Caning with a French Twist
Refining your Palette in Polymer Clay...
June 3-10, 2005
In
June of 2005 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to teach
a class at Gwen Gibson's studio, La Cascade, in Durfort, France.
It was a virtually flawless trip complete with very fun students,
good weather, good food, scenic drives, a beautiful house and studio,
and, on top of all that, we even managed to get a little claywork
done! Please visit Gwen's
site to see all of the details about the town and its surroundings.
It was really charming. I particularly enjoyed the fresh spring
water that flowed from a public spigot just a few meters from Gwen's
house. Daily, people would drive from who-knows-where, to fill up
their bottles with the delicious, cold, clean water.
My students ranged from
my next door neighbor, who had never touched the clay before, to
some very sophisticated devotees of polymer. We had a full class
with 7 students, 5 staying with me at the house and 2 down the street
at a lovely bed and breakfast run by Veronique. Veronique, her husband,
and her hotel, (the old converted town mill) were so colorful and
delightful, that I'm tempted to go back for a holiday.
Our days began with croissants
from the neighboring town of Soreze and then a stint in the studio.
Our cook, Nese, would show up and whip up some sumptuous little
feast for our midday meal which we usually had with a bottle (or
two) of wine. We would then saunter back to the studio and create
until again, the very sprite-like Nese would return to tempt us
away from the clay by preparing another lovely meal, which we most
often had with a few more bottles of wine. (It didn't seem to me
that anyone ever really even got tipsy but our bottle recycling
pile was mind boggling) So the days flowed gently like that with
a couple of trips to the neighboring villages. We drove out one
day for lunch to a very pretty little town called Montolieu, well
known for it's antique book stores. On one side of the town there
is an old book manufacturing plant which is part in ruin and part
a bookstore and glass studio. I'd go back there for a holiday as
well.
So I just tried my best
to soak in as much of the french language as I could, remembering
tiny fragments of my high school vocabulary and attempting to communicate.
People were incredibly kind and forgiving and I loved hearing it
spoken. I couldn't have asked for a more satisfying experience and,
with any luck, I'll return in 2007. Think about saving your pennies
and joining me, I promise you won't be sorry.
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Celtic Canes and Beads
