Often in life it’s a case of being in the right place at the right time, and Tarn-based sculptor and jeweller David Kemp knows this more than most. He tells Scheenagh Harrington how he came to set up his own studio near Albi.
Tales of Brits moving to France often involve them looking for a new life or seizing the opportunity to retire to the sunshine. Nottingham- born artist David Kemp, however, doesn’t fit the usual pattern, but the Tarn-based sculptor doesn’t mind in the slightest.
“I came to France to find my wife,” he quips, but there is a little more to his story than that. He arrived in 2002 to help his brother renovate a property he had bought in Gaillac, north-east of Toulouse.
The timing couldn’t have been better, as David explains, while chipping away at a carving amid the noise and bustle of a small quarry. “I was having a rough time one way or another. I think you could say I was suffering from depression. I came over and worked on my brother’s place and it was freezing cold and there were no home comforts.”
RIGHT TIME, RIGHT PLACE
Despite the hardships, David was struck by an idea. “I was an art teacher and was pretty good at it, so I had this idea of creating an arts centre. However I didn’t speak the language at all, except for maybe bonjour and oui and non, and I would nod sagely when people were speaking to me, thinking I understood what they were saying but mostly didn’t.”
David soon realised his grand ambition was beyond his organisational capabilities, so instead poured his energies into cleaning up his farmhouse in the tiny village of Padiès, around 20 minutes from Albi.
After spending his days clearing out “wobbly, cobbled-together chicken houses, rabbit hutches, busted vehicles and rubbish that had been lying around for the best part of a century,” he felt happy with the property. “It felt like a new start,” he says. “It was a beautiful place at the end of a lane with beautiful views. It was tranquil with a capital T.”
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Autumn 2016 من Living France.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Autumn 2016 من Living France.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Guide To: Working For A Foreign Company
If your current employer is happy to let you continue working for them after you move to France, there are a number of rules and regulations to be aware of to ensure you stay on the right side of the law, as Catharine Higginson explains
On vintage soil
Life in the vineyards of Aude is a dream come true for Leicestershire-born Katie Jones who now successfully exports her wines back to the UK, as Brigitte Nicolas learns
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
What happens if you are buying a French property but can’t attend the completion meeting at the notaire’s office in person? Matthew Cameron explains how a power of attorney can be used and how it works
In safe hands
There can be few more unusual homes than the 11th-century Château de Clérans, situated close to the Dordogne river in the Périgord Pourpre region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
THE CAPTAIN'S TABLE
Robin Ellis made his name as the original Captain Poldark but a diabetes diagnosis led the Tarn-based actor to add cookbook writing to his CV, as Richard Webber learns
My frugal France
Embracing modern technology could save you money and time on both the pleasures and essentials of life in France, says Laura Harley as she shares some of her favourite French apps
Hidden Talents
Moving to France enabled these three expats to switch off from busy careers and in turn discover new creative talents, says Gillian Harvey, who counts herself among them
Beauty to behold
With its legendary vineyards, charming old towns and rich gastronomy, Gironde is quintessential France at its best, as Alison Weeks discovers
AS SEEN ON SCREEN
A Dordogne town, a Charente city and a Pyrenean village all have a starring role in three new films hitting the big screen this year, joining a long list of French locations that have gone before them, as Vicky Leigh learns
A local's view
Trish and Mark Tyler run a beautifully restored chambres d’hôtes, set in six hectares of park and woodland near StÉmilion, which has a fascinating history