Sunset on the Danube I, inkwash

Sunset on the Danube I, Budapest.  inkwash, 14x18cm. available.
I recently read: THE CREATIVE ENTREPRENEUR, by Lisa Sonora Beam. A wonderful book with many ideas for creativity and entrepreneurship about our art. She must have read my mind when she says: "If you have professional -quality art supplies  you've been saving to make something IMPORTANT with, then use them. There is satisfaction about using really good art supplies. It also sends a message to the subconscious mind that you are serious about the work you are doing." This is so wonderful! I immediately opened a new watercolor sketchbook I had been saving, and started using it, now that I have her permission!

Sunset on the Danube II, inkwash

Sunset on the Danube II, inkwash, 14x18cm. available
You can see the Elizabeth Bridge, in Budapest, from this view point. Elizabeth is still a most adored queen in Hungary's past. You remember the story: "Sissi Emperatriz" was the movie I saw in Argentina as a young girl, and everybody knows "Sissy", as a most adorable young woman, playful, falling in love with her cousin, the next King of Hungary. Unfortunately, her life was not all roses after the first few years of marriage, she survived her husband's infidelities, the killing of her son, and was herself killed. The people of Hungary will always remember her as a lover of the common people. This is the beautiful white bridge with her name.

Sunset on the Danube III, inkwash

Sunset on the Danube III, inkwash, 14x18cm. available.
Same afternoon a few days ago, seating in the same place, just looking to the right, to the left, or in front of me, I managed to paint several ink-washes in a few minutes each. I am using the pens "Tombow", which are thin on one end, and brush-like at the other end. The ink bleeds quite well, so the minute you touch the design with a brush with water, it bleeds producing very nice effects.

Sunset on the Danube IV, inkwash

Sunset on the Danube IV, inkwash, 14x18cm. available. Just sitting there in this park along  the Danube in Budapest, as the sun was setting, they closed the umbrellas at the bar...the sky was so beautiful, the colors were amazing! That day I had left the residence with an ink pen, a little brush, and a very small bottle of water. I do like to vary my quick sketches, in different media. And working on VALUE only is a great exercise. I strongly recommend it. It's much easier to use color!

Sunset on the Danube V, ink wash

Sunset on the Danube V, sepia ink and water, 14x18cm. available.
Budapest, Hungary: Walking along the Danube, on a long and beautiful walk on the Pest side, at sunset, the tourists go out to dinner, and the independent sellers of tourist articles appear. This lady was offering beautifully embroidered tablecloths and napkins. Behind her, the Danube, and farther away, on the other side, you could see a couple of tunnels under the big hill that is Buda.

BUDAPEST, watercolor

B-U-D-A-P-E-S-T, watercolor, 41x31cm., available.
Watercolor presented at the Hungarian Multicultural Center talk at the Pen Club, Budapest, on July 17th, 2012.
B stands for Beata, HMC director, who made this residency possible, and Beauty, what we are searching for.
U stands for Utca=street, road, path, we take that leads us where we want to go.
D stands for Duna=Danube, the river that remembers everything...
A stands for Art, statues everywhere in this city, gardens, museums, art is important here.
P stands for People of Hungary, their language, their culture
E stands for Europe, Hungary is at the crossroads, it's the heart of Europe, and for
Embroidery, a traditional personal art form.
S for scribe, writer, from Anonymous, the first writer of the history of Hungary, to Asa, my Sweedish  room-mate writer.
S also for Spiritualy, the spiritual influences I am receiving and absorbing here
T for Transportation, from the seven bridges crossing the Danube uniting Buda and Pest, to all the different ways to traverse the city in comfort and conveniently.
T , finally,  for Transformation, which I am already feeling in my stay in Budapest. The artist's process is one of Transformation.

Hungary's Parliament, watercolor

Hungary's Parliament, watercolor, 21x14cm., available.
Hungary's Parliament, the country's largest building, has become a symbol of Budapest. It has 691 rooms, and the best artists of the country were asked to contribute to its decoration. The building is over 200 meters long (880 ft) and 96 meters high (315 ft). It is on the Pest side. All illuminated at night, when you are on the Buda side of the Danube, it glitters like a box of jewels.