JOSSELIN, FRANCE
In April 2009, just before my Birthday, I flew to England and collected my present to myself – a bright red Vespa GTS 250 ie Scooter. After a quick practice-ride to the Lake District ( country roads up, back on the M1! ) I rode to Portsmouth, on to the cross-Channel ferry, and thus to France.
Twelve friends and cousins from Oz and the UK joined me in Brittany in a little town called Josselin for my Big-Birthday Party.
Our main house was the wonderful ‘Chateau Vue’, a former mill on the bank of the Brest-Nantes Canal and opposite the stunning Chateau of Josselin. From here we ventured forth to eat, drink and play around this delightful little town.
The 10-day party came to an end, but the “Roso Dragon” and I continued the adventure together, exploring, meeting, eating, drawing, painting…….
Josselin is a delightful little town. The half-timbered houses were of great interest to me, both artistically and historically - I liked the colours and the individual patterns, and they were very enjoyable to paint. And the stone walls - everywhere! At times they seemed very cool and sombre, but spring brought bright paintwork, with colourful tubs & window-boxes of red geraniums, white daisies, purple lobelia and pink hydrangas; the granite came to life, each surface having its own character, and contrasted very well with the more transient additions. One could almost hear the old stones saying " Nice colour! Much better than last year. It's nice to enjoy the changes of the seasons, the years, the centuries, with different colours, tastes, styles........but we are still here, solid, lasting, and will continue to be......."
I also liked the 'human scale' of Josselin. Other than the very impressive Chateau, hardly anything was more than 3 storeys high (maybe plus cellars, attics...). The town is all withinin strolling-distance, with the Canal passing through the middle, and peppered with restaurants, cafes, walks, places of historical & religious significance....and very nice people.
It was lovely.
I invite you to catch a glimpse of this adventure through this exhibition of new paintings of "Josselin, a little town in Brittany".