Je me souviens

                                                       

"Je me souviens"  Graphite on Paper    by Linda Hampton Smith      

                                  

La Mémoire.

 Waves of nostalgie wash over me.  All the time.  And they're not rosy, dreamy vignettes.  They're vivid and compelling and immediate.  As if they've just happened and are happening still.  Time drops away.  Maybe it's because I'm a visual thinker.  My memoires are like pictures that hang on the walls of my mind.   Like one of the grands salons in the Louvre where the paintings hang floor to ceiling. 

And what hangs on the walls of this salon?  A gazillion things.  I share a few.......

                                                                              

Un panier de chanterelles.  Just last night we dined on chanterelles (sauteed in a port wine sauce and poured over baked chicken breasts flavored by orange slices.  YUM. )   Earlier in the day, my son Will (a 20 year old amateur chef extraordinaire)  and I picked them together on a nearby forest trail.   I savor, avec de la gratitude, this sweet gift.

                  

                                                                              

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Years ago in Paris, I spied this dalmation waiting for its owner.  I loved and love this moment. Not only for the pleasing palette of colors but for its portrayal of a quiet and resigned longing.  

   

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Opening a door, one day,  in Vieux Montréal,  I was greeted by an apple red surprise.  For some reason, this  insistent advertisement makes me really happy!   "Entrez,"  I say!

                                                                             

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Images of my mother.  I treasure them not only for her beauty but for the fact that she has always encouraged my love of art.  As a young woman, she read an article about the benefits of exposing your baby "in utero" to great music and art.  So, while pregnant with me, she walked the hallways of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, lingering in the French Impressionist wing.  Years later, when I studied art in college,  she hung my paintings all around the house.  It struck me then, seeing my framed pictures so lovingly displayed, that I must, in fact, be a " true artiste!"   Surely, it's no coincidence that I'm drawn to French art, as well.

          

                                                                                                                                                              

                                             Grâce à vous, maman.       

                                                           Merci

What wonders we carry within us.  

Un veritable tableau vivant.

                                                            

Vergennes French Heritage Day

"French Heritage Day"  Watercolor and Gouache by Linda Hampton Smith

A sizeable part of Vermont's population has Québécois heritage.  This hearkens to the mid 1800's when the  province of Québec suffered widespread crop failure. Political clashes between the British and the French worsened. Many French Canadians sought employment and refuge from discrimination by traveling south.  They found work in the mill towns of Vermont and throughout New England.  Life was no paradis, however.  Wages were low and spoken French was forbidden in the classroom.  Sadly, many children felt ashamed of their heritage and the French language soon languished.

In a redemptive move at righting such wrongs, many Franco-Americans are casting a compassionate eye on their heritage.  French Heritage Festivals are springing up everywhere.   Here in Vermont, Vergennes hosts "French Heritage Day."  This year's fête will be held on July 9th and 10th on the city's beautiful town green, in the Opera House and along the streets of this charming ville.  A parisian-style waiter race is among the days events! 

I will be exhibiting and selling my artwork along with other artistes, pâtissiers, boulangers, chanteurs...
I get to revel in pure Francophilia and chat in French toute la journée!  LOVE it.  If you're in the area,  je vous invite! 

Along with this groundswell of Franco-American pride comes a growing number of musical groups who perform traditional Québécois songs.  "Va et Vient", a local band, has samples on their website. Écoutez and Enjoy!