Oil paintings

These are two oil paintings done from the 1st two oil pastel studies below.

The more I looked at the water the more colours and shapes I saw until it became impossible to distinguish them all.

In the paintings, I wanted to get the feeling of changing colours and shapes, all merging into each other, never still, always on the move.

Oil pastel studies

The light here in Cyprus is incredible and I have been looking at reflections. The above 3 pictures are of water patterns seen during a swim in the sea. These are in oil pastel, and are studies for oil paintings.

The water here really looks like this!

I am interested in how reflections give something back to the viewer, involving them in the experience, and have been collecting all things reflective as I go about my day. So far I have broken mirror tiles (which I extracted from around an unfortunate bird that had flown into the mirror), car reflectors, metal plates and coins. "One mans rubbish..." as they say...

Sunset in Lemba

This is the sunset from where we live...

Some art...

These are from our second life drawing class. We have a great Model called kathryn, who has a beautiful curvy figure and is great to draw. The above are in charcoal. I then took a line drawing I did of her and turned it into an oil pastel drawing:


Blue line drawing (left), and Storm Dance (right)

Really enjoying the life drawing. It's the fastest way to improve your drawing skills!

Nicosia

Hi! I'm back again...been away for a few days travelling around the island and thought I would tell you about our day out to Nicosia...

Officially North Cyprus and Cyprus are the only two countries in the world (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong!) to share a capital city, that being Nicosia. The Turks invaded in 1975 and ever since there has been a high metal fence cutting the city into two. To get from one to the other you pass the sand bags, barbed wire and armed guards, walk down the main shopping street and suddenly (just past McDonalds) you get to a white hut which is the border post: (the customs people on just on the left of the picture in blue shirts)

You fill in a piece of paper with your basic details which they stamp (dont' let them stamp your passport or you won't be allowed back in), walk through no-mans land (derelict shops belonging to no-one) show you passport 100m further on and you are in Turkish Cyprus. This side there is no McDonalds, no starbucks and the buildings are crumbling before your eyes.

We had a turkish lunch then went to explore the narrow back streets and listened to the call to prayer coming from a church converted into a mosque. You can see in the picture the minarettes stuck on the end and the windows have been knocked out and replaced with stone carved geometric patterns:

The Turkish people seemed very friendly and the place had character but obviously much poorer than the Greek side. I have included a video of the call to prayer to try and give you a feel for the place. Hope you can open it, not done this before...

Only time to have a short walk around before getting our pieces of paper stamped again and heading back through no-mans shops.

Visited the Cyprus Museum on Greek Cypriot side so expect to see work based on Chalcolithic clay figures! (but probably in stitch not clay!) Watch this space...art work coming soon!

The accomodation (before it gets blown away!)

Had a request for views of the living quarters: Above: The Dining room, The door to the kitchen/dining room

The door to my room

Outdoor dining...

That's all I can load for now, it takes along time and it's past my bedtime!

Goodnight all...

Stormy Weather

Well the weather changed last night, and we had a thunderstorm. It battered on the roof of my little room and I did actually get up to check that it wasn't leaking! I can see daylight through it normally so naturally I was a little concerned. It is however, covered in plastic. Phew...

We went down into Paphos today to look at the mosaics which are pretty impressive. The detail and accuracy of the work is something to be in awe at when you consider someone (I'm sure there was more than one person!) had to make all the tiny mosaic tiles by hand, it had to be designed and laid into the floor tile by tile. Quite a feat when you see how many they actually made and how beautiful they are. I'm hoping to incorporate them somehow into my work.

I'm still waiting for some paints to come (preferably the box with Titanium White in it) so I have done some line drawings and some oil pastel drawings. I picked a piece of 'Morning Glory' to draw and put the broken end in some water to keep it alive while I drew it. I have just looked at it today and it is growing! Another flower has appeared on it although it has lost some of its colour (the red) possibly because it hasn't had sunlight? No wonder it is so rampant everywhere! I shall have to be careful it doesn't engulf the inside of the studio...

We are watching a video (we have a DVD player but no one seems to know where the cable is to collect it to the telly!) tonight about Matisse, some old film I think. I love Matisse so I shall be very interested to see it. Tomorrow we have booked another model to do some life drawing for three hours. It would be good to have her repeat some of the poses in the mosaics. I may pluck up the courage to ask her...

The studios are beginning to look like real artists studios now everyone is settling in a bit, and the walls are filling up with work (something has just fallen from the ceiling in the storm that's blowing up...cripes...!) I will post before and after pictures of my studio space shortly...

Hope everyone is well, would be great to hear from you, please post me a message!

(I think the roof is about to blow off...)

My Stone Carving...

(Adopt Australian accent):
"Can you tell what it is yet?"

