The Ash tree avenue in Trampot, in Eastern France, was the catalyst for Article L350-3 of the French Environment Code, which protects tree avenues. This year marked its 10th anniversary.
For this new season of the Artistic Observatory, we hosted Welsh painter Dan Llywelyn Hall as artist-in-residence from 25 to 31 May 2026, followed by Bordeaux-based sculptor José Le Piez from 10 to 19 July. Pending forthcoming exhibitions, there were opportunities for the public to engage with the artists: a discussion with Dan in late May, and an event in July to showcase José’s two last sculptures, followed by a dusk walk with the local storyteller, Samuel Stolarz.
Dan Llywellyn Hall is a figurative painter known as much for his portraits as for his landscape paintings, which feature in many prestigious public collections across the UK. A lover of trees, he has also painted, tree avenues in Sheffield when the street trees were under threat in 2018.
The public will be given the opportunity to view the full series of artwork produced for the Observatory as part of the exhibition to be held on site in 2027.
The Bordeaux-based sculptor José Le Piez, who had previously been hosted in 2024 and 2025, was back to carve a third ash log from the avenue, following the ‘Arbrasson’ created in 2024 and the sculpture ‘Déployons’ created in 2025.
To present the sculptures, we let storyteller Samuel Stolarz lead us on a dusk walk through the ash tree avenue.
