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.

Bus-stop, Budapest, watercolor sketch

Bus-stop, Budapest, watercolor sketch, 14x18cm. available.
I had the opportunity of visiting the studio of Barabas Marton, a famous Hungarian artist whose work is in several museums here in Budapest. He works with piano pieces. Born in 1952 in Budapest, he creates dimensional work and painted illusions. He realizes unique, organic, constructive, intertwined or solitary geometric shapes, regular or irregular. Very interesting work! His next exhibition will be in Marseille, France, at the Book-Art Festival in October 2012.

Budapest Heroes Square, watercolor

Budapest Heroes Square, Hungary. watercolor, 14x18cm. available.
This big square with impressive monuments related to Hungary's glorious past, marks the entrance to the City Park. I painted this watercolor sitting on the steps of the Museum of Fine Arts, after visiting the permanent collection, (largest group of Spanish paintings outside Spain!)  and a wonderful temporary exhibit of drawings : The Age of Pieter Bruegel. I had a guided tour in English, visited the gift shop, of course! and painted a couple of watercolor sketches like this one.

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.

Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, pen sketch

Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, pen sketch, not available.
This museum opened in 1906. Eclectic style. Their biggest treasure, according to the lovely Eva, my tour guide, are their Dutch and Italian works, approximately 900 pieces of each. Also, it has the biggest collection of Spanish art after Spain! One of their temporary exhibits was a Photography in the 20th Century exhibition, including a photograph of Gloria Swanson's face behind lace, done by Edward Steichen (1879-1973), sketched here, in my art-notebook.

Hungarian Typical Dresses, watercolor

Hungarian Typical Dresses, watercolor sketch, 14x18cm. available.
Embroidery is one of the traditional art forms in Hungary. Women have been embroidering for centuries. Today in Budapest, you see women standing by the areas frequented by tourists, selling embroidered blouses, tablecloths of all sizes, handkerchiefs, and other small items. Most of the embroidery sold at those places is machine made, of course. In the better stores you find the pricier hand-embroidered items.