Linda H Matthews Artiste Peintre
Added Oct 30, 2025
Collaborations - avec des Poétes
A Second Poetry Collaboration; Le Biennale du Servian 2025
2025
Another inspiration from a poem, following on from 2024's "La Port des Légendes",
This year there are nine artistes inspired by three poems exhibiting at Le biennale du Servian
"La mère et l'enfant" by Philippe Demoine was the only poem available, when I checked them out, I translated it to be a mother's thoughts for her son's future on his marriage, looking back over his years of growing up, raising him to hand over to his wife.
The cycle of Life
Being used to working alla prima; en plein air I am used to chasing light.
Working on a piece over four months is novel to me and quite testing at times, my biggest problem is trying not to be too detailed and keeping brush marks fresh.
Even though I had four months to finish the piece, I was also working on a commissioned piece, the last brushmarks were made yesterday a week before handing in !!
The background colours where going to be post-it notes with words of advice written on, in the end
I thought they maybe a patchwork quilt and the words were painted randomly around the figures.
"ELLE et LUI" 93x72cm l'huile sur toile de lin
I liked the idea that the group of friends are being taken with the couple on their journey into their future, on the train of the brides dress., and white of the mothers chemise reflecting the white of the wedding dress.
Working on this painting has made me think about wedding or just life event paintings....
a cycle of memories as commissioned pieces ?
I really enjoyed the story telling of this piece, though it will not replace the pleasure and inspiration I get from working outside en plein air, that is after all one of the reasons we moved to France.
2024
Last year I was invited to take part in an exhibition in Bassan 34, a collaboration between 23 poets and 100 artists.
We painters and sculptures had to choose one of 23 poems and paint the image the poem created in our heads, the resulting exhibition was amazingly inspirational.
The poem I chose was "Le Port des Légendes" by Marie Jeanne Desvall, which in itself was inspired by a novel by Emille Zola, a sad story where the heroine Albine falls in love with a young priest, they are caught en flagrant. The priest confesses and goes back to the church, our heroine then commits suicide to the fragrance of lillies.
My thoughts turned to a friend, whose image I used to depict Albine, with the flowers of all seasons, including lillies of course, painted from life
I finished the painting on 1 Mai when friends, in France, give each other a bunch of Muguet (Lilly of the Valley) so I had to add them into the painting. There seemed to be a special space reserved for them.
