I am back, and it’s hard to imagine how the trip could have gone any better. This was the first big trip I’ve been on since I started making art again, and what an incredible difference it made. Every place we went was an opportunity to capture a new image. I have two full sketchbooks and three full digital camera memory cards.

Speaking of the digital camera, what an amazing machine. I felt absolutely free to take pictures of whatever I pleased – no worries about processing costs or fretting over whether I should really be using up film just to take a picture of…fill in the blank. I never realized how worried I was about those things. I’m also pleased at the improvements in my photo compositions: being able to see the photo on the digital display on the camera has made a world of difference. And an added seemingly-small-but-actually-huge bonus: I don’t have to take off my glasses to take a picture! See the link “Pictures I’ve Taken” to the right to see a handful of pics from France. I’ll also be posting images from my sketchbook on the “Pictures I’ve Drawn” site over the coming days (again, see link to the right).

The key difference between my regular life and my vacation life in France was that in France, every moment held the potential for experiencing pleasure and beauty. You’re surrounded by the inherent beauty of French cities, as well as by hundreds of quotidian things that are unexpectedly and often extravagantly beautiful: perfectly formed, fresh baguettes; store windows; wrappers on sugar cubes; door handles….I could go on and on. Back here in the states, there’s a much less romantic, far more utilitarian approach to life. What would my regular life be like if I was surrounded by this cushion of beauty every single day?

At the Art Nouveau museum in Nancy, a clearly bored docent told us if we had any questions to let her know. I wanted to ask her if her life had changed, having lived for eight hours each day among the Art Nouveau vases, tables, chairs, paintings, etc. -- particularly as the movement aimed to connect people more closely to nature. I should have asked her this question, but didn’t.

Later in the week, when I met Francoise Diderion who has worked in the Dina Vierney gallery for 50 years as of this year, she mentioned that “it is a pleasure living amongst” the photographs in her current show (Mr. Horvat’s photographs: see the link to his Web site to the right.) Perhaps on of my New Year’s resolutions will be to take more time for beauty, and to do my best to bring more beauty into the lives of others and just see what happens.