It has been a week since I have made my journey to the quaint village of Lauris, France. I initially planned on writing a post right away but upon my arrival there was so much of a culture shock that I had to give myself time to process. When I say culture shock I mean it in a good way. First of all this is the first time in my life that I have been in another country and it is the first time I have allowed myself space away from my life. I plan to stay here for 4 weeks and I really don’t want to go anywhere else. I feel like I have run so fast away from myself that now the shadow is finally catching up… Back into myself. To be honest I really came here to work. But not business as usual! I want something new, something good, something pure. Can that be found in this world? I will try to reach for it. This moment is a distraction from my pain and I will take it and be ever so grateful.
In case you haven’t read previous posts I will catch you up in brief. I mentioned work and yes indeed there is much to be done. The garden I am here to visit and volunteer for is a beautiful place that many varieties of plants grow to be made into dye and to educate the village and all that enter from every part of the world. Within this garden and actually the seed of its birth is a master dyer, Michel Garcia. I have been waiting to sit next to him and learn something. Anything…….. I have never had a teacher since college, and my work really started at the end of my college days. Self exploration was all I knew and the freedom to experiment and develop my processes began. Yes, I could go on till the day I die as a self taught artist but I crave the knowledge of a different perspective from a master. So here I am! In this quiet village bursting with beauty, nature and antiquity.
Next week I start working in the studio and I wait on the edge of my seat to spend moments with Michel.
For now I want to share with you some of the outstanding beauty I have seen.
Before I get too carried away I would like to mention that I wrote 3 grants for professional development and of that 1 organization believed in me. I would like to thank the Regional Arts and Culture Council for helping to fund part of this trip so I can develop my work and have the much needed time to explore myself and write the book I have been incubating in my minds eye.