What is Creativity?

How would you define creativity? You might have a very particular definition, or it might just be a general idea.



Creativity is a topic that is dear to my heart.

I had the opportunity to lead a discussion in a language and cultural exchange group I'm part of in La Creuse. In this association, the native French speakers answer the questions in English, and, well, the native English speakers in the group reply in French (yes, that’s me!).

I was pretty excited to offer a question which seemed out of the norm; a question that I hoped would make the participants ponder a bit. The subjects that we had discussed before had to do with books, authors, the Pantheon, French history, gardening, etc.

 

What is creativity? I asked. What does creativity mean to you?

It’s funny, because for me, creativity is my life and soul. It’s in my bloodstream, and it is in everything I do.

For some of the group, the question did make them uncomfortable. I heard some groaning when I handed out the assignment.

But what wonderful responses grew out of that question, though!

The most beautiful answer, in my opinion, was the taxi driver who wrote about how he found great pleasure in driving through the French countryside, how he was connected to his car, how he found satisfaction in the act of taking people from one place to another. He described how he often transported ill people, people who needed to go to the doctor or the hospital (in the rural areas of France, the state often pays for your taxi ride to medical appointments). While driving, his conversations with the patients took their minds off their worries, and they often complimented him at the end of the ride, saying he had 'transported them away from their problems’.

The answers that came up in the group were so different than my own experiences and definition! It was a very rewarding exchange.

147 Sullivan Street (Purl Soho), Greenwich Village, NYC. Painting on silk by René Shoemaker

Now, before I let you go, I have the last painting from the San Francisco exhibit to share with you. #25: 147 Sullivan St (Purl Soho), Greenwich Village, NYC.

147 Sullivan Street is for now for sale in my online shop.

This turquoise-and-tangerine-colored urban scene is so bright and delightful, and is representative of the architecture found in Greenwich Village. Don't you just want to walk through that door and start exploring?

This vibrant painting, looking right at home in this San Francisco environment, was the one that welcomed all visitors into the gallery and exhibition.

@yollghu spinning tunes at the reception with 147 Sullivan Street watching the scene

It was rewarding to become part of the San Francisco art scene, and is a memory I will never forget.

Michelle Thomas Fine Art Gallery

​As 147 Sullivan Street is the last of the San Francisco exhibition artworks to share with you, I'd like to take this moment to once again thank the talented artist and master gallerist Michelle Thomas, whose biographical artwork we see here.

​What opportunities will 2025 bring for us all?

​Best wishes for a creative new year,

-René

My Athens

Don’t you love seeing your name in print? Maybe your photo, too?

I’m happy to report I have had two publications recently,

Each New Year, the Flagpole Magazine in Athens, GA asks for community contributions so that they can take a holiday without leaving their readership high and dry. And they published my submission concerning my relationship to Athens and Aubusson. I list it here to share it with you, or you can read the article regarding #my_athens [fact check] on the Flagpole [hypelink] website.

The French newspaper La Montagne published a review and interview on my exhibit “Places + Names” at the Galerie des Marches in December. I am waiting to share that with you next

People often ask how I ended up living in France.

“Perseverance furthers,” I answer, citing the I Ching quote that I live by.

But that answer often leaves them unsatisfied.

It’s not about having lots of money.

It’s not about being fluent in French.

I suppose it is about pushing the edges and the envelopes in life.

It is about a willingness to put yourself in situations you have no idea how to get out of . . . where there is no safety net.

It is about being willing to go on an adventure, and to live with an adventurous spirit.

So exactly how does it feel okay to sit in my little stone house in France (where the internet service is really good, and inexpensive, I might add) and type those two hashtags on social media without a feeling of misrepresentation?

#thisismyhomenow

#my_athens

Athens IS my hometown. It is not where I was born (which was New York, NY) but it is where I grew, where I matured, where I was educated, where I worked, where I loved. For 40 years. It’s where I put down (deep) roots. Athens has cradled me and helped me grow, and continues to do so.

Aubusson, in central France, is my newly adopted town.

Like any good adoptive family, it has welcomed me . . . even though there has been some tough love along the way. France has welcomed me to its community, its air, its way of life, its centeredness.

I thought I lived in a rural area in Georgia.

