Signs of Winter

December came and brought winter with it.

[Click either photo to enlarge.]

See that small fire in the distance? That's not La Muse, but it is the feeling you get here, working beside the fire, warm & sheltered.

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Dwight's Show

November's highlight was most certainly Dwight Cassin's exposition, "The Wakefulness of Living Things." The studio bustled with visitors, and the night ended with a superb feast for Thanksgiving: Part II, but not before a lovely impromptu concert courtesy of Shoko and Enrique.

Here's Pierre reading Dwight's introduction & thank yous in French. Check out La Muse's YouTube channel for more footage of the expo!


Here's a section of "Peche du Labastide" by Dwight Cassin (see more of this fantastic fish).

Congratulations to Dwight on a marvelous exposition! If this was your first show ever, we can only imagine what's to come.

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100th Post!

Hooray! This is our 100th post! What better way to celebrate than with tea, biscuits, and some Haribo Schtroumpfs. John just taught us the French for Smurf today, and we've already thought of all sorts of ways to misuse the word (feel free to add your ideas in the comments). Here's to 100 more posts on art, writing, books, food, friendship, France, travel, retreats, wine, nature, and schtroumpfs! Thank you for reading.

    We'll eat 100 gummy schtroumpfys!

Recommended Event: Book Launch in Dublin on Thursday

Friends of La Muse, Annie & Ted Deppe, invite any La Musers in Dublin to attend a book launch this Thursday. Details follow:

On Thursday 3 December, at 6:30 p.m., Poetry Ireland in association with Summer Palace Press and Tupelo Press presents the launch of Wren Cantata by Annie Deppe, Orpheus on the Red Line by Ted Deppe, Under his Roof by Malachi O’Doherty, and The Sketch, The Ship, and the Afternoon: Ten Years at the Summer Palace Press (an anthology).

The launch will be held at the Unitarian Church, 112 St Stephen's Green West, D2. We hope you can join us. Email: info@poetryireland.ie

Friends of La Muse, let us know if you'd like to recommend an event! Contact lamuseretreat [at] gmail.com

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November Book Swap

As this session comes to a close, we thought it was high time we shared the November book swap contributions! Roisin Meaney, a novelist and children's book author from Ireland, and Peter, the Pitch Doctor, Rush discuss their picks in their own words below. On an only semi-related note, we'd like to say in advance how much we'll miss Roisin's amazing baked goods and Peter's top-notch dinners. As sorry as we'll be to return to our own devices in the kitchen, at least now we have a chance at once again buttoning our pants.

Roisin on her donations:

Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín evokes rural Ireland of the 1950s, and introduces the reader to Eilis Lacey, a young woman who emigrates reluctantly to New York, more out of a sense of familial duty than a real desire to spread her wings. This simple-sounding story, written from Eilis's viewpoint in Tóibín's usual sparse style nevertheless manages to convey pathos, sharp observation, and humour, while avoiding sentimentality as the heroine moves from Ireland to America, adapting as best she can to her changing circumstances. It's an easy and, in my opinion, rewarding read.   

William Trevor's fourteenth novel Love and Summer is also set in rural Ireland of the mid twentieth century, but there the similarity ends. The 82-year old 'master of quiet, Irish brooding' (the Guardian) has produced a doomed love story of sweetness and poignancy, steeped in end-of-summer sunshine and peopled with subtly drawn and very recognisable characters (recognisable to this Irish reader, at any rate!) Love and Summer will linger in the memory long after the last page has been turned. 

Peter discusses his picks (The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda, A Pathway to Peace by Gerry Adams, and The Big Book) in the video below.

              Follow Peter on Twitter.

The library grows lovelier with each and every book swap, and the bedside to-read stack grows taller, too.  

Profile: John Clanchy

Hearty thanks to John Clanchy (pictured below in La Muse's dining room) for this week's great profile! 

1.   What do you consider most valuable about your time at La Muse? The atmosphere of the place – remote, mountainous, forested, a bit wild and yet comfortable at the same time. It is the perfect space for someone who has an artistic project and who wants both peace and solitude for their work, and when not working the company of friendly companions with like interests to talk with, share ideas, try out your work on etc.

2. Tell us, in a sentence or two, about the project you were focused on while at La Muse. In my first writing retreat (two months in spring of 2007) I completed four long stories focused thematically upon father-daughter relationships, which together with one other story written in Australia was published in 2008: Her Father’s Daughter (UQP). In my second retreat undertaken in late spring the following year, I wrote the first draft of a novel, provisionally titled The McLeay Sisters which I re-drafted back home and which is out being looked at by a publisher now.

