Where Did 2012 Go? - A Year in Retrospect

Here I am on the first few days of 2013 and I sit and ponder where on earth 2012 disappeared to.  We did an enormous amount of travelling admittedly, and unfortunately this does take its toll on my ability to get into some real big messy painting as I intended. I've been pleased to continue on with my Art Weekly though, and am hoping to continue on with these, perhaps in a somewhat looser way in the coming year.

So, now in this blog, I feel the need to run back through the year 'in retrospect', mark the highlights and comment upon things creatively - any time apart from this is probably spent either sitting on the beach, or in a taverna/restaurant/cafe somewhere...... Its a fairly long blog (well, it is a whole year after all), so perhaps grab and coffee, or a glass of wine and enjoy.

January - we returned overland from France to Greece following a great visit to Sydney and New Zealand, with stopovers both ways in Los Angeles, and even though I shouldn't include it, as it was technically not 2012 (between Xmas and New Year), a few days visiting San Francisco, which was brilliant.

February - wintering down in Koroni gave me a chance to continue exploring with collage

 and different mixed media techniques. 

I also came up with some ideas for cards using some of my hundreds of Koroni photos...

March

With the weather warming up a little, it was great to get outdoors to sketch, something I did more of in 2012 than ever before.

I also started sketching daily, admittedly, something that fell into a heap once we started travelling again, but I did really enjoy it and am promising myself to get back into the whole daily thing in 2013.

April - Lots more sketching.

May - off again to France, this time to meet up with Aussie friend, Rita in Nice, before heading to Venice, the Italian Lakes and Switzerland.

We then rendezvoused with another Sydney friend, Peter, and spent a couple of nights in Moneglia, our favourite stop-off spot for visiting Cinque Terre.....

and then, into Tuscany, for a week in a great house in Barga, just north of Lucca. Whilst we were staying there, we were able to re-explore some of our favourite places, Lucca, Sienna, Florence, Pisa.

 Despite all the travelling, talking, eating and drinking, some sketches did actually arise from this whole trip and I am still working on getting the full Sketchbook completed.

June - still with our travelling companions, a few days in Koroni, then a great week cruising around Crete.

July - after another short stint in Koroni, to catch our breaths, I spent a wonderful week at Villa Nicara in Skiathos with my lovely friend, Yvonne, who always inspires me with her wonderful paintings http://paintingskiathos.wordpress.com/.

We both worked hard with lots of different creative stuff happening, as well as plenty of eating, talking and relaxation.

Peter came to meet me and we spent a few days on the island of Skopelos, before heading up to northern Greece to spend some time with his Mum. The only vaguely creative thing I can claim from the stay in Northern Greece is photographs - I was fascinated by the plastic boxes at the Kavala market!

August - mostly spent on the beach in Koroni, or possibly having a siesta to escape the relentless heat during our hottest month.  Despite this though, I joined Gill and her fellow On Location Sketchers for weekly jaunts to all sorts of lovely local spots.

September - more On Location Sketching

October -  back overland through Italy to France, this time with my eldest son, James, in tow. We travelled in my little 'cabrolet', which although fairly tight for space, but was lots of fun, particularly as the weather in Italy was brilliant.  I did get a little sketching done along the way, but should have done a whole lot more.

November - despite various car problems, we made it back, and settled yet again into Koroni, more sketching and also my very exciting foray into 'teaching' Acrylic Painting.
http://artistswindow.com/new/2012/12/acrylic-paintingweek-four/.  Considering these girls only had 3 or 4 morning sessions, they did brilliantly.

.

December - once again, back to France for visa stuff, this time we flew into Barcelona and spent some time there. What an amazing place to be just prior to Christmas, so busy and lively, despite the cold.

Phew - as I said it's been a busy year! No wonder I feel exhausted and that it flew by. I guess as far as creativity throughout the year goes, I can at least say I worked hard on my sketching, continued with my collages, and managed to keep up with the weekly art.  2013 will be the start of a whole new creative journey, and I'm determined to continue exploring new techniques, including collage, and more impasto style painting.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. Here's to even more fun, laughter and creativity in 2013 for each and everyone of you.

A Painting A Week No 118 - Bells at the Monastery

For Sale - 20th December 2012
Bells at the Monastery
Size: 15 x 21cm
SOLD
(Postage and handling included)

These lovely old bells are hanging against the church in Koroni's beautiful Holy Monastery of St John.  Set inside the walls of the ancient Venetian castle, the Monastery stands out proudly with its many whitewashed chapels and domes overlooking the sea below. It's truly a serene and special  place - I've spent many an hour there sketching over the past 3 years. The nuns have always made us feel very welcome, and once even offered to bring us some lunch!

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 117 - Vieux Menton

For Sale - 29th November 2012
Vieux Menton, France
Size: 21 x 15cm
SOLD
(Postage and handling included)

I love this view of Menton old town from across the bay. It comes into sight just after arriving in France from Italy along the coastal road, and to me highlights the wonderful haphazardness and colour of old Europe. Its rather tricky to photograph as it needs morning sun, and then a nice clear day, and a good long lens helps too. You may have noticed that I've painted a version of this 2 or 3 times before, and probably will again!

Menton itself is a slightly more sedate version of Nice or Cannes and a great base for exploring that part of Provence by train. Formerly entertwined with the principality of Monaco, Menton became a part of France in 1860.

