Additions and Extractions

How wonderful is late summer in this part of South West France! Yes, we have wet days, with heavy grey clouds and threatening thunderstorms from time to time, but the warm days deep blue skies are regular enough to keep the the black dogs at bay.

The second flush of roses is always a surprise for some reason, filling the house and garden with colours and smells; and harvest time for fruit and veg is reaching a peak. We really can't get through all those yellow courgettes, cucumbers and tomatoes and there is only so much bottling we can do.

At last the annex to l'Espace is almost complete.

Our new Julieann Worral Hood hare sculpture positioned on the law just outside l'Espace.

Wild flowers on either side of the steps leading up to l'Espace

The inspirational Paris studio of Catherine Willis - a dream space!

Our "Light Bulb" book, created by Rachel Hazel to collate the combined ideas and suggestions of each workshop.

The Days of Words and Paper

Rachel Hazell's ability to make and inspire is well known to us here at LSA. But this year the participants seemed to spontaneously appreciate and share, from day one, her passion for all things bookish.

Rachel's introduction

Lunch on the terrace outside the Maison de Maitre

After some recent fairly miserable weather around south west France, the clouds miraculously opened to welcome our guests, and the sun shone for almost the entire five days of the workshop. This allowed us to eat outdoors for all but the final evening (when there was the type of torrential rainstorm Somerset Maughn would have been proud of).

Swimming in the salt water heated pool

The fine weather also allowed us to open the huge doors of the studio and our amateur bookbinders to take inspiration from the wonderful, clear light and stunning views.

Everyone busy binding their own books

Katherine finishes detailing

For most people the satisfaction, at the end of the first day, of having created and bound a beautiful book of their own, was followed by a smidgeon of excited trepidation as Rachel gently explained to them they were to try to fill tall twenty six pages with a motif running through the alphabet.

A break for lunch usually revived lagging creativity

Nice try, Diane (our favourite person, ever), but this is actually how your do it.....

And everyone seemed to be up to the challenge; the results were as different as the participants' personalities, but there wasn't one that amaze!

D is for Dog

The lovely Barbara tells us her book story.....

And Julie demonstrates her M for Mountain

Mary Alice delights us with all her colourful illustrations

There was an atmosphere of shared ideas and generous encouragement for all, some people managing to complete the alphabet whilst others preferred to take their time with plans to finish their personal journeys back home.

Carol models a Les Soeurs Anglaises' apron

And to celebrate the end of another successful workshop, there was High Tea before "Personal Journeys" on the last afternoon.