"quand t'es pas là" 9x12" oil on wood panel, named after the song by luciole (#40 on my french playlist below). gold leaf frame, lightly varnished, wired, and ready to hang.
our family of 7 saved up for a year to take an adventure together in france. we arrived at the end of february, leaving utah in a snowstorm. by contrast, france was starting an early spring of sorts and we were so happy to see a few blooms here and there. towards the end of our trip, we spent a few days in the loire valley visiting castles and gardens. we stayed in the loveliest old farmhouse on the outskirts of a tiny village. the owners lived in part of the home and had a beautiful courtyard garden with a few flowering plants starting to bloom. i had never seen this kind of red tiny flowers, and getting a peek of their first bloom was really quite exciting.
the apartment of the farmhouse had been beautifully redone. the warm and golden natural oak had been recently refinished and there were white vases and tile with touches of blue throughout. that night, after we cooked together in the tiny cozy kitchen, the older kids were watching tv in french lol, and the twins were coloring away at the table with me as I painted the charming blossoms we’d enjoyed in the garden that morning, including colors from the farmhouse.
i came across luciole’s music a couple of years ago and have found her albums enchanting. she has a unique style and voice that is full of emotion. i couldn’t figure out how to purchase the digital album, so I bought her cd. to my pleasant surprise, it arrived in a handwritten envelope from france, with a handwritten card from luciole. the song title means, “when you’re not there”. i’m sure she’s talking about someone she loves, but it made me think of winter leaving, spring arriving and how grateful i was that we’d been able to spend this time together as a family. time away, just to be together, to giggle at mistranslations and experience new traditions and cultures together.
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here are links to my latest playlists that inspired the titles of my original oil paintings (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
email k@katrinaberg.com with any questions.