“Rural” is different in France, at least where I live. There are a lot of cows. And open fields. And beautiful views when you get to the top of a hill.

But the land use patterns are different. There are villages scattered around the countryside. Some of the villages have cafés and boulangeries (bakeries), and sometimes a butcher, too.

It’s nice.

The pace of life is different. More relaxed. Less stressed. 35-hour work weeks and Sundays off for everyone.

I had a dream

 to live in France.

   to exhibit my art in France.

     And now I do,

       And I am happy.

I have had French solo exhibitions in Paris (2014-2015), Felletin (2017), Felletin (2018), Paris (2020), and most recently Aubusson (currently on view through Dec 31, 2022).

Perseverance furthers.

Athens, I love you.

You have supported me in my times of greatest need.

You have helped me grow; you have helped me mature; you have given me the strength to carry on in this life.

“The Doors of Athens” exhibition, currently on view at Athens Art and Frame, was my love song to Athens.

The current exhibition in France, “Places & Names,” is how I share, in Aubusson, my two worlds. The work conveys a sense of continuity through the symbolism of architecture and rivers. Our lives flow, the currents merge, then break off again for new investigation and discoveries..

The visitors to the Galerie des Marches in Aubusson have fun trying to identify the images as Georgia or France. The architecture, is it French? Or is it  Gothic or Southern Second-Empire-style?

I landed in Aubusson, which is known for its tapestry production. I am surrounded by weavers and dyers and people who value textiles. Living in a tapestry town, how cool is that?

In the March 25, 2015 issue, I shared my first Parisian exhibition with Flagpole readers.

I’ve discovered art and travel do not satiate; they only create more desire for more discoveries.

Athens, GA is my hometown. It is my center. It is where I draw my strength from.

Athens, I love you.

Saving the Jewish Children in Crocq

As a follow-up to my July newsletter and art exhibit in Crocq, I have learned more about the exhibition hall that I described, which was so fascinating to me. After fact-checking my understanding of the information, I now want to share this story with you. 

I noted that Crocq was an interesting village in the French department of La Creuse. But the real story—besides the rabbit skins (another new fact: it was rabbits the tanneries of Crocq were processing) and the medieval towers overlooking the town—is that the exhibit hall, which now houses an elementary school on the ground floor, was originally built as an agricultural school, then became a hospital of sorts, a Maison de cure climatique, or health resort for children.

Ecole élémentaire, 8 rue Jean et Robert Judet 23260 Crocq

From 1939-1942, the schoolhouse was used as a refuge for Jewish children during the war, providing a safe place for them to hide in rural France. Limousin, including La Creuse, is known as a seat of the French resistance. Here in La Creuse there are still many discussions and reminders of the reality of the Seconde Guerre mondiale (World War II) on French soil.

"Jewish Children at the Crocq Refuge - 1941"

Louis Aron and his wife, along with a tireless team of staff, were responsible for running this refuge and maintaining a sense of normality for the children under their care. Aron was the director of the La maison israélite de refuge pour l’enfance, The Israelite House of Refuge for Children, and it is believed that 400 children were saved there by his refusal to declare the children of the refuge as Jews, since only their parents could have done so.* 

A monument outside the school declares:

Qui save un homme sauve l’humanité toute entière. L’oubli c’est l’exil, la memoire le secret de la délivrance.

“Whoever saves a man saves all mankind. Forgetting is exile, memory is the secret of deliverance.”

In 1942, the children were moved to another safe place seven kilometers away in Mainsat until 1944, when the Refuge became known as the “Foyer Israélite”, a center for Jewish immigrants.

 The Journal of Louis Aron presented by Serge Klarsfeld

The citation is as follows:

Klarsfeld, Serge 

Journal de Louis Aron, Directeur de la Maison Israélite de refuge pour l'enfance: Neuilly-sur-Seine 1939, Crocq (Creuse) 1939-1942. Édité et présenté par Serge Klarsfeld avec la collaboration d'Annette Zaidman. Association “Les Fils et filles des Déportés Juifs de Franc” et “The Beate Klarsfeld Foundation.” 1998

*Worldcat note, From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism

++++

The interior of the elementary school, upstairs gallery space

The exhibit in Crocq has ended. My painting of the Felletin library sold (thank you, Jon!), but there are still eight paintings available from that collection. If you are interested in owning one for yourself, send me a message and we will work out the details together.

