Frances Doherty...Building ceramic sculpture

Arrived back in Dieppe on monday to a glorious, sunny day, and the sight of a group of men netting the cliffs by the portside. There is a terrible problem of erosion over here…as in the cliffs outside of Brighton. The chalk or caux stone is too soft  for the winter gales and rain, and the cliffs get worn away more towards the base where they create a dangerous overhang above. Recently, some of this has been cut back and taken away, and the rest of the cliffs now have metal net spread around them, held on with large posts driven into the stone. It feels a bit like Canute and I suspect will be an ongoing problem. Years ago, people would dwell in the caves at the foot of these cliffs but they have all been closed up now.

Our garden in France is like a wild beast that we struggle to keep under control. Having been back to Brighton for 2 weeks for the festival, it has shot up and gone wild in places and we have had to be strict with the bushcutter. It is however also beautiful at the moment with masses of spring flowers all through the grass.

The pergola next to the house is a mass of white Wisteria…….

Although it was hard hit by the hailstones which rained down on us the day after getting back. What a tumultuous spring it has been.

My Rhubarb had produced the most enormous flowers and a huge basket of stalks, which we have been eating our way through all week in smoothies. We also had our very first Asparagus which was delicious, and much better than the horrible swollen,white stuff they all seem to eat here and in Germany.

A very lovely Grass snake has taken up residence on our large pond for the 2nd year running. I think he has hoovered up the tadpoles if there were any in here…as there aren’t now..luckily we have another pond full of them, so there seems to be a balance, and it doesn’t seem to have affected the newt population. He seems to live in the water most of the time by the far side of the pond, but when you go over to the pond, he swims over testing the air with his tongue…he’ll stay there for a while checking you out, then swims back off again. He is not easy to photo, but he has lovely markings and is over 2ft foot long.

This month La Linerie at Crossville is also having its art festival. This is an old flax factory, taken over by Myriam Avenel and run by the friends of La Linerie. It shows through the month of May a series of contemporary art, on the walls, as sculpture, performance, music etc. Some of the artists showing here are also showing with us in Brighton this month so it is a nice twinning.

Much of the work in the show is site specific, and a response to the flax/linen factories past. This is my favourite piece…I find her beautiful and scary at the same time, a little Miss Haversham..a little Louise Bourgeois. France 3, a television station over here have done a small piece on the show which you can watch here  http://youtu.be/misJGDQD5QQ

I have work on show everywhere at the moment…its a bit of a whirl. So, if you find yourself in Bristol this weekend I am being shown at the Affordable Art Fair, in London I am in the lovely garden of Maureen Michaelson in the Chelsea Fringe…and this is a really exciting event, with many gardens with all sorts going on all through London. And, of course, today and next weekend there is still a chance to catch the Open Houses in Brighton……maybe see you there!

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