Ruggieri and Janin - artistes extraordinaire de Luberon

Philippe & Anne-Marie

This husband and wife artistic team made such an impression on me in 2009 during our last trip to the Luberon area of France and particularly their home town of Bonnieux, that we have today driven from Lourmarin, our home base during this current trip, and we have found Anne-Marie Ruggieri in the studio that we visited six years ago. We learned today that they now have a second gallery in Bonnieux called Kelia Galerie. Philippe works in this latter one. Both of them are remarkable artists. Since our last visit they have both done many works in pastels which seem to compliment the subject matter of Anne-Marie’s landscapes and still lives, and Philippe’s nudes. The nudes are new subject matter since I last saw his work. After our 2009 trip, I wrote a blog post about them and I place the link to that here, ‘Artists Anne-Marie Ruggieri and Philippe Janin.’ They have a marvellous website with both French and English capabilities, called Janin et Ruggieri.

Today as we spent time with Anne Marie, we purchased one of their five art books, this one called 'Luberon, Le triangle d’Or.’



Bonnieux is several kilometres from Lourmarin up steeply curved and circuitous climbs, but we may go again to see how he is. They honour their country and the specific region so well by their impressionist work. I enjoy their paintings very much.

Christine had explained that we had been here 6 years earlier and visited this gallery, that I was an artist and that I liked their work. Anne Marie was so pleased.





She was so friendly and engaging with us and she said she would sign it for us and then she began to do a pen landscape sketch on the inside cover, at the bottom of which she signed her name and the date 29 Septembre 2015.




She told us that if we then went into the village to the other gallery, Philippe would also sign it.

























 Within minutes, someone came in to tell her that Philippe had fallen was hurt and had been taken to the hospital in Apt, and she was immediately visibly concerned. Our visit ended with our thanks to her and our expression of trust that her husband would be alright.












Then on Monday … we returned because Philippe communicated he could receive us. He was well, and had not been badly injured, and he was happy to visit with us.





In his gallery he signed our book and posed for photos with us.

Philippe Janin signing a book for Christine and Ron Unruh

Anne Marie Ruggieri and Ron

by Ron Unruh

Artists Anne-Marie Ruggeri and Philippe Janin

A NEW LEARNING
Anne-Marie Ruggeri and Philippe Janin are a gifted and accomplished artistic husband and wife who own a studio/gallery in the town of Bonnieux in the foothills of Mount Luberon in Provence. During a day trip Christine and I spotted the gallery and stopped in Bonnieux. I was very impressed by the oils that Philippe paints and the pastels by Anne-Marie. Extraordinary work and priced to reflect their success. Pastel is a medium I simply cannot understand. Never tried it and am amazed at its beauty. We purchased some gorgeous cards as mementos. The first picture is by Philippe and shows Bonnieux with its church prominently in the picture. These communities always had a church central to its community and life. How things change. They are largely empty or sparsely attended now.

You see some of their work here but I believe this is an old site. There are more of Janin’s recent works here

I noticed that so many French artists produce postcards and posters and prints and many of them also have printed books of their art. It is clever marketing as it provides pieces at prices suitable to a range of buyers. This pair has several books.




Ruggeri has even had some of her art incorporated into fashion, and this site shows a scarf imprinted with her work. Tap the photo to enlarge it for a better view.

It was inspiring to look at their work but also to process what is required by marketing to become an established artist.

What to do with the Time that is given to us

A NEW LEARNING
In the small town of Lourmarin in the Luberon Hills of Provence, Christine and I were introduced to the concept of time in the life of the French. Our gite (apartment) was accessed on the high point of the village after a modest walk up very narrow cobble stone lanes or one lane roads. The gite was within a tiny square which contained other dwellings, an art ‘gallerie’ and an historic Catholic church. Near the steps of the small church was a fountain where the sound of the water spout was comfortable and constant. Here is a painting I did while sitting on my porch. This square was frequented by daily tourists passing by and pretending to be locals we watched them from our small porch on the second level. The church tower bell sounded every hour, one gong for each hour, and one gong on the half hour. Everyone wears wristwatches now of course yet town time was still marked by the church bell. All the business establishments shut their doors when twelves chimes rang out and didn’t reopen until the single clang at 2:30 pm. Town time included this liberal lunch break and midday sleep time. Initially, we wondered whether we could accustom ourselves to the constant audio reminder that time was passing, specially at two, and three, and four o’clock in the morning. Yet someone told us, “Soon you will not notice the chimes.” Someone was correct. Within days the bell was a friendly sound, and through the nights it was hardly discernable as our sleep habits adjusted. Each morning I arose, dressed and walked down to the main street, again one lane and one way for vehicles. Passing people we would exchange a respectful “Bonjour.” Three minutes later I entered the Boulangerie from which drifted the aroma of fresh bread beckoning us all. Always there were people in line at the Boulangerie. No one was in a rush. A vehicle would stop outside the boulangerie, blocking the one lane traffic and the driver would enter the shop to buy his baguette. Other cars simply waited behind his roadblock, patient, no horn honking, no road rage. Each patron walked out with baguettes under our arms or croissants in a bag. “Merci, au revoir et bon journee,” the clerk would say as I left. Ohh, the croissants, buttery, warm, flaky and fattening. All good! At the corner where two café/pubs were located, locals were already sitting at outside tables with their espressos and watching us pass. Christine and I wondered then and now whether the pace of life which we admired in a French village is transferable to our culture. Of course it can’t be entirely. Here, most of our merchants operate in areas removed from our homes, so we are wheeled society. Our home and yard require much work to maintain and all that takes time, so we consider downsizing to a smaller place where yard work is done by someone else. Yet if we liberate more time for ourselves, what can we do with it? Travel more? Paint more? What? That’s where the time question brings me. Retirement has already provided more discretionary time to me. Does time in retirement come with responsibility or is it entirely mine now to use as I choose?

In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf said, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

Ah, and I am a person with the conviction that the one who has given me time is the Father. My time is in his hands. What I decide about the use of my time must reflect the sincerity and measure of my dedication to him. Yet this obligation does not have to be perceived as unfun and onerous since I believe that wise use of time may be as simple as kicking the soccer ball with my grandson Ryan, and hitting golf balls with my grandson Kale, and teaching my granddaughter Kailyn how to paint with acrylics, and wrestling with my grandson Jayden (JJ) and letting my two year old granddaughter Kadence snuggle with her head into my neck for long periods of time, and painting my son Jeff’s window trim, and having coffee with my friend Bob, and…. I suppose the itinerary is endlessly delightful and significant.