I bought my little house in St Agnes in 1989. I called her Non such House after Non Such Bay in Antigua. She was in fact number 8 Rue de la Pellalaria, which you won’t find in the dictionary. It means street of the gardens and all along the little path that led to the house that I was in love with were pretty vegetable gardens. I always with that I hadn’t sold this little house. I was embracing my art with with an extreme force having worked on the boats for 7 years I had missed painting terribly. And the only fault my little house had was that it’s ceilings were so low, I could not put my easle up! I had to paint standing over my canvas, not doing the kind of masterpeices that Jackson Pollock would have produces standing over his canvasses!
I had my very first exhibition in France at the Centre Culturel in St Agnes in 1993. Friends and family came and supported my then quite garish paintings.
My exhibition coincided with my father, George Baker and my step mum’s, actress Louie Ramsey’s honey moon. So I had a splendid time taking my pa and step mum to some of my favourite places, But who could beat this perfect scene as for the most beautiful and romantic back garden terrace.
In those days I was decidedly vegan and the dinner you can see on the pretty plates, was tofu curry with french beans and toasted crumbled cashew nuts. Yum. The beautiful bowl and hidden blue jug came from St Remy Les Baux, the glasses from Biot, the table cloth from Africa and the beautiful glass jug had been a wedding present to my mum Julia Squire and my dad a god 45 years ealier at that time. The mountains and trees were hand delivered by nature herself. I still miss St Agnes.
Once a week I used to go in my 2cv with my friend Jean-Claude Godot and pick up a box of organic veggies and fruit, these are what I lived of for the week. Mr. Bryche the Veggie man also happened to have a Tibetan Temple on his land, where I used to go and pray and chant. All a bit magical really.
One of the views from my window. Not too shabby!
Dad and Louie enjoying a glass in my garden.
Back to England for a minute, this was my 2cv, fondly called donkey by my niece Kim, filled with hedgerow cuttings that I used for the flower arrangements for Dad and Louie’s wedding.
Exhibition 2017 in Draguignan. I sold my favourite painting Crepescule.
And now I am off home to Lorgues to pick my car up from the garage!! Back to earth!!
Paint Provence and elsewhere with Tess 