Room with a View: Galway and Connamara

"Grey Skies Over Connamara"

 

The real deal

 

 

"Room with a View: The Greyhound Stadium"

 

 

"...and watch the sun go down o'er Galway Bay"

 

 

A bus and trains took us to Galway where were the lovely Irish tune about Galway Bay ran through my head as we walked along the port and Bay. We took a one-day mini-van tour of Connamara, the wild and rugged mountains where many Catholics were forced into exile when Cromwell took his vengeance on Ireland. Today, most people have moved to the cities, leaving the spectacular scenery to a few farmers and some nuns who run the Kylemore Abby. Read the history of this intriguing structure. One of the more  famous graduates during the days as a boarding school is Angelica Houston, whom I cannot imagine living in such isolation.

 

Our Galway room was on College Road in the Ardawn B&B amidst an entire row of large homes turned into B&Bs. Great location for walking to transportation, the pedestrian area, and the port. The wonderful owners sent our laundry out and gave us beautiful breakfasts. Their tea service at breakfast instituted a new tradition for us -- brewed with loose tea and poured into the cup through a beautiful strainer. Mike is a Antartic explorer, having gone on an Irish re-creation of Shackleton's expedition with greater success, and a terrific cook as well.

 

We were right next to the greyhound stadium and that was our view from our room. The stadium is a very big deal in Ireland. My photo of my painting is a tad crooked and I will attempt to replace it soon.

 



Room with a View: Dingle, Ireland

"

"Charming Dingle"

5" x 3" Watercolor Sketch

"Rainy Day Over Conant Pass"

5" x 3" Watercolor Sketch

 

Dingle Peninsula is the Western-most point of Europe, so the folks who live in this traditional Gaelic area like to say "The next parish over is Boston." Fortunately, though all signs are in Gaelic, the people speak English for other mere mortals in "An Daengaen." The town of Dingle with about 2000 souls living there is the largest and very charming.

 

We like to stay in modest places with a down-home feel, so we use Rick Steve's books extensively. We selected small inns and B&Bs for the majority of our accommodations, run by owners who live in the home. We meet lots of interesting independent travelers and seem much less exposed to theft. The owners can give lots of good advice. In Dingle, I made arrangements by e-mail to stay in Eileen Conant's B&B. We took several trains to Tralee and then an hour's bus ride to Dingle, a trip of about 7 hours. The train transfers were all timely -- walk from one to another and go.

 

Above you see the view from our cozy room with traditional homes and the mountains. The second painting shows a view of Conant Pass from a photo I took through the rain from the bus window. You see the fields that rise up the hillsides. They were every shade of green imaginable and support herds of sheep.

We took an archeological tour in a mini-van given by Tim Conant, Eileen's retired Police Chief husband. We also took a boat ride and enjoyed the friendly dolphin Fungi who adopted the people of Dingle years ago. Bob bought a Irish low whistle and got to jam with local musicians. We visited two traditional music venues, one a church, and the other The Small Bridge Pub.



 Bob plays the Irish Low Whistle with Mike Herlihy on accordian and friend on piano

 

Mike is written up in the travel books and generously bought us drinks at the pub where he played.

A Room with a View - Dublin, Ireland

 

"A Room with a View: Yellow Doors"

Dublin, Ireland

3" x 5" Watercolor

 

Dublin has many lovely townhomes and we stayed in small Kilronan Guest House, not far from St. Stephens Green, made up of two townhouses. The view was of the Georgian townhouses across the street. One saw the individuality in the colors of the doors and the front yard uses -- a bicycle, a motor scooter, children's play equipment... I found myself imagining daily life among the townhome families.

 

We serendipitously landed amidst the best weather they've had all summer - cool and sunny for a couple days. Then we had some rain, a constant feature of this trip to the isles in September. We Californians find few places to visit with weather as good as ours. 

 

Visiting St. Stephens Green

 

We adjusted to an 8-hour time difference on the Hop On, Hop Off bus. Bob was on a mission to taste the whiskeys (Irish) and whiskys (Scottish) and the local beers. Jamieson and Guinness made the cut. Another day we enjoyed traditional music in a pub in the Temple Bar section, and we did a lot of walking around the Green, their beautiful pedestrian shopping street, Grafton, where we watched very talented street performers on Saturday night, and attended Even Song at St. Patrick's Cathedral (Episcopalian; there is no Catholic cathedral in Dublin in this most Catholic of Republics). If you enjoy attending church services, Even Song is a great way to go. The churches that often charge tourists, are open to attendees only during the services for no fee, though we make a contribution, and the music is beautiful. We were treated to children's choir.

 

We made our exit plans, booking train tickets to Tralee where we would board the bus for Dingle.

