Artist's Magazine - USA (2020-05)

8 Artists Magazine May 2020

Prime VOYAGE

m

uchismadeintoday’sfast-

pacedworldofthedesireto

reducespeed.Aspleinair

artists,ourchoicetocarefullyrecord

withourhandsandeyesinlieuof(or

inadditionto)snappinga pictureis

a strongvoteforslowingdown.The

goodnewsisthat,eveninthejetage,

it’spossibletospendsixdaystravel-

ingfewerthan 30 milesona restored

cargobarge,orpeniche, ononeof

France’smosthistoricandpicturesque

canals.It’sa journeythatcouldbe

madeinlessthananhourbycar.

TheCanalduNivernais,deepinthe

wineregionofBurgundy,connects

themedium-sizedcathedraltownof

Auxerrewiththedecidedlysmaller

townofClamecy,anda journeyalong

thissegmentis possibleineither

directionfromMaythroughOctober.

I traveledit firstin 2017 andagainthis

pastOctoberontheLuciole, a restored

cargobargeoriginallylaunchedin

1926 whentheextensivecanalnet-

workinFrancewasusedtomovecargo

suchasgrainandcoal.Theearliestof

thesecanalsdatesfromthetimeof

KingHenryIVinthelate16thcentury,

whentravelbyroadwasdifficult,but

canalscontinuedinuseforshipping

bulkgoodswellintothe20thcentury.

TheLuciolewasdiscoveredbyits

currentownersandrefittedin 1966 as

Barging Through Burgundy

Six days along the Canal du Nivernais combines leisurely travel

with slowly changing, picturesque scenery.

text and illustrations by Stephen Harby

Cruising on the Vermenton Canal (graphite

and watercolor on paper, 13x9½ ) shows a branch

canal off of the main Nivernais Canal that leads

to a small harbor beside the charming town of

Vermenton. This studio watercolor is based on

a quick study I made during my canal travels.