More puddy cats

Well the five kittens were taken away and today we found five more new kittens hiding in the college art wall! They are only a few weeks old and even cuter than the last ones. They are a bit shy at the moment and aren't coming out yet but I'm sure they will when they get hungry...the aove picture is two of the braver ones...(you can hold them in one hand!)

Snakes, cats and dogs

I have just been told today is Saturday. Been here nearly a week already! Not done any art today. Went down into Paphos to find a fabric shop where we bought canvas and Calico. I am planning to run an embroidery class as there are a few people interested so the calico will come in useful. It is hard finding materials out here, we take it for granted in England what with Hobbycraft (I miss hobbycraft!), the internet and markets. The best way here is to ask someone, as alot of the time the shops look unlikely places and you probably wouldn't go in them otherwise!

We are sussing out the buses now and are looking less like tourists and more like students. There were lots of 'Brits abroad' in the market today and we were trying desperately not to look like one of them! No one has tried to sell us a Time Share so it must be working.

Went swimming in the sea yesterday which was lovely. It is a bit of a walk but will keep me fit and healthy! There is a large metal shipwreck out in the sea, I might try and get a little nearer and have a go at painting it. It seems to be stuck on some rocks, I bet someone got in trouble over that one...

Anyway, off to cook Houlumi and lentils (gosh I will be fit and healthy!)

Will leave you with a picture of the finer side of life in the Cyprus College of art accomodation block...

P.S. There was a snake in the kitchen last night. It came down from the roof and landed on someone. The little puddycats have gone to a new restaurant, I mean er...home, and the dogs were doing their hundred and one Dalmation impression last night

Stone Carving

Yes that's right, Stone carving! Depsite saying I was going to paint I spent my first day chipping away at a piece of limestone. One of the other students said: "I wonder what your students would say if they saw you doing that". If any of my students are reading this, perhaps they would like to comment! I haven't worked out how this can be combined with embroidery yet, but I'm working on it...

Spent today doing some life drawing which was a really good way to get going. It's strange having a big space to work in and all the time in the world to work in it. I feel like I should be doing something more conventional.

There is a lot of wildlife here in Cyprus. Have heard stories of tarantulas (a dead one fell on the head of our artist in residence, John), and snakes but thank goodness, have not yet seen either! There was a praying mantis in the studio this morning which was pretty weird looking (see photo:)

He seemed to like Mals work as it was very hard to remove him.

Anyway, off to do some more drawing

Bye for now!

That's better!

Ahhh.....

College cats...

Soon to be re-housed as no-one can afford to feed all of them!

They are super cute though

The journey has begun!

Well, I'm finally here in Cyprus. The weather is beautiful and I can see the Mediterranean from the college accommodation. The other students are still gathering although we are still four students down. No-one quite seems to know where they are, and to be honest the college staff don't seem too bothered! Ringing them to find out their whereabouts doesn't seem to be an option...

The other students have varied talents, from stone carving to traditional painting, from conceptual art to botanical art (the latter will be me), and I'm happy to know I'm not the only one worried about how I'm going to fit in. I don't know very many modern artists and I have never followed an art course structure like they obviously have, but some have never done any actual drawing which makes me feel better!

The college struggles to live up the to expectations you would have of an establishment giving itself the title of a college. The accommodation is based in renovated traditional Cypriot stone houses which are all a little rickety to say the least! We are all making ourselves as comfortable as possible using items left by previous students. My room contains a ceramic tiled library shelf complete with books! The previous occupant also left me a radio which was very kind as that was one of the luxuries I decided I could carry in my well over the weight limit suitcases. There are new toilets and showers (due to the full cesspit of the old ones) and I'm actually quite fond of my little room...

The studios are held together with er....umm...actually I'm not sure what they're held together with! I have bagged myself a space under a part of the roof that lets in the light. I'm hoping it doesn't let in the rain also. There are rickety tables, broken chairs and about 2 easels between 14 of us. It does however, have Wi-fi so everyone is connected up to the internet on their laptops. What is the world coming to when an artists must have tool is a computer and not an easel?
The studios are surrounded by a rather amazing wall (see picture) made up from previous students work. It seems to attract in tourists although once through the entrance they seem more interested in the stray baby cats gambolling around than they do in buying a piece of art. We have been told not to feed the cats. The strongest catch the lizards, the weakest don't survive. If we interrupt this equilibrium the college becomes overrun with well fed cats and lizards. Cute as they may be (the cats that is) this doesn't sound like an ideal situation.

Spent half a day today trying to find the art shop which wasn't the easiest of tasks. The tourists maps of Paphos are actually rubbish and nothing is where it is marked! My studio space is piled high with art stuff, now all I need to do is get cracking and paint something!

Bye for now...