COUNTRY FRENCH TREASURE HUNT: Let the Fun Begin!

OK. So I created a "Fan Page" on Facebook late Thursday night--I mean late into the wee hours after working a full day at the office (with my first meeting in Greenwich starting at the still-dark-outside time of 6:45 AM)....a long day--and about 36 hours later, shazam! I had 48 fans. Whoa!


I find that amazing! Did you sign up as a fan because you're thinking about joining us in Southwest France next summer for COUNTRY FRENCH TREASURE HUNT & THE ART OF ILLUSTRATED JOURNALING? Are you simply a self-confessed Francophile who is thrilled to find an online soul mate? Supporting me in this most recent endeavor just because you are a kind and wonderful friend and reader? Thinking of taking an escape with your spouse or your college-age son or daughter as a way to explore the world? Maybe you find yourself agreeing on several counts.


Well, I admit: that my contagion about this project is oozing from every pore of my being. I have always wanted to study art in France, always wanted to shop the flea markets and outdoor fairs, always wanted to hunt for treasures in the winding alleyways and off-the-beaten-path shops where I suspect rare finds await me...finds that, honestly, I know I will never uncover stateside. And with three bathrooms left to renovate and decorate in my Connecticut house, I continue to look for inspiration in country French antiques and treasures. I remain attracted to rough textures, painted furniture, wonderful lines and evidence of decades of wear and tear, whether it be on a piece of furniture, in a light fixture, worn into a decorative accessory or in a primitive work of art. I am anxious to slip into my walking shoes and explore the Southwest Perigord region of France. Rural France. The part of France that oftentimes gets overlooked in favor of Paris or Provence. I yearn to uncover the sights and sounds of bustling market days; the aromas of locally baked pastries; the slow indulgences in the wines of the region. I find myself rejuvenated every single day with pure and simple imaginings of just how wonderful this exploration will be. I long to take a “time out,” both physically and emotionally, from the demands of my day job, my life at home and my board and community responsibilities. If only just for twelve days…


And having studied the four illustrated travel books of my colleague and partner, Diana Gessler, I am most anxious to learn how to sketch, draw maps and people and cartoons and caricatures--not to mention paint in watercolors, hand letter factoids and insights...and to learn how to slow down enough in my journeys that I stop and record things artfully. As an oil painter, I have never received instruction in watercolor painting. I actually bought a journal, just like the ones Diana uses for all of her travels large and small, and took it with me on our summer vacation this year to Bermuda. Let me tell you: The Art of Illustrated Journaling is a lot more difficult than it looks to the untrained eye! I really struggled with it. Was completely frustrated by it. My pages looked like a kindergartner did them. My lettering was sloppy and unprofessional looking. So it is with great anticipation to be able to sit at the feet of the master and learn how to illustrate with confidence. With joy! To create works that I will be proud to pass down to my kids and my grandkids one day. I look forward to traveling the world and recording each and every trip in handpainted images, with beautiful lettering and wonderful inscriptions, in the hope that they will be treasured by my family. That they might be humble heirlooms, appreciated and prized long after I am gone by those nearest and dearest to me. Like my art. My hand-hooked rugs. And needlepointed belts. Treasured like the artfully-constructed photo albums of our own family’s history of life on earth together.

And I admit that I frankly never even thought about illustrated travel journals until I met Diana and really got to know her. I always thought that one was to record travel in photographs and perhaps, in written journal form. So this whole concept was new to me too! Refreshingly new! And I embrace it with expectant optimism and a sense of adventure!


Take a peek at these photos of the Dordogne region where we will be traveling. And visit our itinerary at: http://rousset-perigord.org for all the information you need. If you'd like to receive a hard copy of the brochure, registration form and terms & conditions sheet, please send an email to me at: emomrx@yahoo.com with your mailing address and I'll send these to you via snail mail. Also feel free to call Dr. Beverly Held, who holds a Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Michigan and who has developed and offered over 2000 Cultural & Culinary educational programs for 15 years. Dr. Held has been exploring France for the past two decades and thoughtfully renovated Petit Rousset, the 18th-century farmhouse and art studio which will be our home for ten days this summer. She will gladly take your call at: (415) 933-9799.


We'd love to have you join us! Our philosophy: “Chez Nous-Chez Vous.” We want you to feel at home in our little paradise.


Until next time, all blessings!


Carolina