The weather was perfect for a very long walk. The sky is threatening to
rain but I know it’s all bark and no bite. I walked to a nearby town, 6
km from caunes-minervois and found a beautiful little cemetery and
church.
I’ve been taking pictures and I ate my lunch. I got fresh country bread
and amazing cheese (chantal) from the market in carcassone so I made a
simple bread and cheese sandwich plus brought an apple and orange. I
will do a pastel pencil drawing of this church that you see and then
walk through the town of citou.
I got an idea for my next painitng walking along the road. I looked up
the hill into the trees and saw some black figures moving quickly
through the trees, maybe dogs. It triggered some fear mechanism in me. I
want to try to paint that, the fear I felt in just that one moment. It
felt very primal and human.
I’ve been doing little watercolors every day and have started two oil
paintings but I feel like I haven’t really gotten going full steam.
Maybe this trip wasn’t meant for me to do that. I love the swimming hole
and all the trees and bugs and birds, and that’s enough for me. I’m
learning a lot, just nothing is going down on canvas right now. Maybe
I’m waiting for something to solidify. I stay up at night night an get
all excited by ideas but don’t know how to execute on them just yet. I
love my painting journal. It’s been a great companion.
–alanna