On many occasions I have been told that I should attend Salon but I was never quite sure what it was, so I didn't.
Salon 2010 was held in Versailles near Paris and...as that is only a short hop across the English Channel I went to see what all the excitement was about.
I arrived in Versailles with little idea of what to expect.
The night before I travelled I read an interview between Leslie Vigini and Regina Garay on the Fauxology blog. That was a great help. I understood that Salon is an annual gathering for international masters of decorative arts to come together, share knowledge and admire each others work. It was also to watch and discuss the application of old and new techniques and materials.
I packed a sun face stencil, it's my company logo. It was King Louis' too. They are all over Versailles. My room mates were Sheri Hunt and Tatiana Rugers.
They are both members of IDAL, the international group of decorative artisans that I belong to. Sheri and Tatiana had previously particpated at Salons so I looked to them for guidance. Those not part of the Salon group, may participate by submitting evidence of their talent to the Salon hosts. Both artwork and artist must meet standards of excellence set down by the group before being accepted. I was there as a guest, I had nothing to do except watch, learn, enjoy myself and brew the morning cappuccino.
The chosen panels for Salon 2010 were displayed in the Versailles Town Hall from the opening reception to the end of Salon. Here a few samples of the work.
Throughout Salon the participating artists recreated their submitted panel for an audience of fellow masters and visitng public.
More than 100 artists from 16 different countries attended.
The communal meals were a riot of hand semaphore, Franglais and other hybrid communication as we got to grips with each others languages.
There were two Salon mural projects to work on. This one was for members only it was orchestrated by Patrick Kirwin and was donated to the Versailles City Museum. It depicted a visual feast... with no cheese.
The other offering was open to all to contribute (I hope) and was a mosaic of finishes donated to the School of Fine Art.
Persuaded by others I tagged the mural with my sun face stencil… and no one painted over it.
Much of Salon is concerned with marbling, and replicating stone or wood finishes.
I have done neither since college twenty years ago but my interest has been awakened and I want to learn again.
Murals and trompe l’eoil are well represented by some of the best artists in the industry.
There was little stencilling. One of the British masters referred to my profession as 'slap dashers' and tried to convince me that it was a compliment! I wandered between locations attending lectures and lunches and observed the progression of murals.
My favorite part of the week was the excursions. Our host Jean Sable and his team took us to some wonderful places, but that can wait. This post is long enough.
Jean Sable is teaching at this years IDAL convention in Portland, Oregon, USA..
His work is beautiful and I expect the class will be wonderful. Those not attending the convention may want to learn may like to know he has a new book. I've had a peek and it's fab.
Helen.
I so regret not being able to go to Salon 2010....but the pictures make me very happy!! The finished mural that Patrick coordinated is amazing. I will see you at IDAL and will be taking Jean-Luc's class!!
Posted by: Theresa | June 15, 2010 at 01:24 PM
Ooooh great I shall look forward to seeing you. I would love to take Jean Luc's class and many from others. I am working in the booth this year when not teaching. I shall buy his book though. I have a preview booklet and will blog it before convention. I must show you the shell cottage too.
Posted by: stencil helen | June 15, 2010 at 02:13 PM
i was terribly disappointed to not be able to go this year. i was *ahem* otherwise engaged. but every year it is full of surprises and fantastic work. glad you had a chance to see this event in such an apropos setting!
Posted by: lynne rutter | June 16, 2010 at 03:39 AM
wow, wow, wow! i loved versailles when i visited last year. what an amazing event to attend.
Posted by: PinkBow | June 16, 2010 at 08:13 PM
I'm amazed at the talent and craftsmanship you saw at Versailles; made me want to cry. Lovely, lovely stuff! I shall come back to it daily for inspiration. Wow!
Posted by: Sabina Rose | June 25, 2010 at 11:19 PM
Sabina, yes it was lovely but some of your decorative artworks will have stood up very well there too.
Posted by: stencil helen | June 26, 2010 at 12:16 PM