BaaStuds

Watch this totally incredible LED art with sheep. The hours/days it must have taken to design and set up! The sheep are all herded to form images, some of them even moving, like those TalkTalk ads with people, only here it's with sheep.


Sponsored by Samsung LED TV. There's a sense of humour for you!

Oriental by DRK

This painting is called 'Oriental', painted by Diane Rauscher-Kennedy, and is up for auction next week. It was chosen by the French auction house 'Drouot' as part of their upcoming contemporary art sale.

As you can see, it's rather a dramatic work, with a swish of movement and bold use of colour. The photo does not do it justice, as you can imagine.

You can see it online at the Gersaint website, and if it's crying out to you 'Buy me Buy me!!', then rest assured that you can! Isn't that good news?! But you'll have to move fast as the sale finishes on September 30.

Diane is already on Artprice, and her latest project is to provide a painting for the private VIP area of the ****Hotel Verchant's new spa which should be opening this year.

St Bloggie is proud to present this shameless plug for fab artist, fab friend and extended mother.

Battle Stations

Last night I felt I'd spent a weekend being wrung out and forced through an emotional mangle. As I sipped life-restoring nectar, on my TWDB's advice (as he couldn't be there to proffer it to my trembling lips) - a delectable rosé from Château Puech Haut, I pondered the likelihood of surviving the next 10 years without ending up a gibbering wreck - years when my eldest and then youngest will be teenagers.

After winning Saturday's battle with said eldest over enjoyable, healthy activities, the weekend war continued with a suggestion that we go and see the Courbet exhibition that I hadn't managed to see previously. Why yesterday in particular? Well, it was the first Sunday in the month and would therefore be FREE - no mean consideration.

My TWDB was out of town, so we went with pal B whose idea it had been anyway. On hearing this, my eldest's hands were thrown up in horror and despair, Gallic utterances along the lines of 'oh no/it's gonna be so boring/I don't want to go/let me stay at home' etc. came out in a wail accompanied by a fine line in sulky grimaces and black looks. Frankly, anyone would think I'd suggested he go and see 'Angelina Ballerina' at the cinema instead of a renowned exhibition of paintings by one of the leading French painters of the 19th century which included the world famous 'L'Origine du Monde'.

He didn't actually have any say in the matter, despite saying a lot, and grumpily went and sat in the car. His younger brother was saving his devilry for later, lulling me into a false sense of security by happily taking charge of the sandwiches from the back seat.

"Let's go over lunch time when there'll be fewer people" had said pal B... along with enough people to send the queue round the block. An hour later we got in, the boys having spent much of that in the playground opposite which managed to wind my youngest up into a state of excitement which he proceeded to expend inside the museum. To my despair.

I'm not a great one for portraits, which was one of Courbet's means of earning his living so there were lots, but I did like his mise en scene where he painted himself doing something or being someone. There he was in despair tearing his hair out with a wild look on his face, or he'd be sitting at a table eyeing the world cynically as he leaned against the wall smoking a pipe, or he'd pretend to be a cellist, or a wounded man, and so on.

What with his self-portraits and his depictions of women in states of undress including 'Sleep (Le Sommeil)' showing two naked women sleeping together, he comes across as rather a jolly fellow.

The boys were most fascinated by two paintings showing a country scene of a pond by a cave painted on two successive years. They saw that they were the same and then naughtily suggested that they might be a 'Spot the Difference' pair. My youngest stopped tormenting my eldest and slipping through gaps in walls while he searched for 'les sept differences'.

As we got to the end, chronologically, my eldest declared his relief that Courbet was dead so we could go home, which we did, via a drinkie sitting outside on the Place de la Comedie. On arrival home, my eldest sprinted off to see his friends and that was the end of him until 7.30pm. I was quite relieved really...

Weekend war results: Battle 1 won by me. Battle 2 won by me. War won by my eldest.

Damn!

Courbet Watch

On Wednesday, I had an unexpected couple of hours free. Did I choose to start on my list of important things to do? Er.... no. I went into town with pal B and tried to get into the Courbet exhibition at the Musée Fabre instead.

It was going to cost a princely 8€, but I was prepared to pay the price to mooch around at my leisure. On the other hand I was not prepared to pay the price to stand in a queue for half an hour and then be obliged to dash round in twenty minutes. Obviously we had picked the wrong day.

So, what to do. Pal B had taken valuable annual leave off to come and see this exhibition, so I felt we really should do something worthwhile, and not just sit outside a bar on the place de la Comedie guzzling beer, appealing though that was. Opposite the Musée Fabre is the Pavillion, and this summer, the exhibition is photographs by Weegee the Famous.

