Raymond Reynaud in front of one of his large paintings. At Roumens in the Haute-Garonne region, the garden of Rene Escaffre resembles a village square where the townspeople gather after the day's work. Escaffre worked as a stonemason from age 14 until he retired at age 60. He traded the mason's job for one of a fabricator of fanciful cement sculpture. The armature of each of his sculptures is made of iron, and the cement is molded by hand to form life-size human and animal figures.
Delicate colors make the sculptures come alive.
This sculpture, made more than 10 years ago, wears a cement beret and clothing identical to what the artist wears today. Rene Escaffre is transmitting his artistic tradition to the new generation, an act considered by some to be a defining principle of folk art. The woman with the duck in her basket. The man and his goat. The sculptures are scattered throughout an enchanted garden among the summer flowers and foliage.