In October 2020 in between Covid lock-downs I upped sticks and moved to rural Provence, France. I had been holed up in London during the pandemic staying with friends as I had previously given up my accommodation with plans to move to France after I had finished travelling in the U.S and Canada all of which quickly ended when borders started closing as the virus spread. My long held dream of living and working in the E.U had been significantly impacted years previously by the Brexit referendum and so this move was my last chance to settle in the E.U before the door was well and truly shut even in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.
A friend offered accommodation in Puimoisson a little village in the Alpes de Haute Provence prefecture. A charming and rustic village surrounded by lavender fields, mountains, rivers and lakes. A week after my arrival both France and the U.K went back into lockdown and here I have remained ever since.
Within 3 months of my arrival I bought a little house in the village which I have slowly been renovating. I also became ill with a mix of physical and mental exhaustion, pain and muscle tension and an awful explosion of tinnitus. My journey with the French National Health service began. Over 5 years later I have managed to settle into a routine in-between bouts of further ill health including a cancer diagnosis and the death of my mother, other family members and a number of dear friends. Not surprisingly my creative output dwindled but I did manage to scratch out enough time and energy to work including completing a large commission for St Paul’s Cathedral Melbourne.
The Baptism
Egg Tempera and gold leaf on canvas
H 200 cm x W 320 cm (triptych) 2 x panels H 200 cm x W 80 cm 1 x panel H 200 cm x W 160cm
Saint Pauls Cathedral, Melbourne, Australia.
2024
Last year I also oversaw the conversion of my attic into a new art studio with incredible views over the Valensole plateau towards Le Grand Marges, a mountain that stirs many memories of Mount Tauhara, a mountain I grew up at the base of in Taupo, Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Le Grand Marges
Today my health is improving and my creative output is slowly gaining momentum. My French is still terrible but friends in the village are a great encouragement. Regular 3 monthly tests have also revealed no further cancer and so I live with hope that this will continue. Recently I was also heartened to learn of the “3 Mothers” being installed in their new home at Lambeth Palace, London. The new Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE has been a wonderful support and for this I am grateful.
3 Mothers Triptych