Sue Boal - Painting in the South of France
Hommage aux Belle Gorges De L'Hérault
An exhibition at Art' Caroux,
Salle Camille Royer, Villemagne l'Argentière
6th - 26th October 2012
This series of paintings is united by the theme of the beautiful Gorges in the Hérault region of France where we live. I wanted to show the way that the gorges change according to the season, the weather and the time of day. As my work progressed the spirit of the gorges increasingly enchanted me. I sought different ways of expressing and illustrating their beauty moving further into an abstract style through close up views of water and rock.
I used the Japenese poetic form of Haiku to further express the spirit of the Gorges. Haiku is a form of poetry, Japanese in origin. They are short poems that normally refer to the seasons or the beauty of nature. The Haiku verse is written with 3 lines. The number of syllables in each line is 5, 7 and 5.
My friend Francine exhibited her lovely sculptures at the same time. I include an example of her work along with an appropriate haiku to illustrate 'Carmen'.
Flowing Water, Rising Mist
Dark comes early now.
Misty twilight softly steals,
Autumn in Hérault.
L'Eau Vive Colombières
In the beginning,
Dark the night, wild the water,
Rocks rolled like thunder.
By Tranquil Waters
By tranquil waters
Beneath brooding silver sky
Warbling of a lark.
Les Bois aux Gorges de Madale
Trees skeleton thin
Wailing wind moans, swells and sobs
Fingers of birch snap.
Misty, Autumn Twilight
Autumn falls softly
Kindling bright colours of flame
Crisply curling leaves.
Les Gorges d'Héric en Automne
Cool, mossy shadows
Obscure Summer's golden glare,
Tenebrous gloaming.
Wild the Water
Racing white horses
Surge foaming to the maelstrom,
In brilliant blaze.
Song of the Waterfall
Lichen's pale mantle
Shrouds softly curving boulders
Bedecks blade sharp crags.
Each Drop a Diamond
Bright, precious fragments,
Dash, sparkling to rocks below
Diamond droplets.
Une Promenade d'Automne,
Les Gorges d'Héric
An Autumn Walk
Searing Summer heat,
Yields seasonal honours to
Autumn's mild caress.
Un Soir de Printemps
Les Gorges de Colombières
An Evening in Spring
Walk silent with me
Every chasm, every steep.
Savage, haunted heights.
L'Hameau de Madelet
de L'Auberge des Gorges de Madale
The Mountainside wears
With pride, colours of Summer,
Verdant shades of green.
In Cool Deeps
In cool deeps waiting
Spring rains awake lazy trout.
Low laughs the wild wind.
Sunlit Shallows
Clear water eddies
Huge rocks ages old shimmer
In cool reflection.
Bright Waters
Savage Winter broods.
Sun threads weave their tapestry.
Ice grips dreaming pools.
Le Torrent
Still water quickens,
Madly dancing water falls,
Shattering in foam.
Gentle Waters, Leaping Foam
Pearly water swells
Scattering crystal droplets
In emerald foam.
Bright Waters Flow
Bright water ripples,
Lazily in shady pools
Tiny trout dancing
Bright Waters Glow
Bright waters glow
Opal and sapphire tinted
Swoons languid the day.
Rocky Falls
Clear water eddies
Huge rocks ages old shimmer
In cool reflection.
Carmen
by Francine Launay
Plein d'orgeil,
Carmen
Poursuivi par le destin,
Tète haute, mains liées.
Carmen steps proudly,
Implacable fate pursues.
Head held high, hands tied.