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The colors of France
The great postimpressionist artists worshiped light and most used oil and canvas to reflect that light in all its vibrancy and magic.Catherine Hillis, of Round Hill, chooses, instead, to allow that same vibrant and magic light to shine through using the delicate translucency of watercolors and the sensitive texture of absorbent paper.
Les Amis de la Grande Vigne, The Friends of the Grand Vine Committee in France, awarded Hillis a grant allowing her to spend a month in Dinan, France, painting to her heart’s content. Not only did Hillis receive one of the organization’s much-coveted awards, she also was given the month of her choice, which represented an accolade in itself.
“I had heard about this grant from other watercolorists, and they thought the committee would like my work. They are pretty specific about the kind of work they like. I learned in December I had gotten it. Not only that, I got the month I wanted. They give June and July to the artists they like. The ones less admired get the winter months,” Hillis said.
For the month of July, Hillis and her husband, John, spent many of their days and nights in this medieval port village in northeast Brittany.
“They gave me a house and a studio for a month, and my husband flew with me. We rented a car, and John purchased me another cell phone so I could call him and he could come save me,” Hillis said.
But the amenities, as comfortable as they were, were not Hillis’ main focus.
“France has most beautiful light for plein-air painting. And, of course, there were the historical buildings, the flowers everywhere. The flowers are just amazing. It was very rainy and the flowers are going wild. People have flowers in their windows, window boxes on every window, outside every door, even on walls, rock walls,” Hillis said.
Plein air refers to on-location outdoor painting, and Hillis did not limit this location to Dinan. She also spent two days in Monet’s garden, one a Monday when the famous gardens are closed to the public and she could be alone with the same colors and lights and flowers of the artist usually credited with being the master of these subjects.
“You can write and request that. I did two paintings on Monday and it rained during lunch. I painted the pond in the morning and his house in the afternoon,” Hilllis said.
Monet’s gardens in Giverny were, however, just one stop on the couple’s route.
“We traveled all over, and I panted in a lot of places and there are things I found out about France that I didn’t know. For instance, Brittany is very Celtic, very insulated. The people love Americans. I really appreciated their generosity in helping me. They went out of way to try to help and understand you.
“Then we went up the coast to Normandy. I didn’t know how beautiful that coast was. There are extraordinary rocks, pink granite. And the water is just so turquoise and cold. I didn’t know how wild and savage it was. It was very inspiring. I really had no idea. It was very beautiful, almost incredible. There were colorful harbors everywhere; colorful medieval buildings,” Hillis said.
Hillis found one locale in particularly amazing.
"The Isle de Brehat’ is the last French island before the Channel Islands. It’s very savage, wild, rocky. We had to take a ferry. It was wonderful,” Hillis said
No adventure is without challenges. In Hillis’ case it was the weather.
“Because it was raining I came up with a lot of ideas for how to paint in rain. Watercolors do not do well in rain. I looked for cover when I chose my compositions. Color was everywhere; composition was everywhere and I was always looking for over in case it started to rain. I had an easel umbrella, attaching it to my chair instead. One day I painted an abbey and the weather looked pretty bad, so I situated myself under an old arch and painted from there. … The abbey that I painted is called the Abbey of LeHon and I stood beneath an arch to paint while the rain came down,” Hillis said.
LeHon, she explained, was a preserved medieval village.
Before Hillis returned she completed 23 paintings. The one Les Amis chose for its museum was a still life of hydrangeas in silver and glass, hydrangeas that Hillis said were the size of footballs.
Hillis indicated the experience not only has given her wonderful opportunities but also an enthusiasm and determination to pursue similar avenues.
“I am just grateful to have this grant right and be able to stay on the river in port of Dinan. Now I want to apply for more grants.”
Contact the writer at ecarlton@timespapers.com.
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