#dearvincentproject

[kellykilmer]

Looking Back: A year ago we were in Neuendettelsau on our way to Berlin. A year and a day ago, we woke up in Arles and stopped in #SaintRemy on our way to Germany. GPS kept trying to send us elsewhere. I finally gave up on it, drove to the center of the town where I found the sign for the tourism office and grabbed a paper map. 5 minutes later we were at our destination. It turns out, all we had to do was follow the other tourists once we got to the center of town. Alas, we didn't have much time (it was a 14 hour drive to our destination in Germany.) David relaxed in the car and I spent about a half an hour wandering the grounds of the Saint-Paul Asylum. I felt closer to Vincent seeing where he worked and lived in Auvers than either Arles or Saint Remy. Both Arles and Saint Remy felt very fake, very touristy. Saint Remy even recreated some of his paintings, sculpting the land to look exactly like a Van Gogh painting. It didn't feel right. Everything looked like a photo booth set-up. You can see the photos of the Saint-Paul Asylum (which has been renamed the Clinique Van Gogh.) The photo you see of his room with a bed and paintings is a recreation. Auvers sur Oise hummed and pulsed with creativity. I did not feel that in the South. Please don't misunderstand me. I am still very grateful for the time we had in Auvers sur Oise and I would return there in a heartbeat. Arles, I am not so sure about... Maybe it is me and the ideas I had built up in my head. Maybe my expectations were too great, but I left both Arles and Saint Remy with a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe we just didn't have enough time to wander and wonder... We were leaving France now for a few days... on to Germany and then the Netherlands for more Vincent. Have you been to Auvers sur Oise and Arles? What was your experience? #KilmerEurope2019 #KilmerFrance2019 #DearVincentproject https://www.instagram.com/p/CBrHlr_gUlS/?igshid=1jnf6tqos6v7b

[kellykilmer]

Looking back: Part Deux June 18, 2019 After bidding adieu and making sure everyone was settled, David and I swapped rental cars (and agencies. For the record, I'll never rent from Hertz again! Europcar, all the way!) We drove four hours to Arles. I wanted to walk in the footsteps of Vincent as much as possible. Arles was high on that list. Once we arrived, we checked into our bnb (our first time staying in a bnb along with the owner. I don't know if I'd do that again even though our host was lovely. We just felt a bit uncomfortable sharing her living space.) After unloading, we dashed to the center of Arles. The photos are from where Vincent painted: 1. Cafe Terrace at Night 2. The Yellow House 3. Starry Night over the Rhone 4. Arena at Arles 5. Entrance to the Public Gardens Seeing these places and walking where he walked, painted and lived were an experience that will forever remain with me. We walked the ancient city until about 11. We didn't want to get back too late as we had agreed on 11-11:30 with our hostess (who is a Nana and had grandbabies to attend to in the morning.) Before I went to sleep, I looked out at the sky. I wondered how many other artists had looked up at the same moon, in the same city and what they had dreamt of when they closed their eyes... I didn't want this dream to end... #KilmerEurope2019 #KilmerFrance2019 #DearVincentproject #ArlesFrance #arles https://www.instagram.com/p/CBmbOp7A2fY/?igshid=1pqtpokdwen3t

[kellykilmer]

Looking back: Part One of June 18, 2019 I miss my Durfort friends. I wrote that a year ago after we had shuttled off from La Cascade, back to Toulouse, and headed separate ways. Before we bid adieu, we ate breakfast and took some time to share what we had worked on during our time together. Thank you to: the Karens Squared, the Sisters, Cori, Tracey for taking the leap. Thank you, David, for being by my side. Dayle and Nese for all of their hard work in making our week of magic happen. I think I left a little piece of me in #Durfort. I know several peeps left clothing behind so that must count for something... Some day soon I hope to see you all again... ❤🎨🌎🚗✈ #LaCascade #KilmerEurope2019 #KilmerFrance2019 #DearVincentproject https://www.instagram.com/p/CBlo-spgDC4/?igshid=10oirxx2smx19

[kellykilmer]

Looking back: June 17, 2019 Our last full day at La Cascade in Durfort. Nese threw open all of the windows and doors. The weather was perfect for lunch outside as well as journaling by the waterfall. It was a relaxing day spent in excellent company. We made art. We went for a walk. We ate. We talked. We laughed. We laughed some more. Our time in the warm afternoon sun was glorious! Between playing dress up with hats at lunch and then exploring marks and images to draw in our journals, it was a magical afternoon. It was so difficult to pack up the classroom. I didn't want to think of leaving our little sanctuary. I relished every last minute including taking out the trash in the quiet streets of Durfort with David. A bat flew overhead as we finished our task. We laughed and waved at "Barnabas." Back inside, I looked around the empty, tidied up classroom. I packed up my memories and turned off the light. #LaCascade #Durfort #KilmerEurope2019 #KilmerFrance2019 #DearVincentproject https://www.instagram.com/p/CBjZgrXg4BZ/?igshid=id9k9d9arbmf

[kellykilmer]

Looking back: June 15, 2019 Extensive workshop day in #Durfort at #LaCascade We had originally made plans for an early morning trek to a brocante that I thought was still in operation. Alas, after some late last minute research, I discovered that it had closed. Unfortunately, most of our group had come down with colds. They made the most out of it and decided that a stay and play in the studio day would be the best thing. Rest, an afternoon walk, exploring the path along the waterfall and some art made for a day well spent. (I posted a video of the waterfall in the stories of IG and FB.) I really loved watching what unfolded onto their pages. Experience, thoughts and dreams poured out via paper, paint and pen. A room full of working creatives is something to experience! #KilmerFrance2019 #KilmerEurope2019 #DearVincentproject https://www.instagram.com/p/CBeLEyKFFSS/?igshid=zm6wuhaogzzl

