How Do You Express Your Creativity?

Galerie des Marches, Aubusson

What are your favorite ways to express creativity? We are all creative creatures! Is your creative outlet drawing? photography? writing? poetry?

Is it listening to the birds sing, or drawing and painting? Maybe home decor or gardening is your thing.

Creativity is a place of flow and of calmness. It is a beautiful state that we all can grow into. I am delighted to be a creative person, and I understand that creativity comes in many, many forms.

My life is full of love and creativity.

Installation in progress. Galerie des Marches, Aubusson

This week I am hanging an art exhibit at Galerie des Marches in Aubusson.

My art is large and colorful. As I prepared the silk paintings for the exhibition, I fell in love with them once again, as if visiting an old friend.

I am very happy with my art, and I cannot wait to share more images and stories from this exhibit with you!

The opening reception will be held October 1 at 7 pm at Galerie des Marches, 31 rue Vieille, Aubusson, 23200. The exhibit will be open to the public September 29th, but feel free to walk by before then and look in the window—it's going to be quite the display! I'll send the invitation as soon as it is created. For more information, contact the gallery at galeriedesmarches@gmail.com

Treignac, in the Corrèze department, Nouvelle Aquitaine

poetry@treignac

Earlier this month I spent three wild and wonderful days at a writer’s workshop, surrounded by poets, poetry and prose in the village of Treignac. Designated a Petite Cité de Caractère, this medieval town is situated on the Vézère River.

It is a beautiful location that inspires creativity and connection with my new community of creatives. This was my first time attending a writer’s workshop and I loved every minute of it.

Kate Rose and Sheila Schofield Large, both accomplished poets and poetry event organizers, hosted the workshop. Titled poetry@treignac, it was held at a former thread factory, now a contemporary art exhibition space, the Treignac Projet. It was an inspiring, open space in which to let our creativity soar.

The “Writing Creative Non-Fiction” workshop, led by editor, writer, and publisher Chuck Grieve, was invigorating. I left with a nice chunk of prose, and Sheila Large led a workshop “using the skills of metaphysics to turn details into poetry that has both message and magic.” I loved having that new part of my brain tickled and massaged.

I read both my texts to the group that night and was thrilled to be a writer amongst writers.

My son, Sam Sutlive, is a poet involved in the spoken word community in our hometown, and all weekend I felt like I was channeling his creative skills.

René reading her new poetry

We had workshops, we had gatherings, we had community time, we had readings. We had champagne to launch the Artemesia Arts organization!

I came away a different person.

It was delightful to be surrounded by like-minded people while learning more about myself and my capabilities. I find that I really do enjoy building a community of friends in my adopted country of France.

Tell me, what skills are you learning now?

Treignac Projet

This just in! Athens Art & Frame just hung my Doors of Athens exhibit plus other work of mine—I think I see a theme here! Click here to see a video of the display, and stop by their shop if you are in Athens!

René Shoemaker painting on exhibit at Athens Art & Frame

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.

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Matisse and Me

When I visited New York recently, my friend Becky invited me to see the newly curated exhibit of The Red Studio at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Thank you, Becky!

I present to you: The Red Studio, by Henri Matisse

Over the years, Henri Matisse’s The Red Studio has been known by a number of names: Panneau Rouge (Red Panel), The Artist’s Studio, The Studio, and L’Atelier, all describing the place that was so dear to Henri as he blossomed in his new studio located just outside Paris. Created in 1911, this painting lived a long, and for many years, unremarkable life.

But for this artist, The Red Studio has been a touchstone of inspiration, guidance, and development for most of my adult life. For 50 years, I’ve been intimately attached to and happily involved with this painting. 

Countless times I have stood before this artwork, which is a massive 6 x 7¼ feet, becoming completely immersed in it, overcome with a sense of reverence and awe, and learning from this painting, this master, what line, color and form mean—to Matisse and to me.

Why? What exactly is it that inspires me about this particular painting?

The Red Studio by Henri Matisse (detail)

-That red color : Venetian!

The Red Studio by Henri Matisse (detail)

.-The seemingly sketched aspect of the painting, which, I am sure, Matisse struggled and struggled with and worked and re-worked, and which was certainly not as “off the cuff” as it appears.

-The way the yellow underpainting glows through the spaces between the red, creating not a line, but the absence of a line. A work of magic; an extraordinary creation.

The grandfather clock stands guard in the quiet room. The artworks in progress, or completed, are lined up on the floor, the wall, the table—everywhere. Sculpture, ceramics, paintings . . . so much creative output Matisse had!

I’m hesitant to read or watch too many interpretations of Matisse’s work, lest they disrupt my very intimate relationship with him. But if you are interested in this topic, I suggest looking at the MoMA press page for this exhibit, which is succinct and informative.

I also urge you to see the Curator’s discussion of The Red Studio’s underpainting and Matisse’s final addition of the Venetian red paint before he considered the work finished.

But back to my personal experience with Matisse. Athens Art & Frame wrote in a featured artist interview with me in March 2021, “Henri Matisse is a primary influence for René, who says ‘His brevity of lines and use of color has taught me much more than I ever learned in college.’ Everyday beauty is the subject of much of René’s work, which she makes to “help others see what is in their everyday environment with new eyes.” 

