EXTENSION PROGRAM MORE THAN LESSONS SOMETIMES WHEN you go out cn a limb and do some- thing you’ve always dreamt of, They did for North Vancouver’s Pau] and Babette Deggan, now happily ensconced in a Jifestyle which combines their teaching ca- reers and their two children, and which spans two continents, Canada and France. It started out modestly enough 10 years ago when the Deggans began searching for a summer home in France. ‘‘We thought that maybe if we could get a few art students to come (we could) pay for our air fare,’* said Paul, an art instructor at Capilano College and practising painter and sculptor. things just fall into place. By BARBARA BLACK News Reporter picturesque grounds of the Auvergne estate. The numbers went up each summer, thanks to the Deggans’ warm _ hospitality, and in 1980 the couple linked up with Capilano Coilege’s summer extension program and the Sum- mer Centre for the Arts was born. French language training was add- ed to the program, with an option to sign up for beth art and French. The educational holiday is of- **You’re inviting adventure when you travel. You have to go out and tempt it 33 eel tH fon ee AT * 4s eo + After a fruitless search in southern France, they stumbled upon a wonderful medieval estate in Montaigut-le-Blanc, central France, up for sale by an elderly couple who were waiting for the right offer. And it came in the form of the Deggans. Said Babette, ‘“fhey eft everything behind. They locked the house and gave us the key.”* The first summer, nine of Paul’s art students came to paint on the — Paul Deggan fered in three 19-day sessions. Paul, who handles the artistic half of the adventure, gives optional lectures on art, and as much in- struction as a student requires. His Objective is to sharpen the siu- dent’s perception. ‘‘Modern art education tends te insulate the student from reality .... it’s not fashionable to take students out to paint the landscape or to use modeis,’* he says. He maintains that the best way to observe is to draw and paint. Inspiration comes easily amidst the poppies, sunflowers and historical stone buildings of their Sunimer Centre for the Arts. And what better way to Jearn French than to stro to the boulangerie in the morning to buy baguettes, or sit on the porch in the evening sipping an aperti!? Babette, a Capilano College French instructor, teaches the lan- guage section of the program, along with three other instructors, handpicked locally. Students take two hours of French daily, and then they are free to explore the village to test their skills or take an excursion to Paris, a more str- ingent testing ground. “The groups become quite in- timate, even though they are from age 10 and up to grandmothers. It's terribly special. I don’t know how it happens,’’ observes Babette. Also part of the family atmosphere are the Deggans’ two children, ages 5 and 10, who are fuliy bilingual and remarkably well-adapted to a lifestyle which has them attending school in two countries. ‘'l think we've given them a good education,’’ says Babette proudly. ‘‘I find it thrilling to bring my children up in two cultures.’* Says Paul of the arts centre, “Is a retreat — a noisy retreat,"’ where people can walk in a beautiful landscape, drink wine, paint, hike in the hills and just See Lifestyle Page 34 TILLEY CLOTHES — 33 - Sunday, December 10, 1989 - Norih Shore News Dress up for Christmas Q ag pee: Be ake lee Se gona Mi estes NEWS phate Cindy Gcodman NORTH VANCOUVER residents for half of the year, Paul and Babdetie Deggan spend the other part of the year running (heir successful Summer Centre for the Arts in Montaigut-ie-Blanc, France. Run through Capilano College's summer extension program, the centre offers French language and art instruction in a rustic, village setting. MAKE MEMORABLE GIFTS? 4 A customer summed it up for me: “Because they're so good looking and fast so long, and because you can wear them anywhere, Tilley clothes are appreciated. | like to think that eac4 time they are worn, the person thinks of me." MAY I SUGGEST: Tilley Endurables: Smart-looking, comfortable clothes with secret paszport puckets and “‘give ‘em heil!”’ washing instructions. Tilley Cottons: No ironing, no shrinking, no kidding! Comicriable, colourful warm weaiher casuals for . men and women. The Tilley Hat: Nearly everyone looks good in. can use and would appreciate owning one. Acknowledged the best. most practical outdoor hat in the world, it floats, ties or. repels rain, won't shrink, and comes in every size and with a four-page owner's manual and a lifetime quarantee. Refund? Any time — even on our gift certificates. 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