T
he French island of Mont Saint-Michel, in the
bay of the same name, is listed by UNESCO as
a world heritage site and welcomes more than
3 million visitors annually. I had hoped to be
included in that number, but in early June last year, fog
and mist enveloped the bay, rendering its gravity-defying
medieval Abbey completely invisible. I had arranged to
meet French artist Catherine Hutter in her studio in
Cancale, on the western edge of the bay, and had hoped
to take in the abbey while there. At least the fog didn’t
interfere with our interview.
Hutter and her sculptor husband, Jean-Pierre
Pichereau, share a customized house and studio
featuring a narrow frontage high in the town. Inside
the unassuming facade is an Aladdin’s Cave of paintings,
drawings, maquettes and sculptures, revealed in all their
variety and richness as one passes through the house
and past a painting studio, to emerge into the herb-filled
garden. There, at the back, is another studio, which is
used by Pichereau when welding, forging and firing
his sculptures.
Hutter and I settled into seats in her studio, and there
wetalkedaboutherlifeasanartist.FRENCH ARTIST CATHERINE HUTTER
TAKES A UNIQUE APPROACH TO HER
LUMINOUS WATERSCAPES.By Niall O’Neill
Between
Two
Wo r l d s
Water Gates (tript ych; pastel
on board, 13x37x1¼) ArtistsNetwork.com 51