Ina Bartelds in Jailly-les-Moulins 

A Garden for Studio
To set out for the other side of Europe, to stop on the way and then find oneself living and painting in Burgundy. This is exactly what happened to Ina Bartelds.
Ten years ago, Ina and Hans wanted to change everything: towns, countries and, their lives

 Until then, Ina with qualifications in art and art history, was professor of art in Groningen and Hans was a carpenter doing very well working on large construction sites. And then, they had the urge to stop everything, a desire to live more in harmony together, to have more time, to live closer to nature and, for Ina, to be able to paint. They wanted to leave Holland. At first, Ina and Hans were tempted to go to the other end of the world, to Guatemala, India, Indonesia, places they already knew. However, the thought of breaking ties and the wish to stay in touch with their country and their friends, won the day and they decided on Portugal. On their way was Burgundy and, destiny. A one-night stop in their camping van at Baigneux-les-Juifs lasted two months.

 

  

 

 A Garden for Studio
Ina and Hans found Burgundians to be extremely welcoming and Ina, who wished to devote her time to painting flowers, found plenty that might occupy her all year long. The region is green all summer with inspiration immediately at hand, catching your eye and reaching out to you. Everything else would be down to opportunity. As luck would have it, one of the five mills in the village of Jailly-les-Moulins, was for sale, they very quickly purchased it and the family, Ina, Hans and their four-year-old son, were soon settled in the village. Now, their dream of creating a new life and working together in harmony with nature would come true. Hans, useful with his hands, got to work renovating the buildings and created an art gallery in a barn. Ina had the garden as a studio.


 
The Mill of Flowers
Ina Bartelds paints flowers almost exclusively, a passion since childhood and an association for her of nature and colour. She paints with oil directly onto canvas, depending on what inspires her and what she finds around the house in the garden - large brilliantly coloured flowers that open up in space, often with the appearance of delicate material. She particularly adores poppies, peonies, sunflowers and amaryllis and follows their many changes both night and day so that she can capture them better in her painting. For Ina, “a flower is magic; it is a message to be interpreted”. Hans accompanies her, sharing her passion for nature and making the frames for her canvasses.
 

 

 

An Unpretentious Village
For five years, the gallery has opened every summer and been visited by tourists, passers-by, and Dutch friends “People come to see us much more than we return to Holland. Having emigrated we have begun a completely new life”, and the village people have too. Jailly-les-Moulins took the family under its wing, their son went to school nearby and the commune asked Hans to be a handyman taking care of the paths and public areas locally, which he continues to do.
As well as participating in exhibitions in Cannes, Paris and Monaco, Ina continues to cultivate her garden and flowers and to combine pleasure with inspiration.

The gallery is open all summer from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays, until 15 September, or by telephoning for an appointment on 03 80 35 88 54.
 

Pierre Vian in: Le Bien Public, August 16th 2004