Come September and it’s time to harvest the grapes. “Le Vendange”. Apart from some steep and craggy sites, where it is still done by hand, most of the area where we live is done with these enormous machines. The operator does the job and the “vigneron” looks to make sure all the grapes come off the vines. During this time the traffic slows down as those machines drive from vineyard to vineyard and the tractors towing trailers full of harvested grapes make off to heir own “cave” or to the enormous “caves cooperatives” for the grapes to be processed. After that it is wash up time at the communal pump house in the village. With this print I’m trying to show the relation ship between the “vigneron” and the contractor who is harvesting his grapes. “No over run”, “yes, at the end of the next row empty the bins” etc. It was hot and the sky was a deep blue with the sun casting sharp shadows. With this I tried to create a “Chiaroscuro” effect. This is another print in my series depicting scenes of the Aude in France.

Image size 31 x 31 centimeter, papersize 38 x 38 centimeter. Printed on Somerset 250 grammes warm white. Keyblock is cork lino, colour block is plywood.

copyright @ acwtenbroek