View from #12, Hotel de LA Tour de l'Horlage

"J'ai fair un circuit" of my immediate surroundings in the old village, had dinner and found myself nodding off, so I went to #12. I love the view from my window, wanted to make a drawing, but I fell into a much needed deep sleep.

View from my window

I'm in a hotel one night last night. I walked around within the walls a but, then crashed. Here's the view from room #12. Hope to draw it before I leave.

Arriver á destination!

As I feared, there was one long flight of stairs down, and one going up. However, there was an American woman who came to my rescue and helped me up the last 7 steps! Sweet! She said, "That will be me tomorrow." Now just to get to my destination and hope my contacts are waiting for me. The trains have been right on schedule!

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, HA HA HA HA HA!  After all the up and down steps, the train didn't go. Something wrong with a fuse? I think. So more up and down steps!

So we are late, and finally on a bus to. I hope the ladies wait for me. Otherwise, I need to find a taxi, or walk. But wouldn't really know where to walk to. Just remembered, in all the confusion of unpacking and repacking, we never packed the guidebook!

A very nice French woman tried to call one of my contacts, but my contact didn't answer. No stress, things will be fine, or I'll be painting on the street all night, selling my wares.

Yes, we got here, everything was fime. I went out in search of a restaurant. Now walking some more and looking forward to shut-eye

Hot & Dry!

I'm in second class on the TGV. It's warm. Oh, if one could just feel a little breeze from time to time, but instead the heat is drugging me into a inescapable stupor. I'm in the aisle seat, and Madame - in the window seat, has flown the coop leaving all her things here. Outside the dirty window are flat fields of yellow as far as the eye can see. Occasionally they are punctuated by tall poplars and old farm buildings. The farmers are working, making hay.

Le Gare at Rennes

A madhouse! But, you see, if you can play, there is an electric piano for you.

My train is heading for a small place, so it wasn't listed on the board. I asked, and a very nice Frenchman at the welcome desk said to get on the train for St. Malo.

No escalator for the two flights of stairs, and I fear what is coming at my next change. Here, I bumped 47 lbs. of art supplies and clothes down those stairs. The wheels held, but going up would be torturous at this point. I've been traveling now for about 20 hours??? I think.

France: Aeroport & Gare SNCF

Here we are, together again. I'm tired, how about you?

I'm now at the Gare SNCF at the Charles de Gaulle Aeroport in Paris! Last time I was in the airport, it was mobbed. I'd just finished a painting trip with Susie, Margie and Sylvia, and we were fighting the crowds and their luggage, trying to avoid being run down or over.

The flight to Paris arrived early, but seemed long. I was very sleepy in Detroit waiting to board, and fought to stay awake once on the plane. I'd lost hours of sleep over the last three nights, and after the all day trial with unpacking, sorting, organizing and repacking, I still had a few writing assignments to do to wrap up the residency. They had to be completed before I left for France. Last of all, I wanted to send in a competition entry online!

I know I had some shut-eye on the plane, but not enough. I'll be traveling all day, traveling on three trains, arriving in Dinan around 5:37pm. Someone will meet me at the station. Yeah! I wasn't looking forward to dragging my suitcase a quarter of a mile over medieval cobbles while wearing my 25 lb. backpack. I did that 2 years ago in Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, and it wasn't fun.

I was successful in printing out my tickets for my return trains, and instead of getting on an earlier train to Rennes, I decided to sit and wait for my 12:30pm train. I'm making a few little pen and ink sketches with the Bistro shellac ink that Janet brought me from Paris. I love this ink, especially with a red pen. My suitcase is my desk, Paris is in the midst of a heatwave with temp possibly reaching into the low 100's°F. The human traffic is bustling, and the body odor levels rising, and I'll be looking for something cold to drink.

On my way to France!

Flying Delta from Columbus to Detroit, a three hour layover and then on to Paris. This flight seems full with plenty of people flying standby. Luggage is an issue, with folks trying to bring rather large suitcases on board. The gate agent told the passengers that all the luggage would not fit in the plane and she would determine who'd have to check their bag.

Everything was moving along smoothly, but we are now parked on the runway with one engine running, the seat belt sign off while wait about 15 minutes for take off. We are allowed to use our electronic devices, so I'm writing to you. Weather in Detroit is the cause of our delay. But, an artist with a sketchbook is never bored. So, I will start writing in my journal, and drawing, too. After all, I've got a captive audience.

Residency #1: June 28, Exhibition and Sale!

