Brittany Sketchbook

Surrounded by the English Channel to the north, the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Bay of Biscay to the south, Brittany is a picturesque region of France renowned for its beautiful coastline and stunning architecture. Brittany is steeped in history and legends. It is closely connected to the tales of King Arthur, in fact Merlin's tomb is said to be in a dolmen located somewhere in the region. Granit rules the area; manors and farms are often built with this material, sometimes carved as intricately as lace. The Pink Granit Coast is famous for it blush colored rock and sand. Fabrice Moireau roamed across this land from the Pointe du Raz Landes de Lanvaux and from the Morbihan to the Mont Saint-Michel Bay, to discover the most stunning and intriguing landscapes and buildings of Brittany, all of which he captured with his brushes and pens.

Fabrice Moireau was born in Blois in 1962. He is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts appliques et des metiers in Paris. His sketchbooks are authentic cultural and ethnographic records of his frequent travels. A great lover of architecture and gardens, he strives in his watercolors to convey the subtle play of light, the atmosphere of a city or landscape. He has illustrated many publications, including New York Sketchbook, Paris Sketchbook and Rome Sketchbook, also published by Editions Didier Millet. Yann Queffellec won the Prix Goncourt in 1985 for his novel Les Noces barbares, translated into English as The Wedding. Queffelec's father, Henri Queffelec, was from Brittany and despite being born in Paris, Queffelec kept strong ties with the region. Brittany and the surrounding sea often provide the backdrop to his novels.