Latest News and Information February 21, 2010 The Pottery Expo at Warrandyte is on 27 and 28 February 2010 Over 50 ceramic artists will exhibit their work, from around Vic, NSW, NZ and France. February 21, 2010 Add new item here February 21, 2010 December 12, 2009 December 12, 2009   Pottery Summer School 2 courses to choose from: 1.    Monday 4 January to Thursday 7 January 2010 or 2.    Monday 18 January to Thursday 22 January 2010 109 Kangaroo Ground Rd, Warrandyte 3113 4 days of making, sculpting, decorating. Learn to throw on the wheel or improve and extend your skills. Make interesting slab pots, sculptures and garden pieces with the slab roller. Be creative, experiment with animal forms, whacky sculptures. Make tiles for garden seats, tables or walls. Bring some ideas, a sketch book, an apron and a sense of humour, for some fun with clay. Learn new skills and develop some existing ones. Clay, materials, colours, glazes and firing [bisque and glaze] included.                                      $320 [4 days] 5 people max.  BYO lunch. Tea, coffee, cold drinks provided. Ring for more information: Jane Annois 98442337 or 0422942216       email: jannois@bigpond.com November 21, 2009 Painting Mt St Victoire near Aix en Provence, June 2009    Antibes, June 2009 November 21, 2009 The 'cave' at Volnay, pinot noir from the Cote d'Or. November 18, 2009 Bonjour, I have recently returned from enjoying the vineyards of the Beaujolais, Bourgogne and Alsace, during the grape picking season. Perfect weather to enjoy a glass of Pinot Gris in an outdoor cafe in the beautiful villages of Kaysersberg and Riquewhir in Alsace, balmy evenings under the trees in Strasbourg and exploring the 'Caves' of the Cote d'Or at Volnay and Pommard near Beaune, where I picked grapes at 21. We enjoyed the generous hospitality of Christian Faillat and his wife Martine at their tiny village of St Cecile in Bourgogne and the delightful company of Annie D'orifice and her husband Roger at their home and gallery at Oingt in the Beaujolais. Now I am planning 5 tours for next year: The Painting and Music tours are nearly full, but there are a few places left for June and September tours. Please contact me for full itineraries. There is something for most interests. The June tour is for those who would like to visit some of the most beautiful regions of France, away from the tourists [ No we are not tourists]. The lavender will be in full bloom and sunflowers will be tall with a few just emerging. We will visit hilltop villages, artists' studios, enjoy the company of many French potters and artists, sample wonderful regional cuisine and wines, and swim in the Mediterranean and more. The September tour has a ceramics focus, starting with the potters market in Lyon  and visiting many studios in Bourgogne and in the south. The Sept/October tour will start in Paris and explore a broad range of all things French: Giverny, Chartres, La Borne, the Loire Valley, Fontainbleau and more.                               September 26, 2008 Exhibition at St Uze "Ceramique francaise - Australian Touch" Jane's corner. September 26, 2008 the last sunflowers for the season September 25, 2008   Chateau Virieu, near Charavines, from the air. September 25, 2008 At La Maison de Ceramique at St Uze, with our pots in the shop front gallery. September 20, 2008 September 20, 2008 September 20, 2008 September 20, 2008 Having lunch at Jean Nicolas Gerard's house at Valensole. September 15, 2008 The studio of Jean Noel Peignon at Caromb September 14, 2008 The studio of Roland Dutel at Dieulefit September 14, 2008 Our gite at La Roche St Secret September 13, 2008 Pottery at Cliousclat September 11, 2008 September 2008 The trip in September saw us exhibiting  as a Australian stand at "Les Tupiniers de Vieux Lyon", the annual potters market in the old quarter of Lyon. We then visited some wonderful potters and artists through the Drome region and Provence, returning via Grenoble and then exhibiting again with the French at La Maison de Ceramique at St Uze, in an exhibition titled "Ceramique Francaise- Australian Touch". Here are a few photos from our journey, more can be seen by visiting Vicki Grima's website www.vickigrima.com.au and clicking the link to French tour 2008. Also see the latest edition of The Journal of Australian Ceramics pp 94 - 98 for an article about the trip and another in the same magazine on pp 64 and 65. August 03, 2008 Bonjour from Le Facteur Cheval The postman who worked all his life to create this amazing monument to life, art and the whole catastrophe. We also enjoyed a fabulous jazz performance here by Tania Maria and her Brazilian quartet, one hot summer's night.     