"Room with a View" travels to Europe

"Room with a View: Andrews Seat"

Edinburgh, Scotland

5" x 3"

 

 

Bob and I returned several days ago from a three-week trip to Ireland, Scotland, England, and Paris, all done via public transportation -- trains, buses, mini-vans, occasional taxies, and one ferry across the Irish Sea. I painted at least one tiny painting of each location in my Moleskine watercolor journal using my Koi paint sets with water brush.

 

I start you in the middle of the trip with one of my more colorful pieces. During our five days in Edinburgh, we stayed in a modest B&B off Dalkeith Road, a main thoroughfare to uptown Edinburgh, about a mile and half away by local bus. The view from the room was of the famous landmark, Andrews Seat. I woke up to a gorgeous sunny morning, a rarity during this trip, and quickly sketched with my micron pen and dropped in some color.

 

While in town, we took a tour of the Castle, visited Holyrood, danced at a local milonga (Argentine tango venue), did some shopping for accessories for Bob's kilt, enjoyed the pubs and restaurants, and toured the National Museum. 

 



The final pass on my second collage

 



"Edgy Wine"

Final Collaged Stilllife completed in Derek Gores Workshop

 



 

Ha! I thought I was done. Derek got us together and talked about making our edges more interesting, breaking the edges, and using lots of variation. Notice the broken line of the table formed by a row of women, the interesting yellow shapes, the addition of lots of people. Derek says the variations are little surprises for our viewer. Completing this piece, including finishing the sides with collaged greens, took until after 1! You can view yesterday's version. Definitely this one is much more fun. I like the yellow person in the wine glass. This type of collage can really engage the viewer.

 

We had a lovely show/critique to finish up the workshop. Several people from our society dropped in to see the art and bemoan the fact they did not take the workshop. Our volunteeer takedown crew got to enjoy the final showing before breaking down the room .  Here is Derek talking about my work.

 

 

Derek Gores critiquing my work

The second collage painting -- a still life in Derek Gores Workshop

 

"Edgy Wine"

18" x 18"

Collage on Gallery-Wrapped Canvas

 

 

Derek Gores demos his approach to painting shoes.

 

Today many people continued to work on their portraits. I had chosen to do mine in black, grey, and white, an easier task than using color. Those of us who had finished got to start our still life. I selected a wine bottle and glass and a color palette that (hopefully) will look good with my new color scheme, earth tones and greyed aqua (looks like sage to me). I have a spot that I would like to hang it in the new kitchen.

 

Adding color to the mix always adds a bit of challenge, especially when I was attempting to find edges within the magazine pages. Finding an edge with two correct colors and values is not easy. I scoured my fashion magazines and Sunset magazine. I now have two questions: Am I done (should I add shadows of the bottle and glass)? and will the blues and greens I chose match my decor. Of course, all artists shun people who buy art based on color palette, but it does matter to me.

 

What a ride -- I will never look at a magazine the same way again. One more day of workshop to go. We are in the groove. Come in, organize our palette of papers and dive in. Derek goes around and helps us along. His goal is that we all succeed. On this one, Derek made some suggestions about variation (use different textures, colors and  for the highlights and edges on the bottle and wine glass). About 12 to 12:30 we take a lunch break. I always go to the gardens of the Rosicrucian Museum. I invite people to join me. Often the instructor will come with us and we have a nice casual lunch together. An hour later we are back at it at until 4.

 

Today Derek took some time to demo his favorite still life, a woman's high heel shoe, and how to draw and apply collage to an eye, a very complex structure. Tomorrow will be a bit shorter day as our take down crew arrives early. Four people will not be with us due to prior commitments, The Georgia artists are headed home tomorrow. Those of us who remain will have critique before we leave. We have had some interim critiques, and this is the grand finale.





My First All Paper Painting

 

"City Girl"

36" x 36" Collage on Gallery-Wrapped Canvas

 

A messy process - stand by with a shop vac

 

Instructor Derek Gores works with a fellow artist

 The group is hard at work on some amazing art

 

 

Derek Gores is a wonderful young artist from Melbourne, FL. A very accomplished graphic designer, he has done work for many well-known companies and people. He is teaching us his wonderful all-paper collage process, which he does on gallery-wrapped canvas. All you need is canvas, lots of glossy magazines (fashion are especially nice), glossy mat medium, a flat brush or your hands, gloss varnish, and a good image with strong values.
 

This is a very demanding process and Derek warned us we would be tired. We drew our image on the canvas with a Sharpie, set up our color paper palette, and began from large to small working all over the canvas. The first sheets that went down were full sheets. We tear the paper and do not use scissors. Derek prefers to find his edges using paper rather than having the torn edge of the paper at the edge. For example, the lip is black, but it's made up of small pieces of paper that extend above or below the lip and has both the black of the the lip and the off-white of the skin next to it. The edge is on the torn paper. That is what makes this type of art so demanding. You are looking at the magazines and saying where can I use this or searching for the perfect piece.

