There was so much to see in tiny village of Lacoste that I needed a second chapter. That plus daughter J. Morgan pointed out that I failed to mention that she is a graduate of SCAD Atlanta. She is a gorgeous, smart and talented artist who went on to get a master’s degree from SCAD Atlanta and now lives and works in San Diego, CA. And her handsome, smart and talented boyfriend Shaun also has a degree from SCAD. The two of them combined have so much talent that it actually scares me — I can barely draw stick figures.
I’m secretly hoping that they find a way to spend some time in Lacoste as SCAD alumni because that would give me a fabulous excuse to return. As if I needed one to return to Provence.
One of the great things about the Lacoste SCAD “campus” is the lingering evidence of past students’ work. This SCAD alumna created “Borie” sculptures with rope and other textiles and they remain there today in the student areas. What a great place to hide away and ponder the Provençal landscape laid out before you as you dream up the ideas for your own artist’s inspiration.
In the Southeast of France, a “Borie” is a stone hut without any masonry work, used as shelter by shepherds. By extension, it can mean a small stone house.
A Borie is a dry-stone structure, generally a one-room cabin. The smallest can be a single, low room where a shepherd could weather out a storm or a cold night. More typically, the single room Borie is big enough to stand upright in, with space for a fire and often a shelf or two built into the thick stone walls. I love the way Trish recreated her version and that they are still in place, just like the stone Bories you see when driving down the winding roads between the villages.
This was actually a sculpture in Lacoste that I liked. This is the way Provence makes me feel. Free, lithe, uninhibited.
“The tree of life”
Artists leave their mark on the world in many different ways. It is a better place because of it, and I hope we all discover it in whatever way brings meaning to each of us. Find your local artists today and talk to them about why they love what they do. Support them. Buy from them. Tell your friends about them. Then we can all leave our mark on the world in our own unique way, even if we can only draw stick figures.
Leave a Reply