Lee Goller in tete a tete with Pierre Cardin over a drink. A chance 'rencontre' at Lacoste with the man himself was an evening none of us will forget. Charming and generous, we also discussed life, art and our most favourite places to live in Europe. This would have to be one of them.       Lunch in Jean Marc's garden. Great food and wine, great company. Very relaxed.   August 03, 2008 Les Calanques, Cassis on the Mediterranean.   La Pyramide. Restaurant at Vienne. Chef: Patrick Henriroux. Lunch here before seeing Herbie Hancock at Jazz at Vienne.   August 03, 2008 THE IMPRESSIONIST TOURS 15-29 May 2009 and 5-19 June 2009 August 03, 2008 Pottery Workshops, Jazz and South of France, 25 June -9 July 2009 August 03, 2008 Pottery and Wine Tour, 11-25 september 2009 June 19, 2008 The first tour for the year has just finished and people have scattered to various parts of France and home again. A fabulous groups of people who all got on well and were full of enthusiasm for all things French. Our 2 weeks were cooler than anticipated, but we avoided rain by finding restaurants and studios to visit. Provencal market shopping became an art and the sun conveniently came out just we wanted to explore, have a picnic or take a boat trip. One highlight superceded another. The roses at the gite at Faramans were breathtaking, a beautiful garden for relaxing and having croissants and coffee. The gite near Dieulefit was restored with loving care by Francine an food prepared by Xavier. Carol and Geoff stayed in the chateau nearby, owned by ceramic artist Tristan whose daughter Rebecca treated us to a piano performance [while pregnant with twins and just before embarking on her national concert tour], while having aperitifs to celebrate her ceramic exhibition. We were entranced and entertained by the poet of Lacoste and his off sider Serge, which was only topped off when his boss Pierre Cardin came to join us for drinks and ended up shouting us all and chatting for an hour or so. I am still pinching myself. Although Margaret spent much of the boat trip to the Calanques at Cassis talking to the head honcho from L'Oreal. She really did enjoy meeting all the gorgeous French potters and made some good friends. We got back from the south of France in time to watch Jean Jacques Dubernard throw chocolate pots for the chocolatier Monsieur Juvenal, at the potters market. Had dinner with all the potters, Lee and I took part in the market at La Cote St Andre on the Sunday. Lots of food and wine, dinners with French potters and some spectacular countryside. June 19, 2008   Au Revoir         Geoff Walker [Clint] To Faramans we came to hang out with sweet Jane. Pottery and glaze and lovely spring haze, nine of us in all we proceeded to have a ball. French chateaux, the countryside, market places that come alive, Drinks with Pierre, French chefs everywhere, friends we have met, as we go to and fro, and one that got lost on the Metro. French cheeses and wine we had a great time, so many great places, no unhappy faces. No time to tarry it’s off to Gay Paris To Jean Marc and Jane fond memories remain. We won’t say hoo roo just Merci Beaucoup!!!!                May 18, 2008 Bonjour ou a bientot,  The first tour for 2008 is leaving in a little over a week, on 29 May. Many of the group are already in Europe and will meet up in Lyon. The second group are all meeting at Lyon on 20 June, ready for the jazz and pottery tour. Can't wait to see Diana Krall, Herbie Hancock and other fabulous musicians in the Roman ampitheatre of Vienne. I am now taking bookings for 2009. The first tour "In the Footsteps of the Impressionists" is proving very popular. This begins in Avignon on 15 May - 29 May2009. Cherry Manders will be our painting tutor on the tour. We stay in Aix and go to Cassis, along the Cote D'Azur to Nice back via the Gorges du Verdon to the Luberon Valley in Provence where we relax and take in the hill top villages meet local artists. The "footsteps" we are following are those of Cezanne, Matisse, Chagall, Picasso and Van Gogh. STOP PRESS!!! We are having a get together of all those interested in the Impressionist Tour at Cherry Manders house at 33 Tills Drive, Warrandyte on Sunday 25 May at 4pm. Please ring 98442337 if you would like to come. As this tour is filling very quickly we will offer another from June 5 - June 19 2009. While I am away in France I can be contacted at jane@zestefrenchtours.com  Bookings can be made with East Burwood Travel [Cliff or Ashley] on 98081177