The picture is made up of surprising elements. Text and pictures are all integrated into the image. Can you see people and a leg in this art? Derek says he depends upon randomness to create the picture. Pages with text and patterns are especially helpful for values and transitions.

By the end of Monday, we all had half-complete work and it was difficult to see how we were going to "get there." Derek says it's a leap of faith and he has self-doubts, too. When I arrived home, my brain was so tired, I was almost comatose! Today, though, the process was  beginning to gel for me, and Derek is great about coming around and giving individual attention. He tore some pieces and suggested where to use them a couple different times and got me over the hump when it came to shadows and the eyes. By the end of today, I had finished my piece and most folks were close to done. I have to say, we could have a fabulous show.

I chose to use black and white as my color palette because it is the easiest. I didn't want to have color in the mix to confuse me during the learning process. I will tackle color tomorrow when we do an 18" x 18" stillife.

Bob and I hosted Derek for dinner this evening, in spite of our remodel mess. He thoroughly enjoyed seeing our neighborhood and home. We enjoyed getting to know Derek.

 



A Room with a View: Late Day in Napa Valley

 

"Late Day in Napa Valley"

Silverado Resort grounds from the Mansion Lounge

 

In May, Bob and I attended a lovely wine tasting and dinner honoring patrons of the School Health Clinics of San Jose. There was a silent auction and I was the lucky winner of two days at a condo at the Silverado Resort . What better time to get out of Dodge for a brief respite than while under remodel construction. We loaded the tandem and vowed to park the car for our stay. The condo is beautiful with a master suite, living area and kitchen right near the main pool and jacuzzi.

 

On the first evening we shared a light meal at the Mansion Lounge. This was our view.

 

The real deal

 

I was intrigued by the play of light and shadows as the sun dropped low in the sky over one of the golf courses at the resort in wine country (pardon the reflections on the glass door). I played up the shapes and light in my small sketch done in my Moleskine watercolor journal using Koi pan paints and a water brush.

 

The next day we rode the tandem up that mountain you see and were very happy we did not have a huge touring load on board.

 

Bob and bike at the Silverado Resort

 

We spent time at the pool where I captured a view I want to paint. I was prone on a lounge chair when I saw the play on shadows on the umbrella and had to get my camera. I plan to fill the picture plane with the umbrella.

 

 

At the main pool

 



Tomorrow I will attend a demo by Derek Gores and then a 4-day workshop to learn his approach to collage. We will be painting with paper. Because of my love of the shape element, this workshop is calling me.



Attending workshops

Mike Bailey talks with one of the workshop attendees

I recently attended a three-day color workshop by Mike Bailey. If my art room was not all packed up for work on the upstairs remodel, I would show you one of the color exercises we did. The workshop was jam-packed with information and we worked really hard. I learned a lot and look forward to trying some new color approaches. I am also looking forward to the Derek Gores workshop next week -- all collage, no painting.

I delivered the commissioned painting I described here.  

"Hello, Goodby"

15" x 15" Watercolor

The  buyer asked that I mat and frame it, so I used AmericanFrame.com and the results were very nice. When Nancy came to pick up the piece, she was delighted and had Bob take a couple pictures of us with the painting. I hope to have her send me the files.



If It's Monday, It's Time to Draw

" Pears in Glass"

12" x 14" Pastel

"Broken Beauty"

12" x 14" Pastel

Here is work from the last three Monday drawing sessions. The lovely glass bowl was a challenge and came together when I pushed the highlights in the last few minutes. I also find pears to be a lovely subject. The broken pottery pitcher just doesn't quite capture the glow I wanted, but after two sessions, I am ready to surrender. As always, Bob Semans taught us a lot about modelling form. 

To see the work of each artist is so interesting. I wish I had photos of all the work. Each piece is unique to the artist, even though we have the same subject. Not only are we seated with different perspectives, but the personal approach to the art is so individual. If the art was placed in front of me without names and not having seen them being produced, I could match the art to the artist.

Bob has spent a lot of time personally studying color, so next week he will focus on that topic. This will be a nice followon to Mike Bailey's Color Workshop that I am taking over the weekend. We are also going to draw from life by taking turns as model.

SCVWS Ice Cream Social

Some of the group at the Social

Hospitality Chair, Laurie Barna, chats with Mike Collins on our  Workshop Setup Committee

Our 400+ member Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society welcomed new members at an Ice Cream Social at Rengstorff Park in Mountain View. You can see we had a perfect day (in fact, it's been a lovely, comfortable summer here). Laurie had the affair catered with homemade ice cream and toppings. I sampled almost all of the goodies and they were special. As they say, I took a pound for the team.

As Leader of the society, I like to attend all our events to get to know the members. It was fun to talk with people new to the society. Our organization is very welcoming to all levels of artists, from the beginning watermedia artist to the advanced, award-winning professionals.

