Artisans and Artisans

Pascal Ponsard's silk scarves

In France, May is loaded with bank holidays and this year was no exception. But while the shops may shut down, it is a great time of year for arts and crafts fairs and boy have there been some crackers this year. The biennial arts and crafts fair in Tournus, definitely one of the biggest and most professional around here. There were 5 different venues around the town each containing stalls from jewellery makers, to wood cutters and potters to silk painters including our favourite, Pascal Ponsard, who is based here in Cormatin and makes absolutely beautiful silk painted scarves, everyone needs one !

Cormatin Patchwork display

Cees with his paintings

Of course Cormatin was not to be outdone and we have had two very impressive shows. Firstly the patchwork display and then La Tuilerie’s very own artist, Cees, exhibited his paintings in the artwork exhibition. As always, I am impressed with his display of work. However, the invitation he posted on his Facebook page caused endless confusion and we had people turning up at La Tuilerie, thinking he was exhibiting his paintings here - ah well next year maybe.

L'Eglantine festival - St Martin du Tartre

Last weekend we went to the annual Eglantine (wild rose) festival which takes over the whole of the village of Saint Martin du Tartre. Every courtyard and barn was full of stalls selling all sorts of new age and bio things, from crystals to angel contacts and bio crêpes with very non-bio-Nutella to open forums, discussing things like the future of our planet. I hesitate to say something for everyone, but it was certainly worth a visit.

Burmese tuilerie

Finally we went to the opening of a Burmese photo exhibition in Cluny and what did we find there? A photo of a Tuilerie Burmese style. How is that to make you feel at home.


La Tuilerie's very own Website not quite in Burma, but with a tropical feel at the beginning of June.