good as any. I enjoyed painting from my window studio.

Yesterday, the weather was superb. I decided to walk the walks and have a full day of painting. An English watercolorist was painting the same view. But sadly, he had to stop his painting early to go with his family.

I was fodder for a lot of photos. Finally, I asked a French woman if she would take a photo of me painting. She was happy to do it, and took her photos of me without guilt afterwards. I decided to try and get a phone photo of my 4 x 8" painting. I'm sure the color is off, but you might want an idea of what I did for the first painting.

I am using just my palette knife, purchased at Charvin in Paris. The surface is a primed and sanded 8-ply museum board. I love this surface for the palette knife, and used it for all my paintings in England in 2010.

St.Malo walk #1

St. Malo is a great place for seafood. It sits on 'La Manche', in English 'the sleeve', in the Queen's English, The English Channel. Here is the crab I did not grow up eating, the dungenous crab. I am only guessing at it's spelling.

Next, my sea view room window, #2 from the left, oh how I loved my room and view. Then, meranges of various flavors. And, finally, the obligatory wedding.

I can only send a few photos at a time with questionable wifi.

St. Malo sunset

It didn't get any better than this from my window. The sun was huge and red.

Paris: a visit to Sennelier

I've already said written about my last morning in Paris. I was sorry not to have visited the catacombs, but leaving something undone makes a good reason to return.

One thing I did more than expected was art supply stores. I visited four, only one was expected, and that was my second day.

This last day, I met my good friend Ray at the elephant statue at Musee d'Orsay. After kissing three times alternating cheeks, I asked if he wanted to visit Sennelier. I'd passed it on my walk to meet him.

Their window displays did not express the treasure trove of art supplies within. Not just pastels and paper, but everything under the sun for an artist. We both came out with stuff. I didn't need stuff!

Ink, a reed pen- why I don't bring these ??? I always wind up buying them. I also bought someting I've never seen, a feather brush, and a Chinese brush.

I'd attach more photos, but I want this file to go through this truly horrible wi-fi connection.

France: St. Malo dinner

Since I arrived here on Thursday, the weather has gotten better and better. I see on this mornings weather that Paris is finally sunny! Well, I did have a few days of sun.

Here was my first meal in St. Malo.