Off to Cordes-Sur-Ciel

This morning we headed off on a field trip to the fortified town of Cordes-Sur-Ciel. Built in 1222 by the Count of Toulouse, the town was revived in the mid-20th century, by artists and other visitors who noticed the towns beauty. Albert Camus visited it in the 1950s and remarked that “In Cordes, everything is beautiful, even regret”.
So up the cobblestone streets we walked to a small studio owned by Rowena Maybourn.  Rowena is a textile artist who carves medieval images and prints onto Irish linen - a process that sounds pretty straightforward, but has taken her years to master and now, is the only artist who uses a special layering technique to creat her designs inspired by the middle ages. Rowena's studio is located in a 13th century home - filled with light and color. We were given a short tour and then taken up to her studio on the second floor where we were all able to block print on a small piece of linen.  It's been so inspiring to see these local crafts and the process the artists go through in order to produce their work - it gives a whole new meaning to French inspired crafts.