Sunday, January 27, 2013

ARCACHON, FRANCE, watercolor




Arcachon, France, watercolor on writing paper.
La Basin d'Arcachon, north of Bordeaux, in France, is a beautiful bay with white sand beaches and immense sand dunes. Very close to the beaches, green forests stand guard, covering a huge area. The combination is breathtaking, and fun to explore. You can get to Arcachon by train from Bordeaux.

Friday, January 25, 2013

COLLIURE II, FRANCE

Colliure II, France, watercolor, 7x5 in. available at the Small Image Show in Gallery 21, Spanish Village Art Center, San Diego, California. The town of Colliure, in the South of France, offers a beautiful small beach, fishing boats, a light-house, and the history of Mattise, Derain and the Fauves living, painting, and inventing themselves there. In a fun example of life immitating art, the houses of the whole town are painted of different colors, following the Fauves creative flights in their paintings.

Again, this is an invitation to come see the Small Image Show at Gallery 21 in the Spanish Village Art Center, Balboa Park, San Diego, California. The show will go on till February 25. The reception is tomorrow Saturday, January 26th, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm.  Hope to see you there!!

PARIS, LA TOUR EIFFEL II

Paris, La Tour  Eiffel II, watercolor, 5x6 in. available at Gallery 21: "Small Image Show", Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park, San Diego, California.

The Small Image Show runs from January 23 to February 25, it is open daily 11am to 4pm. You are invited to the Reception, this coming Saturday, January 26, 4:00-8:00pm.  I hope to see you there!


Wednesday, January 23, 2013

FRIENDSHIP GARDEN SOUNDS, watercolor

Friendship Garden Sounds, watercolor, 7x10 in.
Painted on location, plein-air, at the Japanese Garden in Balboa Park, San Diego, California.

"It's not the wind that decides your destination, it's the orientation you give your sails. The wind is the same for everybody."                                                                                            ---Jim Rohn

"A pessimist makes of his occasions difficulties, and an optimist makes of his difficulties, occasions."
                                                                                                                     ----Harry Truman

FRIENDSHIP GARDEN MEDITATION, watercolor

Friendship Garden Meditation, watercolor, 7x10 in.
We can all do with a few minutes or hours in a quiet, relaxing place surrounded by nature. Painting in this Japanese Garden in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, a couple of weeks ago was so energizing and relaxing, I finished a couple of watercolors, without feeling tired. My spirit soars when I can paint in a beautiful place like this, listening to the waterfall behind me, in quiet and peace.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

KISS ME , pastel on board

Kiss Me, pastel portrait on board, 10x8 in., available.
For a painting to be successful, one must have:
1. A solid composition
2. An interesting color combination
3. A personal representation of objects
4. A desire to innovate
Enjoy! Now go paint! Then paint some more...

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Aix-en-Provence, France

Aix-en-Provence, France, watercolor, 5x7 in., available.
Walking through one of the most beautiful outdoor markets, in Aix-en-Provence, in the South of France,  is such a treat! Flowers, hats from Africa,  sausages from the nearby towns, exotic spices of all colors and smells, socks,  shoes, glasses, you name it, it is for sale here.  After the market, you can visit Paul Cezanne's house, wander through the gardens, enjoy and envy his studio, while you plan a thousand paintings....ah! Life in the South of France is so wonderful, that while you are there you forget your problems.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Camino de Santiago II, watercolor

Camino de Santiago II, watercolor, 7x10 in.
Santiago de Compostela, in the NorthWest corner of Spain is a very popular town among religious and non-religious people. The walks through Europe, from Germany, from Italy, from France, from Portugal and from all corners of Spain, toward this remote corner of Spain,  in the region of Galicia, started in the Middle Ages, when some human bones were discovered in the town, and believed to be the bones of this priest/saint. So the walks to Santiago started as religious, and now people from all over the world do a few miles/kilometers or hundreds of them, according to their faith, their desire to do the walk, their stamina and previous preparation, and the time they have allowed to do "the walk to Santiago".  Along the different walks, as they converge in the town from the East and the South, you find refuges, and special bed and breakfast places, from simple to more elaborate and comfortable, for the different economic level of the walkers. They all share a very friendly attitude, a kind and generous mind. A shell ("concha " in Spanish) is the symbol, which you see painted, or engraved, on walls, sidewalks, posts, or gardens and pathways along the route. Rest stops help the wayfarers regain their strength. Most of the road is beautiful!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Paseo por Sevilla, Spain, watercolor

Paseo por Sevilla, Spain, watercolor, 6x12 cm (2x5 in)
Typical stroll in downtown Sevilla's "Barrio Santa Cruz", very romantic. Sevilla is a wonderful city to visit any time of the year, but in the Spring, it is especially attractive, when all the orange trees in the city are in bloom. The perfume of the orange blossoms goes to your head and makes you dizzy with pleasure and delight. Sometimes, you can even smell it as far as the airport, as soon as you get off your plane. In the past two years, downtown Sevilla is particularly attractive, since you can ride a very modern and silent tramway, which slithers through the ancient buildings. This sleek  tramway has very wide and high glass sides, which allows for a perfect view of the buildings, parks, cyclists, horse-drawn carriages, etc. Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Venezia, Italia

