A pattern is beginning to appear… The last two “en
plein air” I have attempted have sent me packing to avoid the rain. I will
complete this one from memory as I did the last. So far so good. I do hope you
managed to get out and about for Cultural Days last weekend. When they asked me
if I would be interested in doing a stint outside the CAVA gallery I thought it
would be a good way to inspire me to get back in the saddle, so to speak! In
spite of jet-lag I found the exercise very rewarding and intend to do some more
“en plein air” before the fall colours all disappear. There is nothing quite
like seeing in the real. There are a couple of drawbacks: it is not quite as
warm as Italy and it keeps raining!! This afternoon I am heading for Harcourt
House. It has been a long while and I will be able to catch up on my
sketch-a-day program… Is that cheating? Probably…. Life is good.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
Giova
How appropriate! Yesterday was Sunday and we roamed the region discovering hidden gems, unannounced sites of great antiquity. The Greeks apparently settled this area long before the Romans. The ruins at Cuma are of Greek origin and therefore several areas are devoted to the worship of various Greek gods. I continued the less trodden path towards the temple dedicated to Giova (Zeus in Greek). The Romans appropriated Greek gods under new names (Jupiter-Giove-for this one) and this site retains the original titles. Lovely views of the Mediterranean. As usual I found a quiet corner in the shade where the negative spaces tantalized my creative genes. I tend to avoid panoramas and actual ruins. I prefer the paths leading to them. Today we are on our way to Roma again. Our plane leaves the next day so we will still have some time to explore before we relinquish our car. The driving has been such an adventure. There is something about successfully negotiating traffic in a street built for one chariot…. Life is good.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Colour
We are choosing to drive the smaller roads, sometimes rather sketchy in upkeep. There are advantages and disadvantages… we can stop anytime and I can do a sketch in ink or in colour. On the other hand we tend to get slightly lost! Often I see something interesting in a stretch of road without a possibility of stopping (narrow, hairpin turns and such). Several kilometers later there is a turnout; I have yet to be inspired by what I can see at these points, if I can see, between the trees and bushes. Yesterday was different. The Italian landscape is so unique. The first time I squeezed to the side of the road I walked a little way to discover all the approaches to the magnificent river below were private property. We kept going and I took a few photos the second time around. At the third halt I actually had enough room to park comfortably (both the car and myself!). I took out my paints. I had just completely the drawing when it began to sprinkle. Ignoring the water I took out my paints and the drops ceased, for a time. I had just reached the point where all I had to do was fill in the greens when it really began to come down. There ended the lesson for the day. Once we had found our lodgings and before supper I set to finishing the watercolour by memory. Somewhere near Aqualagna, Italy. Life is good.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Perseverance
As we wander through various cities in Italy we have
encountered a snag in our ambitions. Aging legs do not work as well as they did
forty years ago and they require more sitting time than planned. Sitting time
has transformed into sketching time for me. The intriguing part of being in old
Europe is that no matter where we sit there is something worthwhile to draw. In
these circumstances I found myself sitting on the steps of an ancient church in
the Piazza di S. Stephano in Florence totally lost in the perspective of
stonework and wrought iron railings. Drawing is not as fast as a camera lens.
As the sun crept around to find me still sitting on the steps and only about
half way through the drawing, a decision had to be made. Do I abandon the
intention or do I persevere? A little while later my loving husband arrived
with a cold beer. Leaving it on the step beside me he retreated into the shade
once more. After some time again I had another visitor, a young lady, who
happened to be with her parents with whom my husband had struck up a
conversation. She was very curious about what I was doing and asked to see my
sketch. Wonderful consideration. Awestruck, she too retreated into the shade once
more. I am getting a lovely tan by the way. Life is good.
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