I don’t know about you but my intention to make my daily walks part of my exercise routine tend to fall flat. Each day, each week, each season brings something new and wonderful. The shapes, the colours, my phone camera in and out of my pocket, like a gunslinger, shooting images purely for my own satisfaction.
Magical Mushrooms
My canine walking buddy, Jedd, can become a tad frustrated but he is patient.
In France, I am obsessed with mushrooms in autumn. I love the contrast of colours against the rich earth and rotting logs. Thousands of varieties to discover and study, all so unique, you can get lost in the hunt for hours, returning home covered in mud and slime from trying to be all arty and getting low down and dirty with my Mushroom muses.
Snowflakes and ice droplets in winter, it is nice to have true seasons. Growing up in Victoria Australia, the running joke is that you must be prepared for all four seasons in one day. It is true, the weather is fickle, but here is the Correże you can enjoy the changing seasons and actually put away the most of your summer wardrobe for winter. There is such a huge difference between our little village house in the heart of France and the little beachside home in Australia, the seasons are pretty much exact opposites of each other.
In the Medieval Village of Treignac in the Correze , winter brings low cloud, giving a mystical depth to the layers of trees covering the distant mountains. The Autumn leaves on the ground have become crisp underfoot with ice from the minus degree temperatures. Frozen puddles with irresistible iced up shells you just have to stomp on to hear them crack like glass, so satisfying. It brings back childhood memories of winter family holidays. Until suddenly you slide A over T across the top of an unexpectedly thick frozen puddle, throw your hip out and end up dragged around by Jedd the Hound. All very entertaining for anyone watching the old lady and her dog.
The village looks romantic with smoke billowing from chimneys, the villagers indoors, putting their handicraft skills to good use, creating and designing while they are snug and warm inside.
Ice Freeze
I find beauty in the frozen water on the lake with mesmerising patterns made as the ice grows on the surface. Inspiration is endless, colours, shapes, texture and light, the designs of nature.
The flowering trees and plants of spring, the birds singing and the vibrant colours, the bees, hummingbird moths and brilliant reflections on the water will be back soon so I enjoy the winter while it is upon us.
An extremely talented friend of mine Jennie-maree Tempest is another who searches Nature for Inspiration. Jennie-maree is an Australian based artist living in a beautiful coastal village on her hobby farm with her husband and their menagerie of animals.
The coastline offers an abundance of inspiration and along with the rural lifestyle she is never lost for her next subject, always pushing boundaries as a textile artist. She recently built a large studio with accommodation to run her busy workshops.
Jennie-maree’s amazing textile creations
Jennie-maree’s textile creations are intriguing and just as intricate as the natural subject, each branch, leaf, petal, stamen so authentic and convincing.
If you are interested in the wonderful world of textile art I advise you to have a look at Jennie-maree’ssocial media and web page links.
I’m Michelle Laughton, a self-taught designer living in rural France. Guided by instinct rather than formal training, I draw on my eclectic life experiences to shape a design philosophy rooted in creativity and joy. My passion is renovating properties to create vibrant, welcoming spaces that reflect both the past and the possibilities of the future. Join me on this journey of discovery through design, where intuition and curiosity lead the way.
