Stéphane Spittael : an artist, observer and commentator

" L'apprenti sorcier " 90 x 120 cm Acrylique sur toile 2006

Since I arrived in the Dordogne Perigord, I have often remarked on my disappointment in the dearth of good artists in the area -- and I am not talking about the zillion 'artists' that would naturally result in a region, where the very nature of the scenery and architecture, beauty and inspiration offers anyone with a paintbrush, a canvas or block of water colour paper the opportunity and material aplenty. I am talking about good artists...

And then -- every now and then, I come across someone whose work speaks to me, someone with talent, yes, but also with originality, with a message, with soul.

Last weekend, in the beautiful natural stone Salle de Mariages of Limeuil, I literally stumbled over the threshold of the door and discovered Stephane Spittael's work.

Spittael was born in 1967 in Lille in the North of France. His biography tells me that he holds a "Diplôme National Supérieur en Expression Plastique", which he obtained at the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux-Arts of Tourcoing in 1992, that he is a member of the "La Maison Des Artistes" and also "Adhérent à la société des auteurs".

But it is his five year sojourn in the island of Reunion that seems to mostly have inspired his current exhibition in Limeuil -- not the lush and fertile Henri Rousseau-inspired jungle scenery that one would expect but, on the contrary, a harsh and devastated world which more resembles the aftermath of a slash and burn assault -- dry landscapes where the people are dry stick figures who appear to be finishing off the devastation or indeed being completely overpowered by it. The message of a need for conservation hits you right between the eyes and is so strong and so effective that I cannot believe anyone can walk out of the exhibition without being at least more aware than they were when they entered it. And yet -- and yet, when you look a little closer, there is, along with the subtle touch of humour -- albeit somewhat sardonic -- somewhere on the stark canvas, a blade of green grass, a green leaf - a touch of life and growth still remaining and the lingering message is one of hope.


" L'Arbre de vie " 165 x 100 cm Acrylique sur toile 2005

The Exhibition in Limeuil is on until 20 August -- Do Not Miss It, whatever you do!:

Salle des mariages
Limeuil 24260 Dordogne
tous les jours de 11h à 13h
et de 14h à 19h

But should you not make it there, his next exhibition is from 6 to 21 September 2008, at

Château des Izards
Coulounieix-Chamiers 24660
(Périgueux )
Dordogne



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Zigou - a 'phenomenon' and living legend!

Designer, créatrice mobilier fer forgé, d’évènementiels, illustratrice et peintre (dessin, huile, acrylique, pastels)…
"De Paris à New York
De Londres à la Dordogne
De la mode à l’objet
De la performance à la sculpture, au mobilier d’art
Le chemin de mes passions à la recherche du «Beau», du Trésor, du Sacré m’a conduit en Dordogne…
Pour moi la peinture est une poésie visuelle, colorée…
Je peins par amour de la vie, pour la lumière et la beauté du monde."

Zigou is a petite little thing -- yet larger than life, with bright red hair that is swept up to one side of her head - or the other, as the mood takes her -- a constant cloud of cigarette smoke like a delicate tulle net softening her features and giving her an appearance of something a little ethereal, not quite of this world.

She has lived and worked in New York, London, Paris -- with the likes of Bianca Jagger, Andy Worhol, and the rest of the enfants terribles of the late seventies and eighties. She has designed for the world famous, dressed dining rooms for unforgettable dinner parties, creates whimsical garden furniture in delicately wrought iron and gold painted sea shells, teaches children to create beauty -- and her paintings depicting the gorgeous women of the world bear a strong resemblance to the work of Freda Kahlo - and to Zigou herself.

What I love the most about Zigou - and her work, is her sense of humour and sense of fun. She leaves a blaze of colour in her wake - and once you have had the good fortune to meet this delighful creative and one-of-a-kind dynamo of a woman, you are not likely to ever forget her!

Contacts pour :
-Réalisation et conception de stands, mobiliers d’art, illustrations, fresques.
: conception stands et mobiliers
: avec Serge de Conti, mobiliers d'art
: meubles coquillages
et Cours de peinture pour enfants : cours Atelier enfants


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Pottery exhibition at Limeuil

On Saturday and Sunday, 26 and 27 July, the Aquitaine potters once again put on their superb annual exhibition of the local talent.
This year a total of 50 carefully selected potters came to the water's edge of the confluence of the vezere and the Dordogne rivers and there, under the trees, the beautifully colourful umbrellas and the crystal clear blue summer sky, there was a feast for the eye.