L'Église Saint-Merri by René Shoemaker

My 2014 painting of a woven chair I discovered at the Église Saint-Merri in Paris reflects a bit of Matisse influence in the confidence of the lines and in the saturated color red. I have studied Matisse’s drawn lines up close, devouring his process, his confident hand, and his wild colors. What I learn from studying his paintings and drawings sinks deep into my psyche, to be released when I, in turn, stand before my own blank “canvas.”

Example of Matisse's sureness of hand: Study of a Woman 1911

.The MoMA exhibit was set up quite nicely, with the room laid out as if you were in the studio (like my first solo exhibit in 2001) while looking around at the physical things that inspired Matisse.

There are two more galleries that make up the exhibit; one presents a history of the physical painting, relating where it has been and the places it has traveled (and who refused ownership of it!). The most interesting part of this history is that The Red Studio painting graced the wall of a ballroom for many years. (There is still hope for all the art I have exhibited in cafés and restaurants, don’t you think?)

The third room is a collection of Matisse artwork that MoMA, The National Gallery of Denmark (where the exhibit will travel to next), and others own, gathered together for a brief review of related work.

Ahh Matisse, won’t you come back and visit me? Please?

Cyclamen, 1911 by Henri Matisse

“The thing is, it is very courageous,” says Anny Aviram, senior painting conservator, of Matisse’s act of quickly covering his canvas in red, thereby creating a very modern painting that was really like no other.

Museum of Modern Art, NYC

Tell me, who is your favorite artist? Who inspires you and why? I love the way art speaks to everyone differently; it really does create a unique view of the world!

Where the Mountains Tumble Into the Sea

There, the light is magical.

Port Vendres, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department

Charles Rennie Mackintosh lived there for four years. Henri Matisse, after discovering the light here, summoned his family to be with him. Charles André Derain and other artists found endless inspiration in the landscape and light of the Roussillon area of France*; and along with Matisse, they were inspired to create a new style of art. The Fauves emphasized emotion and color over representational images.

Collioure, Department Pyrénées-Orientales

Have you ever felt the presence of someone you admire greatly in a place you both shared?

The Collioure bay

This was an inspiring trip for me; the best kind of getaway, creating energy and inspiration. I was delighted to immerse myself in the same harbor, walk the same streets, visit the same lighthouses and breakwaters as my artistic mentors and idols. Both Matisse and Mackintosh have been sources of inspiration for me throughout my artistic career, albeit from museums and books. But here I was, standing where Matisse stood, seeing the same line of buildings and houses lining the harbor, walking next to the same lighthouse and the same chapel overlooking the sea.

It’s not a glitzy area—pas du tout. But the movement of the sea is constant, the wind companionable, the sky clear, and the starry nights comforting. The sounds of the wind and the waves are very relaxing. The seafood—fresh off the boat—was delicious and nurturing.

The working harbor in Port Vendres

Port Vendres and Collioure, neighboring towns, are an easy walk from each other. In fact, we first hiked along the sea; on a very windy day we clambered across the rocks, feeling like mountain goats, glancing down regularly at the swirling sea below us

Remains of fortifications by the sea

And my church!! My church is there. I was so comforted to arrive at Port Vendres and see my church of the Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle. I wrote about her in the past. Just as the birth of a child signifies the continuation of a life, seeing my church once again, comforting the harbor, caring for the sailors, the fisherman, the pieds-noirs*; an emblem of history, the community, the care—ah, my church. My painting, which I created after my first visit to Port Vendres just over 10 years ago, now lives in its new home, loved by its new family, with a life that will extend beyond me. I am forever honored when art lovers buy my artwork and invite it into their homes, where it continues on to become part of their lives, their history, and their family.

Église Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle, Port Vendres

This is how I described my painting at the time of creation:

“The church was a wonderful discovery in a French town, Port Vendres, on the Mediterranean coast near the border with Spain. Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle (Our Lady of Good News) is a fitting name for the late 19th century church whose town is a fishing and cargo port. I can imagine the women of the village awaiting the return of their loved ones from the sea, expressing gratitude for their safe return by praying to Notre Dame de Bonne Nouvelle. The church faces the harbor, and I loved the idea of this amazing building inviting people to enter, whether it by foot, bike, auto, or boat.”

Église Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle, Port Vendres

In honor of this fantastic experience and my ability to share it with you, I am offering giclee prints of this painting for the first time, so that she, and the memories and dreams of beautiful French villages by the sea can grace your house also. At 10” square, the luxurious Fine Art Velvet paper size is just right for framing in a 10”, 12”, or 14” square frame.

If you would like to welcome this lovely painting into your home, click here.

The framed print of Église Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle, Port Vendres

Let me not forget to mention the Millau Bridge! On the way there and equally, on the way back, we stopped at the Millau Bridge, which is, in my estimation, the most beautiful bridge in the world. It is graceful. It is big. It is a wonder of engineering, civic community, art, and beauty. Can a person fall in love with a bridge? If so, I have.

Millau Viaduct, Aveyron department

*Roussillon is a culturally rich area otherwise known as Northern Catalonia or the Eastern Pyrenees.

**The Pieds-Noirs, singular Pied-Noir, are the people of French and other European origin who were born in Algeria during the period of French rule from 1830 to 1962, the vast majority of whom departed for mainland France or Corsica as soon as Algeria gained independence, or in the months following. (Wikipedia)

Where the Port Vendres harbor meets the sea