Not one, but TWO art exhibitions in FRANCE!

My first solo art exhibition in France happened on March 27, 2026, and was almost immediately followed by my second art exhibition in France! It was such a whirlwind, but so much fun! Randall got to come with me and we made some great new friends, got to see some friends we had made on our previous trip(s), ate so much great food, and generally just had a blast.

Café d'Arts Pyrénées

Our adventure began on March 23, 2026 about midday. We said goodbye to our kitties, took a cab to the airport, and had my giant tubs wrapped in plastic (per the instructions of the airline). We got the tubs and our luggage checked in, went through security, and waited at our gate.

The flight to Mexico City was short and uneventful, and soon we arrived in Terminal 1. Our layover was HUGE (nearly seven hours), so we left the airport and went to the airport Hilton to get some lunch/dinner and wait for our next flight. We found a cute restaurant where we had a nice meal.  Then, we headed back into the airport to find Terminal 2.

Our flight took off around 11pm, and lasted almost 11 hours. We had a late dinner and went to sleep for as many hours as we could. We landed in Paris at 4:35pm. (local time)

Mexico City was already preparing for the World Cup!

Wrapping the boxes in plastic for transport!

Leaving Oaxaca

The Jacarandas were blooming!

Approaching Mexico City

Watching the sunset in Paris

We left Paris a little after 8pm and flew to Biarritz.

Our time in Paris was very short, but we did see the Eiffel Tower!

We arrived in Biarritz around 10:30pm, and anxiously waited to make sure the art arrived in one piece. There was some question before we left as to whether or not I had all the right permits, or if I would have to pay import taxes, or if anything might be outright confiscated (some people were concerned about the seedpods and driftwood in my work and didn't know if it would be allowed). I had a full inventory included in each box, along with my SAGARPA permit to leave Mexico (and hopefully!) enter France, plus extra zip ties in case it was opened by customs, but no one checked anything! The boxes arrived unopened, and still mostly sealed in plastic wrap even! We were shocked, but thrilled! We gathered up all our luggage and huge tubs and headed to the car rental.

What a relief it was to see these again!

And, a little after midnight, we arrived at the chateau/gallery! It was a little over 27 hours start to finish, and we did sleep a little on the plane, but we were exhausted and immediately went to bed. But, the jet lag got us and neither of us could sleep, finally nodding off around 4 or 5am. We slept until almost 10 that morning, but were still pretty drowsy most of the next day.

I am in love with this wisteria that covers the windows of the chateau.

Some pretty flowers in the gardens at the chateau.

We spent the next couple of days setting up the show, and visiting with friends. We even squeezed in a trip to Choko Ona (see my previous post about the artist residency for more info and pictures) and had another fantastic meal. Jennifer and Jaqueline were amazing hosts and we had the best time enjoying getting to know them both better. It was chilly and rainy most days, but I was in absolute heaven the whole time.

And, then, all of a sudden it was Friday and the show was upon us!

Making new friends!

After the opening, I was totally exhausted! The travel, the adrenaline... But, we had a few days to rest and recuperate before the next show. So, we took a few days and went to Spain to see the Guggenheim in Bilbao, and spend a couple of days in San Sabastian. It was a welcome and needed break (watch out for a blog post about the Ruth Asawa exhibit at the Guggenheim- it was so incredible!). The next Thursday, though, we were back at the chateau to set up the second show.

My second exhibition in France, Art en Vrac, took place April 4-6 in Salies-de-Béarn, a short 15 minute drive from the gallery. 2026 was the 18th year of the arts festival, and it was something to see! 75 artists, mostly from France, but also Europe and the US (or Mexico depending on where you consider me "from") were included in this juried show that takes over the entire town of Salies. We were immediately struck by the sheer number of banners and posters and flags all over town, and expected that everyone in the village would definitely attend.

My booth was in the entryway for the event, kind of in a small gallery of its own, but with a big window to the main lobby so people could see my stuff as soon as they entered the building. The art was really well-received and more than a couple of people said that my booth was the highlight of the show for them, and I really could not have asked for more. Everyone was so kind and welcoming!

Unfortunately, I had booked most of the trip before I had the dates for Art en Vrac, so our plan was to leave on Sunday to go to Bordeaux, so we had to leave while the show was still happening which was very difficult to do! As we were saying our goodbyes, it hit me for the first time that I was leaving all of my art in France and would not see it again for at least several months, and that was a lot more challenging emotionally than I was prepared for. But, I know it is in the very best hands and it will be fine, and maybe people will see it and love it and will take a piece home with them. So, we left Salies-de-Béarn, returned to Biarritz to turn in our rental car, took a cab to the train station and caught our train to Bordeaux.

Both shows turned out to be just amazing, and I could not have been happier with the turn out or the response. It was really an unbelievable experience, and I can't wait to do it again!

Entering through the gate.

Some of the grounds and the chateau/gallery

The show!

My Art en Vrac booth space

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