Another show complete -- On to the next

Pickup day at the gallery

Our Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society exhibit, "Think Large -- Paint Small," with pieces no larger than 14 inches on any one side, ended July 30. Bob and I picked up my painting. Though mine did not sell, 9 of the 40 pieces did, a real success. I felt honored to have my painting in the show. There were over 100 entries. Charlotte Huntley, the juror, is a wonderful artist and author. At the reception, Charlotte told me she was so impressed with the quality of the entries. The show was as good as any national show she's seen. She even bought one piece that she did not give an award, but had great personal appeal for her. I found that very interesting and realized I have no idea how judges decide on entries and awards!

Our next show has many cash and product awards and is really worth entering. If you are not a member of SCVWS, go here and join for a mere $30. You can then enter a piece in the show (for an additional fee).

With an extensive remodel underway, I am lucky to find a few brushes and paints. I am taking two great workshops in August, so painting is on my agenda. Check out the Derek Gores workshop on the SCVWS website. All collage, no painting, and I think this will be exciting. We have some terrific artists signed up for it. We still have some slots left if you want to attend.

Plein Air at Pete's Harbor in Redwood City

"Morning at Pete's Harbor"

Redwood City

15" x 20" Watercolor

"Leonard Paints at Pete's Harbor"

11" x 14"Watercolor and Non-Permanent Ink

The sign as we exited Pete's Harbor in Redwood City said, " Reentering the United States. Arrivaderci."  I have to admit that I did feel like I was reentering the "real world" as we quickly merged onto busy Highway 101, one of two main routes between San Jose and San Francisco. 

Pete's Harbor was built in 1955 by Peter Uccelli on swampy lands adjacent to Smith Slough in Redwood City. His dream would be the site of our SCVWS plein ar outing. There were probably about 15 of us painting there today. We found a sunny spot with a great view of the exit from the harbor. There was a lone sailboat anchored , marshlands, power towers (I seem to be on a power theme in plein air), and distant mountains across San Francisco Bay. Later the boat would motor away from it's mooring. We were entertained by a group of young people on small sailboats, one of which kept ending up with its sail in the water. Not to worry, their superiors in a motorboat were there. We also saw large rowing teams practicing their skills. Sue found a garden by the harbor and chatted with a man who works in Louisiana 20 days a month and returns here to his motor home and boat. The Harbor is a tiny community separated from the rest of Redwood City by the freeway.

I first did a half sheet painting of the scene mingling color on the paper. I also occasionally spritzed some water into the wet paint.  In the final 20 minutes before lunch, I grabbed my dip pen and non-permanent black ink, and drew one of the artists quietly painting by the water. Leonard is a wonderful artist and I was able to quickly capture his likeness. I dropped in some color and voila, I was done. I do see that what was meant to be the slough looks like a wall because of the bleeding ink of the waves -- oh well. 

Bottles at Monday Morning Drawing Class

"Shiny Bottles"

12" x 14" Pastel

Shiny bottles are a challenge in pastel. They are a great subject, though, and they don't move.

Commission painting

"Hello, Goodbye"

15" x 15" Watercolor

A friend who commissioned me to paint a landscape also asked that I do a painting of her dog who is nearing the end of her life. The picture, taken on a smart phone, was difficult to enlarge for detail and was quickly snapped in a park, showing the surroundings, the woman's large purse, and part of another dog. My friend requested a square format focusing on the loving goodbye hug. I did a couple small sketches, cropping to about this pose and tried some different color palettes. My friend suggested she bring the dog to my house, which was so helpful. The dog is a small Dalmatian, and has a very sweet personality. I took some photos to help with the dog portion of the art. I draw my own subjects, rather than trace or project, so being able to see some detail on the dog is important. 

There is a very sweet story behind this painting.  Years ago my friend would walk her Lab past the home of a family from China. A Dalmatian puppy was always tied to the front porch, so my friend would stop and pat the dog. One day the grandfather handed her the dog on a leash and made it clear he wanted her to take the dog. Being a true animal lover, my friend accepted the dog. Many years later in a park, a young woman approached and said she once owned a dog like this one. Through conversation, they realized that this was the dog she had when she was a young girl. She and her brother had never been told the true circumstances of the dog leaving the home. Not long ago the young woman again got to see the dog and gave her a passionate hug, knowing that at the dog's advanced age, she was unlikely to see her again. My friend gave the title to this painting.

This dog is very calm and loving and has served with her owner in a program that brings dogs into nursing homes, VA hospitals, and homes of patients on hospice. She has brought love and consolation to many people in her life.

I have spent many hours on this piece. Unfortunately, my photo of the painting does not do the background justice. I wanted to suggest the outdoor setting with New Gamboge, Sap Green, Windsor Blue, and Cobalt. The background washes out in the photo.