During the early autumn of 1971 an old Bedford van was exploring the quiet country lanes of Southwest France. On the rear window, in red lipstick was scrawled “Just Married”. The van finally ground to a halt in the tiny village of St. Martin de Vers.
Perhaps the question should be “Why did we stay?” rather than “How did we come to live in the Lot?” If you think of art as being a career rather than a vocation then the least populated department of France, far from any large city or cultural buzz, way off the average tourist itinerary is clearly not an ideal launching pad. But art ain’t showbiz. It’s a long meditative search for the right questions; for the silence that’s born from contemplation of a landscape; of watching trees grow from saplings or planting a garden or bringing up a family.
A few kilometres of the Lot valley around the village of Vers has provided me with the nourishment for half a life-time’s work. I’d like to share it with you through my paintings.
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Photography by Quercy Photographie