On the subject of finding shocking bargains in various charity and junk shops; I present what may well be The Find of 2018. Hidden behind various rubbish prints on the bottom shelf in a dark corner of Parchemin Limoux was this treasure. ONE EURO!
Someone had covered the painting with a sheet of dirty perspex. It was signed and dated, I knew that it was Carcassonne “castle”, and indeed the words”Cité de Carcassonne” were faintly distinguishable on the back.
It is a lovely painting in it’s own right. Oil on board. The way the artist has captured the fall of the light on stone and grass is particularly beguiling.
I hadn’t heard of J Ourtal, so I googled him. Here are some links to start you off if you care to investigate–
An Audoise painter and truly local to this region. We must go and check out his other paintings at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Carcassonne and in the salons de l’Hôtel de la Cité.
Blog-sur-Aude 
Well done x
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Thanks. It’s so good to now that it is still worth ferreting nd fossicking for treasures and that they are still out there. Painting suits house very well
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Wow!!!! That is the view from Place Saint-Gimer in the Trivalle neighborhood.
The street in Carcassonne named after him is in the Capucins neighborhood, and probably has a great view of la Cité, being on a hill on the opposite side of the river.
When I saw the picture, I thought, that’s a nice painting of la Cité, much better than the usual twee stuff you find. And then, aha, it’s because the painter was a serious one.
Well done. You deserved it.
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Well done!!
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What a lovely local find. It should have some value too. It reminds me of childhood and the work of the artists who used to paint for the Ladybird Books. They were all reputable artists and I have kept many of the books about wildflowers and nature for the paintings alone.
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Wow what a brilliant find
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Thanks Chris.
I sometimes wonder if there are any undiscovered gems still out there in the trocs, brocs and VGs, then something like this comes along.
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Oh, this is amazing! Such a nice piece! I zoomed in to examine the light and was admiring his manner of capturing the leaves and placing some red flowers in the window. This is the universe’s way of telling you that you are surely where you belong.
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I think so too! I also ove the little splash of the red geraniums on the window sill, echoed by another little splash of pinkish red above.
I just liked the painting; the fact it is by a known artist is just a bonus
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Amongst all the things declared as finds, that is truly a FIND! Congratulations for following your nose, your eye, your instinct and your gut. You are now the owner of a lovely painting, by a local artist of note and having just read the links, I might reasonably confidently speculate that your 1€ has been invested rather more than wisely. Enjoy it. Really and truly enjoy it … it is lovely – romantic, I think.
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Well done you!
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Thanks. Looking forward to reading your book!
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It is a truly lovely little painting and now you know more about the artist even more special 🙂
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And now it is clean I can see it!
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Even better 🙂
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x
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