Daily Painting

Covered Streets of Marrakech

Many of the streets in the Medina of Marrakech are covered to filter the bright sunlight.  16"x20", oil on canvas. 

Bahia Place

An impression of my experience in the Bahia Palace in Marrakech.  Arches, bright courtyards, painted wood....  9"x12", watercolor, pencil and pen on multi media paper.

Chunky Berber Jewelry

Chunky Berber jewelry is one of the many Moroccan charms that drew me toward Marrakech. Now I have the luxury of spending time with my very own (again and again).  My wonderful traveling companions for Moroccan Sketchbook will remember my covetous glee when I returned from the souks with my Berber "necklace".  (Necklace in quotation marks because it weighs about 5 lbs.-in reply to my raised eyebrows when I hefted it the shop keeper offered "maybe more like home decor".)  Today I thrashed out a 36"x36" study of it, the watercolor coming afterwards.  One of these years I will go to the Atlas mountains to discover the origins of these beads for myself.

If you look closely you can see our copy of The Mysterious Caravan in which the Hardy Boys go to Marrakech on the table at right and, at the far left my cardboard spaceship and get-a-way vehicle for when painting gets rough.

Plein Air Painting Workshop in France

As you may know Elizabeth and I have cooked up another painting workshop, this one in the south of France.  (No experience necessary.)

I did this little fantasy field of lavender painting on a 5"x7" claybord panel-I love these panels!  Smooth and quick drying.

The Honey Tree

Two watercolors from my moroccan sketchbook.  Done from my bed in the orange blossom scented Hotel Du Tresor in Marrakech.  (I cannot wait to go back.)  Last week I bought American Primative by wonderful poet Mary Oliver.  Intoxicating.  Today the Honey Tree, is on my mind.

Koutoubia at Dusk

The first night we were in Marrakech my sister and I had dinner on a terrace overlooking the busy Place Jmaa El Fnaa.  This this little painting (4"x6") of the square is from a photograph I took that night. The Koutoubia Mosque presides over the whole of Marrakech and dates back to the 12th century.

Moroccan Sketchbook 2012

Wonderful Lynn, painter and caligrapher extrodinaire, drew in this lovely introduction.

The ancient fortified town of Essaouria.  The boats really are that blue.  There were only one or two seagulls in the painting before the waiter at Cafe de France told me I had to add more.

Doors to the little Mosque la Kasbah on the Place Moulay Hassan in Essaouria.  I sat accross the street in Cafe de france hours.

Window to my left.

Cafe cats.

The view from inside the cafe.  The friendly wait staff patiently indulged my desire for french conversation and invited me inside the cafe to draw their portraits!  -again, who's beautiful life is this?  (I left the portraits with them.)

Another spot in Essaouria across from our perch on the ramparts (I don't actually know what we were sitting on but ramparts sounds so good).  As we sat here painting I spoke with a variety of facinating tourists: a journalist from NYC trying to shake off work life and headed for a Moroccan pastry cooking class,  a german artist looking for a pencil sharpener, folks from South Carolina driving from one North African town to another and another...

Treasure from the souks.  Wild variety of color and texture.

Karen took a photo of a basket of dye powder bottles.

Cyprus trees on the perimeter of the Peacock Pavilions grounds.

...those fabulous beads again.

At the 16th century Koranic school Medersa Ben Youssef, I scrambled down, in, up and through the rabbitt warren of monks' cells (climbing through two others to get into this one!) to make this little picture.

 

A few participants brought these types of vases back to the studio at Peacock Pavilions- they are ink wells/pen holders for students I think?

A fancy inspired by the courtyard at the Medersa Ben Youssef.

Meet You in Marrakech

Elizabeth left for Marrakech Tuesday, I am off this afternoon!  On our return we will have a night in London to catch up with our dear friend, and phenomenal painter, Cynthia Westwood. The last time we all got together was at Newark airport!  

It sure feels like a full moon.  I did this moon the night before last.  Too excited to finish anything.  In order to get something done I recruited the help of my Captain Spectacular.  He agreed to come into the studio with me before bathtime. He worked on some drawing and crafts while I painted; in exchange for my help wielding the glue gun.

I got called a wonderkind over at casapinka! (Did you know her knitting designs are upmon etsy?)  How do you like them apples.  Wonderkind.  

Compulsive Behavior: Did I mention my pre-travel sewing binge?

The planning and discussing of this trip has been such a great pleasure that the actual visit feels like icing on the cake.  

Okay, dear Colette is here to take me to the airport!

Plein Air Painting in France

Elizabeth and I are going to France and you can come too!  We are offering two plein air painting retreats at a restored 14th century chateau in the south west of France.

Slow Love

This is from a post on India by Dominique Browning at Slow Love Life.  I was there reading her beautiful reflections on her relationship with Elizabeth Young-Bruehl.