3. What advice would you give future attendees?  It’s crucial to research La Muse before you go, to realize that when it says that it is essentially a workspace then that’s what it means (though you have lots of fun there too), and that you are disciplined enough in your own life to be able to use the time spent there well. Make sure you have a specific project to work on when you arrive, rather than hoping for ‘inspiration’ to strike once you get there. Be prepared to work hard AND to enjoy yourself – the people you’ll meet there, the beautiful forests and mountains … and French food and wine!

4. Finally, my three French words to describe La Muse? etonnante, feconde, accueillante

If you've stayed at La Muse, we'd love to feature your profile. Please contact: lamuseretreat [at] gmail.com or leave your e-mail address in the comments. 

Thankful at (& for) La Muse

Happy Thanksgiving to our American readers! The best part about Thanksgiving (besides all the pie) is the encouragement to take some time & reflect on what you're grateful for. We have so much to be thankful for here at La Muse:

Autumn aromas. November has been outrageously beautiful here, and the smell of the crunchy leaves combined with the fresh, clean mountain air makes staying inside something of a challenge.

La Muse's Living Library. You know that feeling you get when you stay at a hostel or B&B and find a really good book in the lending library? One that you've been meaning to read? That feeling is possible every day thanks to the great library at La Muse. Attendees donate books that mean something to them, and the result is a room full of treasures.

Our hosts. Kerry & John epitomize graciousness and generosity and their welcoming spirit infuses the house. We look forward to toasting them on Saturday when we celebrate Thanksgiving: The Sequel! 

Art Bits

 [art by Mel Kadel]

It's been a bit lit-heavy around these parts, so today we thought we'd share a few art links we like:

• Phaidon has a new art book out called My Name is Charles Saatchi and I am an Artoholic: Everything You Need to Know About Art, Ads, Life, God and Other Mysteries and Weren't Afraid to Ask.  Readers will get a peek into the art collector's brain as he answers questions like: 
• How do you decide whether something is worth £10 or £10 million?
• So much contemporary art looks the same to me. Am I missing something? 
• Do you believe in it all?  A: "I am not clever enough to be a cynic, so belief is the only option available to me." 

• lines and colors is, in the words of the indefatigable Charley Parker, a blog about "drawing, painting, illustration, comics, concept art and other visual art...if it has lines and/or colors, it's fair game." The site features loads of links, lots of ideas, and of course, a whole bunch of images to inspire. 
  

• Fecal Face is focused on the San Francisco art scene. We're especially fond of the studio visits section. It's lovely to see all that art-in-progress, and the spaces where art is made.

 

[Alexis Mackenzie studio visit]

Are you reading...

the Wall Street Journal's book section? If not, we recommend you start! The WSJ has been cranking out the delights in recent weeks. Take a peek:

• "How to Write a Great Novel"~ The work habits & quirks of a bang-up collection of novelists. The lone artist-in-residence at La Muse has politely requested that his writerly housemates not set up shop in the bathroom.  

• "Hollywood's Favorite Cowboy"~A fascinating, funny, & lovely conversation with Cormac McCarthy on the eve of the release of the film version of The Road.  

• "The Dark Side of Alice Munro"~ Her latest story collection, Too Much Happiness, was just released and we're chomping at the bit to read it.

What other books coverage should we be reading?

Profile: Eibhlís Farrell

Thanks to Eibhlís Farrell for this week's profile!

The most valuable was the peace, quietness and time to write uninterrupted. I was working on a setting of Ave Maris Stella for soprano and string quartet, a choral setting of Ave Maria and a cycle of songs of Irish poetry. It is cool in the evenings so bring a warm jumper or fleece. The best eating experience was the local nectar and ambrosia: local goat cheese, honey and figs form the garden eaten altogether. I thought the area was beautiful and loved Carcassonne---musicians feel a real connection with the troubadours of the area. I would love to do a performance in the little church.

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Have you stayed at La Muse? Please get in touch: lamuseretreat [at] gmail.com--we'd love to feature your profile!

"The Wakefulness of Living Things" - An Exhibition of Drawings by Dwight Cassin - Nov 28 at La Muse

Mid-November Splendor

An artist at work sketching in a field of fall(en) leaves. Can you spot him?

 

Bright hills of last week, now a bit more orange and brown (but no less lovely). 

Click either photo to enlarge. And please stop by next week for more scenes from Labastide Esparbairenque.