In 2006 I applied for an artist-grant to live in “Anne Grethes house” in Vieux Fox Amphoux, Provence. Here I spotted an advertisement for an exhibition with René Lacroix, an artist who exhibited in a nearby village. I saw his exhibition and subsequently met him by coincidence in a bar, where we chatted and connected. He speaks no English and I speak no French, but luckily René is married to Rikke, who is Danish and can build us a language bridge when necessary. René and Rikke both live and work at the hill in Fox, two minutes from “Anne Grethes house”. The last couple of years we have been running up to doing joint paintings, and in March 2009 we made our first six joint paintings. I rented a house in Fox in June 2009, where we continued our joint project, so far counting over 30 pieces of work.
Our first joint exhibition was in September 2009 in the village museum “l’Ancienne Mairie”. I am truly pleased with the kindness we met in Fox Amphoux in relation to our joint French-Danish cooperation. The exhibition drove on to Nykøbing Falster in Denmark, where we had our opening on the 17th of October 2009 in GalerieLærken, a museum/gallery in “Hollands Gård”. The exhibition finished the 8th of January 2010.
The exhibition continued in Nykøbing Falster where we had opening on the 17th of October at GalerieLærken, a museum and gallery placed in ”Hollands Gård”. Parts of the exhibition was shown again in the sommer of 2010 at Galleri RASMUS in Skagen. The plan was to continue our good teamwork and paint new works of art together for the exhibition at Galleri Dahl 2011. But disease put a stop to the plans, and I lost my good colleague and friend René on the 12th of April 2011.
Rikke and Jesper Jerrik have been making a little nicephoto book about our joint artistic cooperation
In seven years I worked and lived half the year in my house in Mons la Trivalle; Haut Languedoc. I did the exhibitions in Fox Amphoux,but also in other places:
Fleur d'Olargues
l'Espace Georges d'Héric
Alain og Mireille GALANT visited my studio in Mons la Trivalle October 2008. A deal about an exhibition in March-April- May 2009
It became a very nice exhibiton. I am happy to have shown my works in the historical centre of Avignon.
Bardou is a medieval village, sleeping beauty and forgotten by the world until German Klaus Erhardt and American Jean bought the ruins in the late 60’s. They created a unique spot, and so the town became a retreat for artistic people who could find peace to work in return for renovating the village and helping Jean and Klaus with their sheep, their simple livelihood.
Several Danes, related to the commune movement, has passed by through the years during their summer holidays, in their VW Transporters. The idea was self-sufficiency, culturally as well as in everyday life.
At first, the surrounding society had not much understanding for the fact that this outskirt part of France was preserved and developed - for instance electricity was not introduced until 1994.
Klaus wrote a book about Bardou in 2007. The book, published in English and German, has now also been published in French. There was an opening with a classical concert, and Paul Stillers exhibited along with me. Like me, Paul lives has lived part-time in Mons la Trivalle, in the village les Pradals.
Klaus Erhardt died 2009. The arrangement, which will also present the French version of Klaus Erhardt’s book, was held in his memory.
I am happy that Jean was willing to present my works in this evocative setting in 2011. Since I first arrived in Mons, this little village, with the free-range peacocks, peace and beautiful nature, has fascinated me. It has been a challenge to match stonewalls and round corners, but I was very happy about the result.
Jean died i February 2016.