WOOD CREATIONS
Painted on wood with added feathers, beads and seashells: to explore the third dimension
ORNAMENTS
Spirit animals painted on small birch or juniper wood slices.
PASTELS
Pastel on paper: vivid abstract captures of the moment.
OIL PAINTINGS
Colourful expressionist creations painted with oil paints on cotton exhibition canvas.
CARDS
Folded print cards of my artwork
Wood Creations
Ornaments
Pastels
Oil Paintings
Cards
Texts
Api-Happy
Water and foliage reign over Manali, a small town in northern India. Green dominates thanks to both the abundant rainfall and the water trickling down from the mountains. It emerges from the mountainsides as if they were shedding tears. Clouds gather in this lush valley. They can't get past the vertiginous Kunzum Pass, at 4590m altitude, the gateway to the Spiti valley. Manali offers everything from high-end tourism to yoga and meditation centers; well-stocked fruit and vegetable markets; antique coins; relics... from the ordinary to the unique. A city of encounters; a hub for travelers in search of exile. Fruit trees abound, especially apple trees. Childhood memories resurface, Ah! that famous nursery rhyme "Pommes de reinette et Pommes d'Api". Pommes de reinette et pommes d’Api Tapis, tapis rouge Pommes de reinette et pommes d’Api Tapis, tapis gris. At the same time, Indian English immersion weaves a link to its homophone. Api, and Happy Api, Manali, Happy...the oasis is blooming. And yet, everything remains unpredictable. The night before we set off for Kaza, in the Spiti valley, the rain takes over again. Torrents of water poured down, and before long, the S-shaped road up to the pass was cut off at numerous bends. The water came down in a straight line, immobilizing a stretch of road several kilometers long... stones piled up, not to mention masses of mud. Everything came to a standstill. We waited for two days. The news remained the same. However, we decided in vain to go to the start of the damaged road. To our surprise, a local bus took the route to the pass that morning, and we were dropped off where the washout had occurred. Indian men offer to carry the passengers' luggage in exchange for a few rupees, and the rest is done on foot for those who wish to continue. So we climb up the mountainside, following the path of the water. The climb is steep; once at the top, we find our bags and a bus that will take its passengers to Leh, Laddhak... and not to the Spiti valley. We board anyway, having the choice of either taking the bus or going back down to Manali and waiting... for the road to clear. Now clinging to our idea of reaching Spiti, we descend to the fork in the valleys: Lahaul, Laddhak and Spiti. Everyone seems surprised by our persistence, and how! The bus sets off again, leaving us in front of a totally deserted road. No transport from Spiti makes the connection, given the situation in Manali. The scenery takes our breath away; we pick up our heavily-laden bags and begin the long walk to Kaza, 80km away. We'd rather not think or even talk about it... we just have to keep moving. After several hours of the same long day, a jeep approaches us and offers to drop us off at the next house. No village, just an isolated house. Our hosts offer us a bed and something to eat. It's nothing short of a miracle. The night up there is simply magical, the stars seem so close... wishes come true. The next day, we decide to resume our walk; 15 km further on, we arrive at a Buddhist monastery, which turns out to be served by public transport to Kaza. Once again, we're very welcome. And so, amidst the curious monks, we reach our destination, also our starting point for future hikes in the nearby mountains. Words I've read so many times resonate within me. "If you trust, trust completely, everything always works out in the end. Sometimes, all you have to do is jump into the river and let yourself be carried away, the waves deciding the journey to come. Exploring unknown lands awakens this magic, an extraordinary feeling. Over time, I've learned to apply this Awakening to everyday life. Each day is born with its own unwritten moments. It's up to us to breathe life into them, highlight them and celebrate them. Happy, Api
Celestial Bodies
Night and day, the Moon and Sun shine in our sky. Like two friends, they sometimes appear together, sometimes individually. They never really part; they continue their path in the light of our perception. Shortly before the full moon in August 2016, I dreamt twice of the Sun and Moon shining simultaneously. That night, the full moon rose into the sky with a yellow light, as if wearing the yellow dress of its friend the sun. It was so magical, I felt enveloped by the beauty of the scene.
The Refuge
Bike camping on the trails of the Yohetta Valley, sometimes in the high grass, sometimes after building a small handmade bridge, sometimes searching for the "where are you?" trail. "Perseverance" becomes the leitmotif of our little family. For a few days, we pedal in a world where the sky no longer exists; only the smoke surrounds us. Many forest fires are spreading in the province of BC. For the second summer in a row, the topic remains unspoken. "Reward" A lake...yes, we settle down and this time for two nights! Swimming, skipping pebbles... the beach becomes our first room. "Surprise" The mountains now appear as the sun rises in the sky. The wind has won, the smoke has magically disappeared. Pieces connect in me. I feel more in touch with the past and present of this area, the Chilcotin Plateau. Who would dare to claim to understand it without even living in these distant lands? At least I better internalize the powerful elements in the present. "Communion" We share with nature; it shares with us. It offers us the spectacle of a bear splashing in the water, another one on the move, and all the others that see us without us seeing them. Bear country. Beavers, loons, deer, moose, all are curious and come close without fear. We visit their hospitable land. So much life that calls for wisdom, humility, respect. Valley - Refuge, still preserved from the passage of man and his modernity. A place that illuminates my heart, that evokes my visit, this exile in this region of the world. A meeting with "a nature still unique and true".