I had discovered his work last year when I enjoyed a day to myself sauntering round Paris and visited the Mailhol Museum where they were showing a Weegee exhibition. The Montpellier version is probably the same one, maybe one or two extra photos, but essentially what I saw last year. This was no problem to me, however, especially as the exhibition was free.

Weegee took photos of life in New York during the 40s. By the look of things, New York was not a terribly agreable place to live what with drunks all over the place, fires breaking out in buildings everywhere, stultifying summer nights (no air con), snowy winters, deprivation and poverty contrasted with the rich of high society. Clothes didn't seem to get washed much either. Weegee caught it all with a candour that makes his photographs so terribly moving. He captured emotions, from joyful to desperate, curious and indifferent. Life as it was.

My favourite photograph is the one where a group of kids in the middle of a very hot summer's day have found a fire hydrant and turned it on, and are dancing in the water as it pours out under pressure. It's one of his more joyful photos.

Maybe I'll try and get to see Courbet another day, but I can see I'll have to time it well because he is a popular artist, and people are prepared to queue to see his exhibition! The best time is probably as it opens one day in the next couple weeks when everyone has gone back to work and school.

You gotta be sneaky about doing what you want. I don't like exhibitions full of people standing in front of the pictures I want to look at, dodging my footsteps and drifting in front of me. Like they do it on purpose. As I can't order a private viewing, I'll just have to discover when the least popular time is, and go then! Ha! Sneaky, see?

Arty Farty

It's been an arty week, this week. On Wednesday evening we were freezing on the quai at Port Ariane for a vernissage (art exhibition opening). Actually, it was the last place we wanted to go, but as the artist was one of ours (Promo'Arts) and an active one at that, we rather felt obliged. Still, on a week day, in winter (felt like it, anyway) it was a toughy.

Ports are damp places at the best of times. Add to that a nippy wind and you've got an unpleasant evening ahead. We braved the traffic. I need hardly say that we got caught in a traffic jam. Someone had collided with a motorcyclist and the pompier's ambulance was there, but stationary. That's bad news, that. It should have been screeching off to hospital, had there been hope...

Half an hour later, we got through and made our way to Lattes. I waved to the offices of my lawyer and we strove against the biting wind around various bits of quai and bridge to find the exhibition. Got there eventually and, to our dismay, saw the buffet was outside! Our estimated staying time took a sharp direction downwards from the already 'shortest time necessary to fly the flag' option. Inside the gallery it was, thankfully, as snug as a bug. The only problem was, we were surrounded by her paintings, and, to be honest, I don't like them one bit.

A plastic cup of punch and some nibbles later, we dashed off, stopped for a peace-offering supper of MacDo for the boys (they had really not wanted to go out...) and went home.

Last night was vernissage #2 - a totally different affair. To start with, it was taking place in the restaurant at Galeries Lafayette, so inside, in the warm! It was the annual Promo'Arts Diane Rauscher-Kennedy vernissage laid on for our members and certain invited guests to thank them for their support throughout the year. Diane lays on a proper spread - not just your average bowl of crisps and plate of peanuts!

The vernissage coincided with a pre-Christmas late opening in the shop so there were lots of people milling around. We had a notice at the entrance of the restaurant warning people that we were having a private event by invitation only. You wouldn't believe the cheek of some folk who smart-arsed their way in; not members, not interested in art, but wanting to freeload on the food and booze. It's not as though there was nothing to stuff in the rest of the shop, either. Tables had been placed all over the place with nibbles and drink, but some people preferred to freeload with a table and chair, in comfort....

Diane accosted some on their way out, having had more than their fill. One or two scuttled away like the low-life they were, others stopped and gave their name and addresses.

I had a lovely time talking to some lovely people; managed to eat one plate of food, and drank a couple of half glasses of wine. We had come in on the tram which I regretted as we froze waiting the ten minutes for the homeward one to arrive.

The paintings, natch were gorgeous. I have three on my walls...

Fabré'd

As part of my celebrating being able to do exactly as I please as I have my life to myself for the month of August (and I really think this'll have to become an annual treat), I went into town this evening. It costs 30 cents per hour to park in the Polygone carpark after 6pm so it seemed an ideal time to go and see the Impressionist exhibition at the Musée Fabre, especially as it's open until 9pm on Wednesdays.

I was not the only one to have this brilliant idea. It seemed to me that le tout Montpellier was there, annoyingly. I'm not a great one for crowds on the best of days, but in an art gallery it really is the pits to be cheek by jowl with Everyman and his Kid.