[kellykilmer]

Looking back: June 14, 2019 It was gloomy as we left Durfort and trekked to Albi. We filled our water bottles from the fresh spring before we left. I loved this house with blue shutters. We had no problems getting there (okay, we may have taken one or two wrong turns, but we got there. "Une. Deux. Trois," around the rotaries we counted.) When we arrived, we discovered that we hadn't received the memo stating that the Prime Minister had also decided to visit Albi that day. Oh, boy. Around and around the rotary we went trying to find a different route. Men with very big guns everywhere. GPS insisting that the only way to go was down the street where the Army was guarding and saying you couldn't go. Men with guns laughing and snorting, "We don't live here," when asked if they could point another way around to the Toulouse Lautrec Museum. Relief washed over us when we finally found it. The architecture of the building itself is incredible. You definitely need to look up and down if you visit. Also, research how the museum got Henri's artwork as it's interesting. I was especially interested in his posters. I could've spent all day in the museum but we had work in the studio waiting. My one regret is I wish I had been able to see the special Giacometti exhibit. I simply ran out of time. That's what happens when you travel. You are forced to pick and choose no matter how hard you try to squeeze it all in. One thing I enjoy doing on trips is to find artists local to the area and see if there are museums or galleries with their work. It helps to give you a different perspective and enriches your visit. The pink city truly was a sight to behold! We took some group photos in the courtyard and journeyed back to Durfort. Inspiration from Henri Toulouse Lautrec and his incredible posters danced in our heads. We weren't late for dinner today. We cut dinner short preferring to spend our time in the studio and spilling our memories out onto the pages. Wine may have been snuck upstairs. Laughter definitely filled the room as the paint was flying! #KilmerEurope2019 #KilmerFrance2019 #DearVincentproject #Albi #toulouselautrecmuseum https://www.instagram.com/p/CBbmyoeFOSf/?igshid=xrmxrkppv952

[kellykilmer]

Looking back: June 12, 2019 Our first full day together! A buffet breakfast and then studio time. Opening the windows in the studio to let in the fresh air and the sound of waterfall as we worked. After lunch, we set off on our first adventure. Little did we know that every day, adventure would present itself! Our first excursion was to #Montolieubookvillage. I figured it would be a good chance to find local material to incorporate into our projects. Who can resist the appeal of the words #bookvillage? We started off. Cori, Diane, Julie and Isle of Man Karen in one car. Colorado Karen, Tracey, David and yours truly in the other car. I was the lead car. I thought CO Karen was asleep when suddenly I hear, "POPPIES!" SCREAMED from the back seat. We made plans to stop on the way back when I figured it would be safer to stop. In order to get into Montolieu, you have to go over a narrow bridge. Directly in front of us was a tandem moving truck that became stuck trying to go around the bend into the center of the village. (I shared the video in my IG and FB story.) Tracey got out and had a nice conversation with a French gentleman who didn't speak English. The rest of us sat in the middle of the bridge watching the free show unfolding in front of us as the line of traffic behind us increased. At some point, after much yelling, cursing and physically rocking the truck back and forth, they freed the truck and we squeezed pass. We parked and started exploring the town. Little did we know that half of the shops were closed that day (I had checked the website and it said Wed-Sun, the shops were all open. Ce la vie.) We split into smaller groups in order to cover more ground. I was looking for art books and anything handwritten. David was looking for rare and unusual film books (especially anything signed) and unusual comics/comic art. We didn't find anything but we had fun exploring, walking, taking photos and then seeing what treasures were found by our group. On our walk, we discovered a flowering cactus. It felt a little like home. Poppies, dinner and more art making awaited us on the way back. #KilmerEurope2019 #KilmerFrance2019 #DearVincentproject https://www.instagram.com/p/CBWfYuVA1eL/?igshid=1wvd1vkld1cxj

[kellykilmer]

Looking back: June 11, 2019 After taking the train, David and I met Tracey in Toulouse. Part of our group was assembled! I had found an affordable and clean hotel in the downtown area. We settled into our rooms and dreamt of Durfort. In the morning, David, Tracey and I checked out of our hotel and went off in search of breakfast. Along the way, we found this incredible building with peeling wallpaper. Tracey wouldn't let me bring it home with me so I had to settle for photos. We found a yummy bakery and sat in the park for a bit. We shared a ride to the airport where our group was waiting. Our group! Our Durfort friends! This was so exciting!!!! After months of planning, we were finally together about to start our adventure! After hugs were exchanged and rental cars picked up, we started off in 2 cars. Cori was the smart one. She asked the rental agency if there was anything special she needed to know. I assumed, having learned how to drive with a stick shift, that I'd be okay. Little did I know... GPS was a little slow and at one point, not only did we get lost but we were separated. We got off at an exit and I took a turn down a very narrow side street. In France, you have to pull to the side and let cars pass sometimes. Well, that is assuming you know how to back up! A truck was coming towards us. I tried to back into the little space and the car wouldn't go in reverse no matter what I did. The truck workers got out of the truck. I explained the problem hoping they'd show me how to do it. Instead, they backed up their truck and the traffic behind them! I may have been clutching the steering wheel a little bit harder by the time we got to Durfort. Durfort! A tiny place with running water right through the center of town. We unloaded our bags, parked our cars and settled in. Art and friends for a week!!! We had so much to discover. #LaCascade #Durfort #KilmerEurope2019 #DearVincentproject #KilmerFrance2019 https://www.instagram.com/p/CBTofa-AwRl/?igshid=1izbjulxrywrv