travel

Studio 365: Day 362

Day 363 iv
 
xi           vii           iv

October: The header today is of my table top in the studio, which I posted on October 11th, the day before we left for our two week visit to England and France, and the day the studio was tidied up for the first time in months as you will have seen from the photos that day.

The previous week we enjoyed Autumn in all its glory on our final walk along the Admiralty Trail before leaving on our trip, a walk I posted about on October 5th for the Weekly Photo Challenge: Boundaries.

The table top and the trees seem to complement each other just perfectly, which I have to add only became apparent as I composed today’s post; serendipity working its magic once again.

Those of you who joined us, albeit virtually, on our European adventure will know what an unforgettable time we had.  The photos I posted each day said it all so as a little reminder here is a slideshow of some of my favourites, many of which became paintings on our return.  If you are visiting thechangingpalette for the first time and would like to learn more about the places we visited in London and the beautiful Périgord region of south west France why not browse through Days 287 to 299.

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October was not entirely without its paintings.  These are from the beginning of the month before we left.

Studio 365: Day 359

Day 129 vi

Palette Day 129 – May9th

May: After our amazing travels in April, studio time in May was all about expressing on canvas and paper the memories that were still fresh in my mind. My post on Day 135 brought them all together on the studio wall where they stayed for a day or two.

Day 135 vi

The evolution of the paintings of Bryce and Antelope Canyons at the centre of the wall can be seen on Day 129 and Day 133

Day 129 i       Day 133 ib

…and my treasured feather was featured on Day 126 when I wrote that I felt it had “magical properties”

Day 126 iii

For the rest of May it was all about Bella Italia as I re-visited my journal from 1999-2000 and left the canyons of Arizona and Utah for the beauty of our favourite country, Italy.

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Finally, perhaps my favourite image from the month posted on May 15 in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Enveloped, the treasured letters from my father to my mother a few weeks before their marriage in 1936, which I titled for obvious reasons my dearest sweetheart.

letter-ic

A special image full of love with which to wish you and your loved ones a very happy Xmas Day.

Studio 365: Day 356

Day 353 iii

February: New York, New York was definitely the highlight of the month. After our disappointment at having to cancel because of the weather in January we made a last minute decision to have a long weekend and took the red eye flight on the evening of Thursday the 6th. We arrived in New York early the next morning and didn’t stop for three days, taking in the Matisse Cut-Out exhibition at MOMA on Friday, the 9/11 Memorial site and Museum on Saturday, and the Metropolitan Museum on Sunday. The Freedom Tower overlooking the Memorial site was a powerful image that I tried to capture in the studio on our return.  I wrote that it seemed to represent not only freedom but so much more: defiance, resilience, endurance, hope and above all remembrance.

Day 44 iv

On the 18th I posted about our visit to MOMA which I cheekily entitled MOMA Mia. If you haven’t seen it take a look as you might enjoy the slide show of some of my favourite pieces in the museum.  I also posted a slide show of our afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum entitled Well Met on the 20th; cheesy titles I know.

Day 355     Day 50 iii

The month also include collages and my early attempts at light painting photography, which definitely improved as the year continued.

Day 52 vi

Weekly Photo Challenge: Transition

In November 2013 for the Weekly Photo Challenge: Layers I posted the progress from blank canvas to finished painting of the beautiful Cypress Alleyway at Castello di Reschio in Umbria, Italy. Since two years have now gone by this week’s Photo Challenge: Transition seemed to be the perfect excuse to re-purpose Birth of a Painting. I hope you agree.

Studio

Reschio ii

Reschio iii

Cypress Alleway

Studio 365: Day 328

The Chief

Stawamus Chief Acrylic and Plaster 78″ x 64″

Since I have not been in the studio today, and in follow up to yesterday’s Lascaux Cave, I thought I would post this painting from a few years back of the magnificent face of the Stawamus Chief in the Stawamus Chief Provincial Park in Squamish BC. Although on a different scale to the Lascaux Cave, the technique once again used a combination of Polyfilla and paint, this time acrylic rather than watercolour.

The Chief

There are three hiking trails on the Chief that take you to three different peaks where the view from each across Howe Sound simply takes your breath away.

Chief iii

With the new Sea to Sky Gondola however now it is possible to experience the same views with a little less effort, but definately with a lot less sense of achievement.

Chief ii

Here you can see the three peaks of the Chief viewed from the gondola on the way down to earth.

Studio 365: Day 316

Day 316 i

Westminster Bridge I 12.11.15

Day316

Palette 12.11.15

Studio 365: Day 310

Day 310 i

Lascaux I 6.11.15 ongoing

One of the highlights of our recent holiday in the Dordogne in southwestern France was visiting a replica of the cave of Lascaux in the Vézère Valley. The decorations by prehistoric man in the Magdalenian Period over 17000 years ago, with its primitive pictures of oxen, horses, bison and stags and many unknown symbols, are simply breathtaking. The cave was discovered in September 1940 but closed in 1963. An exact replica of one-third of the cave, Lascaux II, was opened 200 metres from the original cave in 1983. It was a memorable day indeed.

Day 310 ii           Day 310 iii