Information on each room was painted onto the walls, so I read it carefully ensuring I was not blocking anyone else's view. Were others so thoughtful? Were they bugger! I'd be standing there, and I'm not insignificant to the point of blending in perfectly with the wall, and along would come someone and stand directly in front of me obliging ME to move if I wanted to carry on reading. How rude is that?

Colin Randall on Salut! has asked me to do a guest blog so I'll use that to do a personal review of the exhibition (and I mean personal!).

Having fought my way round, I considered whether I should venture into the rest of the museum, but one march through the ground floor decided me. I can only cope with one style at a time. My head was full of Impressionists and couldn't cope with anything else so I went out and into the shop. There I hummed and hah'd about whether I should buy the exhibition catalogue. It cost a frightful 35Eur, but I did enjoy the exhibition. Furthermore, I always, systematically regret it when I don't buy the catalogue, but at over 30Eur a go, they are quite a financial burden. I didn't buy the catalogues of the exhibitions I saw in London or Paris (Gormley, Weegee, Corot) and I wish I had, except that the combined price would have been over 100Eur for all three.

Well, I succumbed, so didn't stop for a drink in the nifty-looking café outside or anywhere else but went straight home (parking: 60 cents!). On the way home I saw some strange things. I saw a TGV train with no carriages. It looked terribly truncated and puny as it rolled passed all on its ownsome. I was waiting at traffic lights and saw it pass overhead. Expecting the usual train and carriages, and forming in my mind already the scene, I was quite shocked when I saw only the engine, and an image of decapitation came to mind!

I also saw a BMW316i which, if I am not mistaken is the toddler of the series 3 range. It might be low on power, but they had it fitted big chunky 5-spoke sportscar aluminium wheels. One wonders what else was small...

PhotoShip-Shape

I'm not sure I'm going to have time to go to work for much longer. This will be somewhat problematical as I need to pay for the roof over my head, electricity needed to heat said house and run the car, as well as the usual stuff such as putting food on the table and gin in the glass.

Promo'Arts is becoming quite busy and as I am now the General Secretary I have lots more things to do. I'm sort of sneaking this blog post in, actually, as really I should be doing businesslike things such as posting photos on the PA blog which have previously been Photoshopped into ship-shape. Well, I exaggerate, but there are only 500 addresses to put into the database, letters to write and envelopes to prepare... all for our big 'do' on May 22 in aid of the League Against Cancer. Still, it keeps me off the streets.

What would be fantastic would be if PA could actually replace my paper-pushing job and finance my roof, car, electricity, gin and so on. I must say, it's way more fun, and I used to work in the art world years ago in London so it is almost like coming full circle. It must have been meant to be!

So in the last two days I've been photographing paintings by a charming local guy who does some excellent stuff; Bruno Rous. These painters don't seem to have either websites or digital cameras so we sometimes have to go sur place and do it for them. I've discovered a bit of a talent for photographing paintings which is, in fact, a bugger of a job. However, I can't exactly claim all the glory as I just point my camera and click. It seems to take a neat pic with true colours and, as my hand doesn't shake, nice and clear too. Maybe I should redefine myself as a photographer of paintings. Do you think that would keep the roof over my head, gin in the glass etc?

Hmm, I don't think I'll give up the day job yet...

Promo'Arts Promo

My friend Diane Rauscher-Kennedy has been in the papers recently, for two reasons.

The first is because she has an exhibition of her paintings in the café of Galeries Lafayette in Montpellier for two months. This is an annual event and is repayment for the work she does for the rest of the year finding bright young local artists and exhibiting their work, free, on two-month rotations. Lafayette Restaurant thus has its walls beautifully decorated all the year round at minimal cost, and unknown but talented artists are able to exhibit their work to a sizeable audience.

This charitable work has a certain cost, however, and Diane has been paying it for several years now, to the extent that she has decided the time has come to formalise her efforts into an association, which brings us to the second reason for her recent publicity.

She has started up Promo'Arts as, what the French call, an association 1911. This means it is non-profit making, but that expenses can be reimbursed and even a salary paid to enable her to spend more time expanding the assoc along the lines she has planned.

One of the ideas is to incorporate all her artists into the assoc as members and then to send them into the community, to under-priviledged areas for the benefit of les jeunes. They will start up workshops to encourage local youth to be creative on canvas rather than on someone's garden wall or car.

At present, the assoc needs both members (20€/year) and membres bienfaiteurs who give a more substantial amount. Many talented young artists have been helped along the road to renown thanks to Diane. If you would like to help her to help even more, do contact her on 06.88.17.64.22.