Regarding the shop, it will be closed from September through December for renovation. I am happy to assist you with commissions - in fact I delight in working on them, so please send me your ideas of what you would like to order for the holidays.

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page will be added to the online shop, so please comment below to let me know what questions pop into your mind that I should address: Shipping policy? Postage costs? How artwork gets mailed safely? How to care for your paintings on silk? Your input is invaluable to maximize the helpfulness of the FAQ page future visitors to the site.

I will also be updating descriptions, adding new artwork, and removing some of the older pieces on the site.

Collection of my artwork that was on exhibit in Crocq

A new exhibit in Aubusson is planned for September! I will send the details as soon as they are confirmed. The Aubusson gallery will be handling sales of my artwork through December 31; I’ll provide that contact information in the forthcoming exhibition announcement

Galerie Des Marches, 31 rue Vieille, 23200 Aubusson

As always, thank you so much for being part of my life.

Expanding your art collection? Contact me for commissions and/or a private tour of my art, which is available in many sizes & price points.

In Athens, my original art, paper goods and small gifts are carried by:

KA Artist Shop,

Community, and

Athens Art & Frame,

and in Aubusson at the Office of Tourism.

Sustainable packaging courtesy of

noissue .

Thank you for supporting the arts in Athens and beyond.

Share the love! Forward this email to your friends and colleagues.

Having Fun Making Friends

Crocq. How to pronounce the name of this town in La Creuse?

René with her art at Crocq

I say “crow” as in the bird.

I asked a Frenchman tonight, he said “cro” while swallowing the “uh” sound.

He said “it’s not ‘w’”.

See how hard it is to learn a second language?

Crocq, La Creuse

Thursday’s event. 1001 réflets, was the annual international art exhibition held in the historic town of Crocq. Above, you can see the two medieval towers and the church on the crest of the hill.

The exhibit is housed on the second floor of the elementary school, in a large, open, and airy space that is light-filled and inviting.

The exhibition hall before installing the art

The theme of this year’s exhibit is 1001 Réflets which translates to “1001 Reflections” in English.

In support of the theme, I exhibited a large silk painting portraying the wall in my house in Georgia that includes framed art and a mirror that reflects the bathroom. The scene is from the time when my children were small (can you spot the rubber duckie?).

Positive/Negative [The Mirror]: (Reflections on everyday life)

What’s so very interesting to me, is this particular artwork is garnering a lot of interest, both in France and back home in the States. I secretly smile to myself when someone remarks on it, as it was created for, and exhibited in, my first solo exhibition back in 2001 at the Clayton Street Gallery in Athens, GA. This “new” interest in my painting tells me that my art is standing up to the test of time.

1001 réflets exhibition poster

I’ve included nine works of art in this exhibit, each with a title that reflects back to the theme of the exhibit: 1001 réflets. The prices on my paintings range from 350 to 650 euros. All but #1 includes a custom blonde wooden frame, and the euro, right now, is about equal to the U.S. Dollar, making it a great time to invest in art!

The nine paintings are listed here:

1) Positive/Negative [the mirror]: The Rubber Duckie (Reflection on Everyday Life)

2) Les Fayes / La Faye (Reflection on the Creation of Two Villages)

Les Fayes / La Faye

3)  Brugmansia Sunset Trumpet Flower 1 + 2  (Reflection on the Beauty of Nature)

Brugmansia Sunset Trumpet Flower 1 + 2

4)  At the Aubusson Train Station(Reflection on Travel)

Aubusson Train Station

5)  Lee's Coffee Shop (Reflections on Japan)

Lee's Coffee Shop

6)  View From the Library, Felletin (Reflections on Learning)

View From the Library, Felletin

7)  Between Grande Rue et rue Chateaufavier, Aubusson (Reflections on Space)

Between Grande Rue et rue Chateaufavier, Aubusson

8)  Château d'Arfeuille (Reflections on Time)

Château d'Arfeuille

9)  Reflections on a Magical World

Reflections on a Magical World

Which is your favorite?