This year it was Spain that provided the inspiration for the exhibition - and five potters from Spain were invited to participate.

As well as this huge selection, there was also a demonstration and hands-on workshop for children in the afternoons, and adults could try their hand at coil building and even throwing on the potters wheel.

I was delighted to meet Michael Kay and Sue, and when I got myself a delicious plate of Poulet Basquaise from one of the food stalls for lunch, Michael kindly invited me to join him at the potters' lunch table under the trees where we shared our food and wine and had fascinating conversations with the rest of the potters.

I could of course not resist temptation and came away with the best item on the exhibition -- an exquisite bowl of Mathieu Robert from Ponce sur Loire - but there were quite a few more items that I could easily have brought home -- alas! they will have to wait for next year.......







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Michael Kay : My discovery of a multi-faceted artist in the Dordogne

There is something to be said for nature vs. nurture. Or is it just that living in such a beautiful part of the world brings out the creativity and talent in people. Not that they did not have the talent before, but it seems that when they leave the big crowded cities and rushed rat race and polluted air behind and come to settle here in the Southwest of France, there is something in the air – or the water? – that makes them blossom and surprise even themselves with their latent gifts of creative art. Or is it that when people leave their land of birth behind to go settle in a new country and in a new environment, a side of their creativity is awakened, enhanced by a different perspective, different stimulus, a different language?

I recently enjoyed a delicious meal in L’Imparfait in Bergerac and was immediately struck by the gorgeous water jugs on the tables. Each table was adorned with a small work of art – a ceramic, slightly out of kilter designed jug, decorated with delicately colourful figures of women, reminiscent of the work of Lautrec, but with an individuality that makes you want to go pick up each and every jug to inspect it more closely. Beautifully crafted in sensuous lines, the jugs form a perfect backdrop for the equally sensuous figures and faces of women.

I was not the first to comment to the manager about the jugs! He had a card ready at hand of the artist responsible for them, so it was with great anticipation that I set off over the hills of the Dordogne one misty winter’s afternoon to go look for the man behind the jugs – another fellow-expat who has made France his home – and source of inspiration.

I am not sure what I expected to find, but Michael Kay was a surprise to me --- if I had met him at a dinner party, I would probably have guessed him to be ….. well, anything but a potter. He welcomed me at the door with a wide smile and a warm handshake, drawing me into the lovely large living room of their restored farm house, one of a cluster commune sitting perched on top of a hill not far from Beaumont. In front of a crackling wood fire we sipped coffee and ate delicious banana cake, that Sue, his partner had specially baked, chatting about his fascinating career.

It was only in the early 90’s that Michael, then a successful graphic artist in London, discovered his love for clay. “I have become fascinated by the amazing complexity and unpredictability of the medium and the endless possibilities for the making and decorating of a form. The concept of ‘the illustrated vessel’ – applying playful and narrative images onto a three-dimensional canvas, opens up endless creative possibilities.”

This is very obvious in his work. Some of his pieces are more sculptural than functional – such as his totems – intricate collections of people and animals that demonstrate a strong mythological influence whilst still mesmerizing the viewer in the complexity of its sometimes erotic subtext, frequent touches of humour, intelligent use of glaze and colour and hidden meanings.

“I work on the edge of the potter’s craft”, says Michael. “I consider myself rather a painter or illustrator – engaging the onlooker in a narrative or fantasy, much the same as those masters of story telling, the ancient Greeks.”

However you look at his work, he successfully fuses the various disciplines of painting, sculpture and story-telling into a powerful language of its own – a language that not only crosses the boundaries of time and space – but a language that crosses all boundaries of country, culture and custom.

Michael Kay has exhibited in many locations in France and the UK. He is preparing for yet another large exhibition in Paris, but currently his work may be seen at:

Galerie Anagama
29, RUE DU VIEUL ABREUVOIR
78100 SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE
PARIS, FRANCE
DESSINE-MOI LA TERRE
17630 LA FLOTTE EN RE
ISLE DE RE, FRANCE

www.michaelkayceramics.net
michaelkay@orange.fr




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Summer in the Dordogne

In summer the Dordogne comes alive with music and cultural activities - so much so that it is impossible to attend even a fraction of what is available.