Here's my good friend, Edie Dean. Edie fell in love with my 5x7" oil painting entitled "Rock Garden". It was painted along the Cedar Run Trail. The rock sits with many other rocks in the Rocky Fork Creek, but it serves as a distinguished home to many plants. The light coming through the trees and reflected by the water surrounding the rock was unusual in it's gorgeous shade of greenish-gold. The combination of the rock garden and water color was irresistible to me. I started a larger painting of this spot a day later, but never got it finished. That water color is fleeting, only surrounding that rock for about 15 minutes, and mixing what I truly saw seemed impossible.

My friend, Edie, is also a wonderful artist in her own right. Check out her website, Edith Loechler Dean Fine Art. She's having a Solo Exhibition this coming September at the OSU Faculty Club, paintings and original monotype prints.

Residency #1: Friday evening, June 26

Here's an old bread rack at the Beechcliff Lodge. I made some leaf prints yesterday and had a good time using it as my drying rack! (Thought I posted this. Oops)

Residency #1: Sunday, June 28 - Breakfast, Show and Sale!

Martin showed up at Beechcliff Lodge this morning 6:30am. He waited patiently on the lovely white wicker porch furniture until someone let him in. He's patient, and the time alone with nature is restorative.

I'd started packing after we hung the show and finished our wrap up meeting with the organizers. We had pizza and drinks, and Betty and John even brought a quart of their neighbor's homemade blackberry wine, more like moonshine!

Martin and I had all the gear, clothes, framing stuff in our cars by 7:30am, and sat talking with Bridgette and Doreen. We were having breakfast at Charlotte and Dale's at 8:00am. Dale makes a mean crêpe, which we completed with butter, blueberries and real maple syrup. So good.

Then off to the museum for the show from 10am - 3pm. 96 paintings by 5 artists were hung. Six of mine are now living with their new owners! My "Mushroom, Moss and Beech Roots" painting was sold out the back of Martin's car because the purchaser arrived after the paintings were packed up. She'd stopped by to see my paintings at the lodge on Friday morning, and she had an idea of what she liked. So glad that people who love and appreciate nature are the owners of my work from this exhibition. Thanks to all who came today.

Residency #1: Friday, June 26, 3:57pm

I'm on the porch at Beechcliff Lodge, all alone. Robin left a few minutes ago as the thunder could be heard only at a distance. Just now. The heavens opened the flood gates, and the sounds and vibrations that accompany this rolling thunder is interesting to just hear, feel and witness. Wow! A very loud close clash in the sky, made me jump. Somewhere out there is Chris. I wonder what the moth at my feet is feeling?

Residency #1: Friday, June 26

Here's a moth on the porch last night. And a photo of wood sorrel from the Ravenwood Trail. I'd never seen either of these before.

Where did the time go? It seems it was just a blink of the eye! Today is the last full day to paint. But my day begins with a visit from the Sanctuary's Board President at 8:15am. She is busy this weekend and just wants to see the work I've done. After she leaves, I'll paint all day, rain or shine.

Saturday, at 1pm, we have to help hang the show, followed by wine and conversation with the organizers, a wrap up brainstorming thing.

I suddenly realized yesterday, that in 5 days, I will be on a plane to France! So hard to believe, so I'm just not going to think about it.

Residency #1: Thursday, June 25 - rain

I gave myself an extra hour of sleep since we stayed awake past midnight talking and looking at some of Chris's photographs. Robin had said another day of nice weather was expected, but we woke up to rain. I decided that today was my opportunity to make spaghetti sauce, make some leaf prints, and start another rainy day porch painting featuring the tea cart.

I left around 8:30am for 13 mile drive to the Kroger in Hillsboro to buy a few things for the sauce, and called Martin once I hit the 4G network area. I'd had one cup of Robin's high test coffee and couldn't stop talking. The storm got more intense. It was bucketing down when I reached my destination, so I sat in the car to catch up with the blog.

I returned home with groceries, and made the sauce, carried all my painting gear, and got a printmaking station going, three 6 ft. tables! I worked for about an hour and a half and then went out onto the porch.

Chris had been out painting, watercolors in the rain under a large umbrella, but at some point his umbrella collapsed and he came back to the lodge. He was now painting on the porch. When I came out, he said two fawns had come walking through our trees while he was painting.

It took me a long time to settled into starting my painting. I usually like to get some distance from my subject, but I was sitting so close that it was difficult to see and measure things correctly.

I painted until it was time for Chris and Robin's demo at the museum. I didn't want to stop painting, but I wanted to see their program. I'm glad I went. I got to meet a lot of new folks, and Betty made both peach and strawberry ice cream! What fun. The boys did really wonderful demos, and then we came home for a spaghetti dinner.

Heavy Rain!

