A Passion for Drawing / August 9, 2018 by Jeannine Cook

Three exhibitions in New York, each by a superb artist in a different century, but all united by a lifelong passion to draw, draw, draw, anything and everything. For an artist, these current exhibitions are a wonderful reaffirmation of the central role drawing potentially plays in the development and creativity of an artist. Gainsborough, Delacroix, Wayne Thiebaud - three very dissimilar artists, yet they are all on the same page in a drawing book.

Quarry "Cathedrals" / July 24, 2018 by Jeannine Cook

Walking into the vast, cool, cream-golden chambers of the Aubigny limestone Quarry, in Taingy, Burgundy, is akin to entering a cathedral. Nature forms the stone originally, then man learns to work it to create and leave a history deep within the stone.

Ochres in Burgundy / July 21, 2018 by Jeannine Cook

Serendipity led to St. Peter’s Church in tiny Moutiers-en-Puisaye, in north-west Burgundy. There, 12th century (and later) frescoes in red and yellow ocre from nearby mines are a delight to enjoy in this cool, beautiful Romanesque church.

Tiles that tell Tales / July 15, 2018 by Jeannine Cook

Medieval and Renaissance tiles from the Champagne-Aube regions of France tell a great deal about early French society. The wonderful tile collection at the Musée des beaux-arts or the Musée Saint Loup, in Troyes allows one to peep into earlier worlds. Even though this world was underfoot!

Stones, Fossils, Archaeology and Art / July 6, 2018 by Jeannine Cook

Stones that I picked up in the fields around Tremblay, France, led me on a wonderful voyage of discovery about the upper Seine River valley’s geology, archaeology and history, all of which helped me appreciate even more the seemingly humble stones I was drawing.

Camille Claudel, so talented, so heart-wrenching / July 5, 2018 by Jeannine Cook

Camille Claudel lived in Nogent sur Seine as a teenager, and from there, she was launched into her career as a sculptor, her talent carrying her to Auguste Rodin’s studio and into another complex world. The recently-opened Museum in Nogent sur Seine holds an important number of her sculptures, and offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of late 19th and early 20th century French sculptors.

The Artist Residency that Wasn't / July 4, 2018 by Jeannine Cook

When an artist residence proves different from what is expected, it pays to try and be flexible and resilient, and, of course, keep on making art!

How to Translate Travel into Art / May 1, 2018 by Jeannine Cook

When you travel to a country so entirely new, different and utterly amazing, how does one even start to translate those experiences into art? This is the conundrum with which I am grappling after a recent trip to Western Australia.

When an Artist shares her Thoughts / March 19, 2018 by Jeannine Cook

Reading Anne Truitt's Daybook; The Journal of an Artist underlines the subtle use of lines as a metaphor to depict how our lives evolve and change so imperceptibly. The balance and intervals she uses in her drawings, such as her drawing, Remember No. 6 of 1999, teach us all about the elegant possibilities of spareness in art.

Recurrent Themes in An Artist's Work / March 7, 2018 by Jeannine Cook

Olive trees are an integral part of the Mediterranean landscape, and they have been a recurrent theme in many artists' work. Sacred trees since early Greek times, they are astonishing in inspiration, as well as generous in their fruit and oil. No wonder artists love to celebrate these astonishing and often very ancient trees.