THE snow fields and mountain peaks of the Alps have inspired artists for many centuries and for author Jonathan Trigell they lie at the heart of his book Cham.
His novel tells of the almost spiritual enlightenment skiers feel when heading off piste through pristine snow above Chamonix, only to tumble back to earth like novices on a ski lift for the first time when the shot glasses begin to fill.
FORTY THREE artists, sculptors and photographers gathered for the 9th E.V.A.sions de la Peinture et des Arts Contemporaine competition in the Auxois region of the Cote d’Or, Burgundy.
THE rocky outcrops of the Quercy Blanc region and the deep reds of the wines of Cahors are the underlying elements of a corner of France many people may drive past when heading to the Mediterranean coast.
But author Amanda Lawrence stopped and used the area as the setting for her debut book, White Stone Black Wine, which opens a door on the local people and the rich history of a region dominated by vineyards, truffles and foie gras.
And although Amanda has long enjoyed visiting the region, it wasn’t until she and her family left the UK that her book began to take shape.
JACQUELINE Karp-Gendre has lived in France for over 30 years, writes Beryl Brennan. She speaks French and Spanish like a native, as well as a smattering of Arabic.
Her mother was a journalist, so writing is in her blood, and she never travels without a notebook and pen.
“People I meet, things that happen, places I visit, all inspire me and trigger my thoughts, and I have to sit down there and then and write them down,” Jacqueline explains. Nowadays, she also carries a laptop.
DANCE is an expression of emotion, passion, expression and love of the art form.
And it doesn’t come much better than watching a group perform at such a high standard as that of the contemporary Dancetheatre David Earle.
The group are making their second performance in France, the last being in 2006 and they are presenting a powerful and unique project of dance to music of composers persecuted, banned, isolated, imprisoned or killed in Europe between 1933 and 1945.
Whether it be love, life or the light, France has inspired artists of every hue to attempt to capture the essence of L’Hexagone.
AUSTRALIAN author Bryce Corbett, originally from Sydney, landed in Paris with a broken heart but discovered a side of the city he never knew existed from the back of a moped, and then fell in love with a showgirl from the Lido.
Susie of IVY Paris highlights a talk being given by Bryce Corbett on Monday (April 21) to mark the launch of his book A Town Like Paris.
MANY people have had a love affair with France for years, although some struggle to put their finger on exactly what it was that sparked the fire.
Artist Richard Cole can trace his passion for the country back to the 1960s, as it was then in his student days that he joined a friend to spend the summer in a small village in the Rhône-Alpes.
His connection with the people of the region has seen his work on the walls of local bars and cafés, a world away from his professional career as an illustrator for international news organisations covering court cases such as those of the Yorkshire Ripper, Klaus Barbie and the abuses of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
WHEN I received a Meilleurs Voeux 2008 card from a friend in Paris it featured a colourful illustration of a Parisian shopping arcade.
People were bumping into each other, with bags packed full of goodies, whilst snowflakes drifted in the night sky and in the corner I could have sworn I saw Nicolas Sarkozy.
The artist behind the illustration is Joanna Walsh, whose website Badaude features both the New Year picture, and many of her distinctive views of Parisian life.
MOST builders are happy to put their feet up after a hard day on site carrying bricks and mixing cement, but for Trevor Morris his day job has become his writing muse.
His experience of running a building company in the Tarn region of South West France is the back drop to his book Vive la Rénovation, which features tales from the property restorations he has been involved with.
Since crossing the Channel with his wife, Sue, and their feline friends the couple have settled into village life in a small hamlet just outside Albi.