Thunder and lightening, too.

Residency #1: June 24, more fungi

Laying loose on the trail. And, evidence of animal tastings!

I read that fungi may not really be part of the plant kingdom. Spores land, and if the location is desirable, filaments grow underground. These filaments can last for hundreds of years, and when conditions are right, up come the fungi. Since they can't produce their own food, like plants, each has a specific place they grow for a certain food source.

Residency #1: Thursday, June 24, morning - The Ravenwood Trail

Saw two plants I'd never many great fungi on the trail yesterday seen before on this trail, and so many wonderful varieties of fungi.

Sorry the second photo is out of focus. Standing on the edge of a slope with all equipment on and walking sticks bent over is not the best way to shoot!

Residency #1: Tuesday, June 23 - lunch, framing, signing,

We had lunch at Betty and John's Heronwood home. They are land stewards, as are Charlotte and Dale, so they bought this property from the Sanctuary and have a life least on it. When they die, it goes back to the Sanctuary.

After a great lunch of fresh gazpacho and salad with homemade croutons, Betty took us to Ravenwood. What a great property! She showed us the inside of the house, and we are already thinking that we want to rent this property and just paint in various seasons. If you might like to get in on a painting trip like this, email me at debrajoycedawson@gmail.com to be put on a contact list.

The painting photos are the very successful 10x10" painting that will be at the show, but probably not for sale. It was a pleasure to have painted all day in the shade!

Residency #1: Tuesday, June 23, Morning at the Ceremony Hill Trail

Sunny, but I was in the shade.

I've tried to get back to this trail ever since Betty showed it to us on the third day I was here. That day was a hot day. It was in the high 80's. The trail wasn't long, but it ended with an ascent that left me sweaty at 8:15 in the morning, and with no reward of the promised view. The trees were all leafed out; all we saw were leaves.

However, there was a smallish swamp at the low point in the trail that had a Zen effect. It reminded me of a Japanese painting. Lovely and quiet, simplicity of design, very simple color scheme. That seen was locked in my head, and I knew I wanted to try painting it. I'd forgotten what Frank LaLumia had told me in 2004, "The simplest things are the hardest." And it this case, it was the actual gesture and calligraphy of the leaves that escaped me.

Below is the block in for my 12x9" painting. This was my last panel of that size. It was one that Doreen had given to me with a very smooth surface. After all the drag of the cotton RayMar panels, which I think I've finally come to understand, it was hard to control.

I just couldn't make the painting work. I started with a tone of transparent red oxide and Gamblin's solvent free quick drying medium. I'd hoped that it would tack up a little and give me some grab, but . . . Sigh.

My biggest problem was just getting the stark elegance of the grasses that suited me, and which was more representative of the way the grasses actually grew. I worked for about two hours, but wasn't pleased with the painting. The best idea would have been to scrape away the paint and leave just a blurred ghost image to work back into on another day. But, the weather report had been saying rain most of the week.

Still, weather men lie, and we've been thrilled to have had two great days of sunshine! Today, Thursday, June 25, another promised nice day. So maybe, I go back to this swamp again and rework the painting.

Residency #1: Tuesday, June 22, afternoon hike, The Black Gum Trail

After hiking and painting on The Big Beech Woods Trail, I had lunch, took on some fluids and had a look at the trail map. I decided to head out for the gum tree forest. Stupid me, I didn't know exactly what a gum tree looked like. I didn't even give it a thought.

All I knew was that my Mom wanted, Daddy to dig up a gum tree because it had the most most gorgeous star shaped leaf. Daddy didn' t want to do it for two reasons: it colonizes by underground runners, and it has prickly seed pods a little smaller than a golf ball. But, of course, Mommy got her way!

I suppose I saw gum trees, but they must have been tall, mixed with beeches, huge oaks and smaller maples, and pawpaws, too.

It was a nice hike, and I decided just to hike. No painting gear. I found interesting stuff on the trail. It's funny, when you spend enough time in the woods, things start to jump out from the ordinary. Usually it's color related, but sometimes, you wonder why you notice something, for instace, the plant in the first photo. It was off trail about a foot, and you could easily walk right by it. Squaw 'something' is what Betty called it.

The last photo is a rather freshly fallen limb off of a tulip tree, the yellow poplar. My Dad spoke with reverence about this tree, so I've never forgotten it. The limb was blocking the trail. I had to walk off trail to get around it. By doing that, I found at the leafy end the bud of the spectacular flower of this tree.

Residency #1: Falling Behind

I haven't had the energy or time to blog enough to keep up! Next up, photos from the Black Gum Forest two days ago.