Last Saturday the street theatre came to Lalinde with a quality performance in the village square that would have drawn crowds in Broadway. A simple story told through music and song, characters on ten-foot high stilts and on mono-cycles, fairy lights and fire eaters, jugglers and contortionists. A veritable feast for the eye and the soul!

More food for the soul on Sunday night when three young local men performed to far too few in the Lalinde church -- a magnificent accoustical venue in which to present the combination of organ and two trumpets. Bach at his spine chilling best and Purcell to die for!

Last night I attended the second of three music recitals in the achingly beautiful Abbey church in Paunat.This church in Paunat is one of a handful of churches in the area that was consecrated in the first millennium - namely in 991 -- but its construction dates back even further --- to 804. Again, the natural stone and uneven surfaces of the very high walls, provided a perfect accoustical chamber for any music, and the gleaming black Bechstein looked quite at home in the soft golden glow of the cherch last night. Roger Muraro was the pianist who regaled us with his lively and animated interpretation of Mozart, Liszt and Chopin. Muraro is best know for his mastery of Messianen's work, and as this composer was so strongly influenced by the delicacy and refined harmonic work of Chopin, it is probably not surprising that Muraro was able to present a fresh and different approach to Chopin's Funereal Sonata opus 25 and the ever-delightful Andante spianato et Grande Polonaire. The last time I had heard this piece was in the open air of Chopin Park in Warsaw and at the time I thought one should never play this piece in any other setting. Hearing it again last night in the ancient abbey church of Paunat, made me change my mind on that one!
Reading up on Muraro was interesting -- almost everything written about him all over the world is positive and complimentary -- especially where it concerns his knowledge and expertise in Messianen's work, but for his interpretation of Chopin, Liszt and his vaast repertoire of other work as well -- that is -- everything and everywhere -- except in the British press.
We also suffered from Roger Muraro, a pianist known in Britain only for having his past Ravel recordings purloined for use under Joyce Hatto’s name in that sad hoax. One might brush off Muraro’s metallic lamé jacket as a
French eccentricity. Far harder to excuse the thumping dullness of his Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand., writes Geoff Brown on Muraro's preformance at the Proms at the Albert Hall last week. Listening to the Brits in the audience last night -- all distinctly dressed in their English-in-the-french-countryside uniform of pale pastel linens for the women and the obiquitous jumper-over-the-shoulders for the men -- I could not help but wonder whether they had all done their homework before the recital and read the same Geoff Brown crit in The Times of last week. Almost the exact words were heard - sounding oh so knowledgeable and erudite, but with nowhere a reference, acknowledgement or a quotation mark in evidence. I shuddered and for a moment thought I had landed back in the counties amongst the Landrover, cashmere and Harrow/Charter House coterie. But how could that have been? Never in Surrey or any of the shires did we enjoy this kind of cultural feast and this quality and variety of entertainment and enjoyment as the French are so good at offering! I was so tempted to mutter out loud the lovely Robert Auden observation about the Brits ---
Let us honour if we can
The vertical man,
Though we value none
But the horizontal one.

Tonight I join a group of friends for a completely different experience - A Blues and Gospel evening in the main market square of the beautiful medieval bastide town of Monpazier -- and Monday night it is back to Paunat for a magical evening of six of the best cellists in France, performing together under the masterful direction of Roland Pidoux. Could anything be more beautiful than an ensemble of 6 cellos? -- Let's hear what the Brits have to criticise there!....

Oh -- and forget not to come join us this weekend in Lalinde for the Annual Wine Fair as well as the musical street party on Saturday night! -- and remember to bring your own cutlery and crockery!

See you there!









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Promising young artist's work in Chateau Lalinde

I am so excited! A young friend of mine, Sophie Kee, who shows tremendous promise as an artist, has agreed to hang one of her "Doors" series in Chateau Lalinde. Visitors to Chateau Lalinde will remember a few of Sophie's smaller pieces -- which always attract much interest and admiration.

As boxes > rooms > doors have always played a huge role as metaphors in my life, I am thrilled to take possession of what is probably one of Sophie's masterpieces to date. An explanation of the intention of the artist will follow later -- watch this space!

(Now, to get the work from the UK to France............)



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