Ian Warburton

                                         photo Claude Petit



Warb has a show of recent paintings at the tour de Montsalès until the 21st of August. Opening hours are 3 - 7pm every day. Entry is free.

Anybody wishing to support the work of the gallery could become a friend (adhérant) for 18€ per annum.  All the money for running the tower has to be raised from private and corporate donors as well as fundraising events such as the tapestry weekend held in July, sales of catalogues and refreshments in the tour, the annual quine etc.

Our main expense is our gardienne Corinne who is at the tour Monday to Friday to greet visitors.  Everything else - design and distribution of publicity material -  posters, catalogues, cards, the hanging of shows, website design and maintenance,  meeting artists and planning the programme, gardiennage of the tour at the weekend etc. is all done by a handful of volunteers.

Any help gratefully received!

weaving weekend

This tapestry was a nice surprise in my inbox this week. I taught Naomi to weave when she was about 13 or 14 and although life has taken her in other directions she still finds the time and inclination to make tapestries now and then.

This summer I will be teaching a beginners tapestry weekend in Montsalès.  If there is enough take up it will be at the Salles des Fêtes and if there's only a few of us we'll probably do it at my studio. The dates are 20 and 21 July from 9.30 - 12.30 and 2 till 6pm. (This is France, there has to be a long lunch break!) The cost is 200€ with all the proceeds going to the Tour. You can find a list of other workshops on offer here.

univers d'artistes

ceramics by jean-pierre chollet

painting by jean-pierre gilly

carved wooden reliefs by Kathryn O'Kell

ceramics by sylviane perret

painting by jean-pierre gilly

I managed to take a few photos before my camera battery gave out. Will go back and try again.

univers d'artistes

Univers d'Artistes is an exhibition of the work of seven artists at Galerie la Tour Montsalès until the 28th of May.

There are three ceramicists (Jean-Pierre Chollet, Sylviane Perret and Patrice Teulières) two wood carvers (Jean-François Delorme and Kathryn O'Kell), one painter (Jean-Pierre Gilly) and me!
Alongside their own work each artist is showing objects from their homes or workshops which have particular emotional significance for them.  There are stones, fossils, birds nests and tools as well as some works by other artists and makers, each accompanied by a short text.  I'll post some photos of the show just as soon as I take them but in the meantime if you should be in the area, do drop by!

carved wood panel above by Jean-François Delorme

new work

chemin # 2

chemin

Two new tapestries which are on show until May 28th  in 'Univers d'Artistes' at Galerie la Tour Montsalès.  Just recently I've come to realise that in fact my tapestries are landscapes.  Not in the sense of direct representation but as a reaction to repeatedly being in and moving through the landscape which surrounds our home.

edinburgh

I've just had an unexpected few days in Edinburgh. What a city it is, I never cease to be amazed by it. Arthur's seat, seeing the sea from the Bridges, the Castle Mound, that long view over the Waverley and Princes Street Gardens. I feel so much more affection for Edinburgh than I do for Dublin, my home town.  Not so pleased about the proliferation of tartan tat shops. Were they there when I was a student? I don't remember so many.

We went to the Dovecote and saw the Wendy Ramshaw show. I appreciate her rigour and liked the early jewellery and large scale work but the Room of Dreams didn't transport me - it was good to see in any case.  Unfortunately it was after 3pm so we weren't able to go to the viewing gallery and see the weavers working. (Open noon till 3pm).  Another day we popped into the City Art Centre where we saw the Derek Williams collection, the highlight for me being  an Ivon Hitchens ( Arched Trees) and a little Lowry - can't remember the title - of a boat with an island behind it. Dark and flat and empty. I don't think I've ever seen a Lowry in the flesh before.

Of course no visit to Edinburgh could possibly be contemplated without a visit to the Kalpna - so we did - twice!

happy christmas

and all the best in 2013.