Paris / Athens / New York / Toronto: Returning Home

In my early twenties, I went to see my sister who lived in upstate New York.

Before I arrived, her daughters asked, “Where does René live, Mama?”

My sister said to them: “René doesn’t have a home.”

Ouch.

Those were during my wandering years.

Athens, GA: 1.Morning mist in the woods of Georgia 2.Sam Sutlive at Jittery Joe's 3.René art in an Athens collector’s home

Where is your home? 

Now I have a home. Or three. Maybe four. It's not that I own houses in all those places, its just that the feeling of 'home' comes to me strongly when I am there.

I happily traveled this past month to three locations:

1. Athens, GA, USA

2. New York City, USA

3. Toronto, Canada

Then back home again to:

4. Aubusson, France

New York, NY: 1.Manhattan rooftop inspiration 2.René art at the Shade Bar in the Village 3.Kate Sutlive in SoHo

What is the sensation of home? 

I felt perfectly at home in each of those locations. I felt the sense of peace that we have when we feel like we belong. Like we have a place there. That we have friends, and relatives, and locations that mean the world to us.

I realized it is perfectly okay to have more than one home.

A place where our dreams are formed and realized.

What place makes you feel really good? How do you share it?

Toronto, Canada: 1.Royal Ontario Museum 2.Downtown Toronto 3.René & Yvonne as twins

I like going away, and I like returning home again.

And why is Paris in the title above, you may ask?

Because that is where it all starts. A day and a night in Paris, a good coffeeshop visit, and walking along the Seine, and visiting my favorite street, rue de Bièvre, on the Left Bank, just across from Notre-Dame.

Comment below, and let me know; where do you feel most at home?

What is Creativity?

How would you define creativity? You might have a very particular definition, or it might just be a general idea.



Creativity is a topic that is dear to my heart.

I had the opportunity to lead a discussion in a language and cultural exchange group I'm part of in La Creuse. In this association, the native French speakers answer the questions in English, and, well, the native English speakers in the group reply in French (yes, that’s me!).

I was pretty excited to offer a question which seemed out of the norm; a question that I hoped would make the participants ponder a bit. The subjects that we had discussed before had to do with books, authors, the Pantheon, French history, gardening, etc.

 

What is creativity? I asked. What does creativity mean to you?

It’s funny, because for me, creativity is my life and soul. It’s in my bloodstream, and it is in everything I do.

For some of the group, the question did make them uncomfortable. I heard some groaning when I handed out the assignment.

But what wonderful responses grew out of that question, though!

The most beautiful answer, in my opinion, was the taxi driver who wrote about how he found great pleasure in driving through the French countryside, how he was connected to his car, how he found satisfaction in the act of taking people from one place to another. He described how he often transported ill people, people who needed to go to the doctor or the hospital (in the rural areas of France, the state often pays for your taxi ride to medical appointments). While driving, his conversations with the patients took their minds off their worries, and they often complimented him at the end of the ride, saying he had 'transported them away from their problems’.

The answers that came up in the group were so different than my own experiences and definition! It was a very rewarding exchange.

147 Sullivan Street (Purl Soho), Greenwich Village, NYC. Painting on silk by René Shoemaker

Now, before I let you go, I have the last painting from the San Francisco exhibit to share with you. #25: 147 Sullivan St (Purl Soho), Greenwich Village, NYC.

147 Sullivan Street is for now for sale in my online shop.

This turquoise-and-tangerine-colored urban scene is so bright and delightful, and is representative of the architecture found in Greenwich Village. Don't you just want to walk through that door and start exploring?

This vibrant painting, looking right at home in this San Francisco environment, was the one that welcomed all visitors into the gallery and exhibition.

@yollghu spinning tunes at the reception with 147 Sullivan Street watching the scene

It was rewarding to become part of the San Francisco art scene, and is a memory I will never forget.

Michelle Thomas Fine Art Gallery

​As 147 Sullivan Street is the last of the San Francisco exhibition artworks to share with you, I'd like to take this moment to once again thank the talented artist and master gallerist Michelle Thomas, whose biographical artwork we see here.

​What opportunities will 2025 bring for us all?

​Best wishes for a creative new year,

-René