Venezia, Italia, watercolor, 11x15 in. available
Some famous quotes:
"Art consists in making a little nothing thing, and then sell it." --Frank Zappa
"Some painters transform the sun in a yellow point, others transform a yellow point in the sun." -- Pablo Picasso.
"Painting is easy when  you don't know what you are doing. When you do, it's very difficult." Edgar Degas.
"Don't be original, be unique." -- Jean Cocteau.

Monday, January 7, 2013

El Trenino del Renon, Alto Adige, Italy

El Trenino del Renon, Alto Adige, Italy, watercolor, 11x15 in.
This area is the birthplace of my friend Marisa, who passed away this past Saturday, January 5th.
I painted this watercolor in her memory, from photographs I took when I visited her home town of Bolzano with her, my husband, and other friends in 2006. Bolzano is in Italy, very close to the border with Austria. So close, that the town has passed from Austrian to Italian hands and back several times in the past centuries. The mountains in the background are the Dolomites.
Marisa was highly cultivated, spoke several languages, well read, intelligent, and very funny; she once quoted her mother as having said: "Everything has an end, except for the sausage, which has two."

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Norwegian Epic, Leaving Rome

Norwegian Epic, Leaving Rome, watercolor sketch, 6x12cm.
After a few days in Rome, my friend Mireille and I left in this cruise ship for a few days in the Mediterranean Sea. October is a lovely month to be in the Mediterranean, good weather, good food, art festival, outdoor market, everything is right! We left the port of Rome, Civitaveccia, and headed to Pisa, our next port. This ship is the second largest in the world, almost 5,000 passengers, almost 2,000 crew members. Yet, they manage to organize all activities, including meals, in a smaller atmosphere. My only complaint, which I wrote to the managers/powers that be, was that you had to pass inside the casino in order to go to the sit-down dinner at the main restaurant. You absolutely have to. I thought that was too pushy and disrespectful.


Thursday, January 3, 2013

Norwegian Epic II, at Sea

Norwegian Epic II, at Sea, watercolor, 6x12cm., available
While aboard the Norwegian Epic cruise ship, in October 2012, I painted some scenes of every day life at sea. I was going from Rome to Barcelona with my friend Mireille.

A couple of months ago, thinking of my friend Marisa, who was born in Bolzano, Italy, I read: CASANOVA IN BOLZANO, by Sandor Marai, a Hungarian writer who died in San Diego, California. I felt touched by the coincidences. I was in Budapest when I learned of him (although quite famous ), the title of his book includes "Bolzano", and he died in San Diego, where I live part of the year. I really liked the book, I found Marai very inspiring. Some quotations: "He knew that everything was of equal importance, because it is only the feelings we have about what we see that makes things seem different.".....and....."I gave everything a woman can give a man, passion and patience, children, excitement, peace, security, tenderness, freedom from care...."

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Bolzano Morning Ride

Bolzano Morning Ride, watercolor, 4x6, not available.
Bolzano is a beautiful mountain town in the north of Italy, near Austria. I was there for a week the summer of  2006, visiting with friends. My friend Marisa was born in Bolzano, and we visited her cousins, Anna and Adriano, who treated us royally, taking us to incredible places every day. I  rented a bycicle for something like a dollar a day, and rode along the river, beautiful parks on both sides, bridges, flowers, just a dream come true. Then I sat down for a while and painted this small watercolor of my rented byke, before going back along the dreamy path and returning the byke.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Le Pont de Van Gogh...Then, and Now

Le Pont de Van Gogh....Then, and Now, watercolor, two 6x4 paintings, framed together, not available.

In 2007, I visited Le Pont de Langlais, near Arles, France, with my friends Marisa and Frank. There was a reproduction, in metal, of Van Gogh's famous painting, near the bridge, my copy on the left. What we saw, however, was similar to the painting on the right. The bridge was up, trees were overgrown in the background, and a cement shelf had replaced the plants and weeds by the river. Two women were caressing each other lovingly, instead of washing clothes by the river. They were fully dressed, but what I was painting was so small, I decided to make my point by undressing them. Women now are free to express their love in public,  instead of washing clothes. Voila!

The second part of this story, is that some time later, showing this double painting at the San Juan Capistrano Fine Art Festival, my friend Marisa bought it, paying full price. I was so embarrassed when I learned what she had done! I would have gladly given it to her! It was such a lovely memory of the wonderful trip we had done together! At home, she placed it on the wall in front of her desk, "to see it every day" she said. She has seen it every day for all these years, and tonight, as she sleeps peacefully in that room, she may be seeing it for the last time.