Sacre Bleu! It’s Bastille Day Again…

And the Huffingtons are ready to throw a fete. With our usual frantic buzz of activity, we have been cataloguing, photographing, framing and pondering our hanging strategy for the gallery’s most fun event of the year.

Laura Shubert, La Fete, 30 x 40, acrylic on canvas

We’re not quite sure why this event garners such a devoted and happy crowd – we chalk it up to being held in the middle of the week, in the middle of July, in the middle of the summer…and just when you think the whole world is on vacation, it turns out that lots of people are around and ready to play.

Last year, we all wore our French espadrilles that Madame brought us from Provence…

We always have Jaques (aka Don, his real name) on hand to belt out the French classics and what a great job he does. We can promise plenty of nice wine, delicious nibbles and, of course, some drop dead new art from our gallery French and American artists.

On Madame’s last trip to Paris, she called me to excitedly tell me about some new paintings she had found. She sent me some photos but I couldn’t really appreciate them until I saw them in person.

These small watercolors by Fanch Lel are deceptively simple but a closer look reveals a real talent by the artist to capture the essence of all things French.

Fanch Lel, Moutons en baie du Mont St. Michel, 5 x 7, oil on board

We love his graceful treatment and skilled hand…but especially love the sweet and charming ambiance of these. They are painted on plain and simple board and are very small, but we love the way they gussied up in their new ornate and chunky frames.

Fanch Lel, Les Quais de Quimper, 5 x 7, oil on board

Fench Lel, Maree Basse, 7 x 5, oil on board

And that’s what makes the art business so pleasurable. The art doesn’t need to have any special heritage, nobility or accolades (although don’t get us wrong, that doesn’t hurt!) to make it special and meaningful. We always go by what our heart says and this time it was an easy decision.

And, our fete doesn’t just celebrate our French artists. Many of our wonderful gallery artists have caught the bug and have been bitten by that certain “je ne sais quoi” – Nancy Franke comes to mind with her spontaneous and deft use of color, shape and light. We adore this one that portrays beautiful Isle sur la Sorgue in Provence.

Nancy Franke, Dimanche a Ile, 16 x 16, oil on canvas

(By the way, we’re delighted to announce that Nancy is leading not one but two painting trips to Provence this fall. We can only imagine what fun the artists will have with this spunky, lively and talented teacher.)

Also joining us for our fete is artist extraordinaire and master of brushwork, Bill Davidson and we are so thrilled to have his pieces gracing the walls.

Bill Davidson, Provence Colors, 18 x 24, oil on linen

We welcome guest artist Lesley Powell to the gallery. We fell in love with her poker-faced and ever-so-French waiters who look like they could be rolling their eyes as their customers struggle with their bad French.

Lesley Powell, Maitre D’, oil on canvas, 20 x 16

And, we can’t get enough of Laura Shubert's light-drenched French exteriors and interiors. You can just about feel the warm sun and smell the lavender when you study her work.

Laura Shubert, Chandelier and Stairs, 36 x 36, acrylic on canvas

Laura Shubert, French Facade, 36 x 36, acrylic on canvas

So, if you’re in town, don your beret and slip on your espadrilles and stop by the gallery for a French fix: Thursday, July 14^th from 6-8 p.m. Bonne Fete!

Ta ta. See you Thursday!

HH