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 116 - Autumn Colours, Languedoc

For Sale - 20th November 2012
Autumn Colours, Languedoc
Size: 21 x 15cm
Price A$90
(Postage and handling included)

When we were in the Languedoc region of France recently, everything was bursting into vibrant autumn colour. Autumn was my favourite season when we lived there, and I particularly love the changes in the thousands of hectares of grape vines in the area. Different rows seem to change to different colours, and each field seems to change at different times (if you get my drift!), so you have a glorious evolving patchwork effect everywhere you look.

I took this photo near the village of Villeveyrac.  We were cruising through the area and James and I both immediately spotted this view, with the coloured trees in the foreground just adding to the picture. I loved the row of olive trees near the centre of the picture as well!

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 115 - Idle Boats, Vernazza

For Sale - 13th November 2012
Idle Boats, Vernazza
Size: 21 x 15cm
Price A$90
(Postage and handling included)

Now that we're back in Koroni, I have many many more photos to reference for my paintings.  Its been an incredibly busy year of travelling, and it's likely I'm going to have to spend all winter organising all these photos, not to mention  previous years. This one though, was taken during a spring visit to Vernazza in Italy's lovely Cinque Terre.  Some of the boats that are usually moored in a nice orderly line in the harbour were lying up on the higher level amongst the restaurants, I would suspect, following a nice winter paint job.

When I was actually painting this I was thinking it was Portofino as I have taken similar photos there, but then as I was working on 'ageing' the buildings, I realised it couldn't possibly be Portfofino; the buildings in the background were far too 'tatty' (just as I like them!)

We were in Vernazza again about a month ago with James, and I'm pleased to report it seems to have almost recovered from the devastating mudslide there last autumn. The harbour area is back to normal, though the main street through the town is still pretty chaotic and noisy, with workmen, jackhammers and the like. Most of the shops do seem to have reopened and are sporting new and interesting facades.

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 114 - Albi, France

For Sale - 1st November 2012
Albi, France
Size: 21 x 15cm
Price A$90
(Postage and handling included)

We are still in belle France and the sun is now shining brightly after nearly a week of messier and colder stuff. It's been a sharp reminder of winters spent in France, and those 'warmer' items of clothing I packed in Greece really haven't done the trick at all!

I took the photo for this painting some years ago, and despite the 'washed out' blue sky, it was a very cold gloomy day. Following a lot of heavy rain, the buildings across the river Tarn glowed in rich shades of ochre, with the water almost matching them. The photo was taken from the garden outside of the lovely Musee Toulouse Latrec, which stands next to the huge cathedral which is so very stark from the outside and incredibly detailed inside.

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 113 - Poppy Fields, Italy 2

For Sale - 23rd October 2012
Poppy Fields, Italy 2
Size: 21 x 15cm
Price A$90
(Postage and handling included)

We’ve just spent the past week or so, back in Italy again, slowly travelling through towards France with my eldest son, James.  It seems relevant therefore, to have my second recently finished poppy painting this week, although the Italian fields are now all ploughed and bare.  We had a great time exploring the Puglia region and have seen some amazing sights, which will feature in my blog once we get a good internet connection.  From there we spent some time in Positano (where James was testing his memory of his last stay there at the age of 6), and Cinque Terre.... yes, again!  We've now just arrived in Menton, France.

I took the photo for this painting near San Miniato in Tuscany back in May - as you can see from the photo below, its a very serious business photographing poppies!

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 112 - Feta Tin, Skopelos, Greece

For Sale - 25th September 2012
Feta Tin, Skopelos
Size: 15 x 21cm
Price A$90
(Postage and handling included)

Here in Greece, feta tins have a multitude of uses once all the cheese has been eaten or sold. They're often used as pots, sometimes painted in bright colours, or like this one, just left au naturale. I came across this lonely example with its sprouting succulents, sitting on some steps in the cobbled laneways of the island of Skopelos.

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 111 - French Reflections

For Sale - 12th September 2012
French Reflections
Size: 21 x 15cm
SOLD
(Postage and handling included)

Last time we were in France, we stopped for some breakfast in Sanary-sur-Mer, a place we'd often driven through, saying the oh so familiar words 'we must stop off here next time'. This time we did!

Although we didn't venture right into the old town, I was really impressed with what I saw around the harbour area. There was a wonderful produce market underway, with a mass of brightly coloured umbrellas lined up under the plane trees. There is undoubtedly something very special about the way the French manage to get even the most humble of vegetables to look in their markets. With the neat rows of fruit and vege all so beautifully lined up, I always want to buy things I'd probably never eat, just because they're displayed so well!

To offset the market, there is also a picturesque harbour with the old town as a backdrop, and the most gorgeous fishing boats all crammed in amongst each other. I believe these traditional boats are called 'Pointus' and have been used in the area for centuries. They're all brightly painted with their coloured masts leaning at odd angles, and their reflections were magnificent. (Please excuse all the adjectives, but it was a spectacular sight for the likes of me!) I have many many photos of the boats, and will be attempting o paint some ,complete with haphazard masts, soon.

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 110 - All in a Row, Tuscany

For Sale - 3rd September 2012
All in a Row, Tuscany
Size: 21 x 15cm
Price A$90
(Postage and handling included)

There's always something stunning happening in the Tuscan countryside, and as I mentioned in my email, I'm fascinated with lines of anything when looking at landscapes, whether it be rows of flowers, trees, crops, or simply just the way the fields have been mown.  I no doubt have hundreds of photos to testify this!

This photo was taken not far from San Gimignano whilst travelling in Italy early this summer. We  made a brief stop there to show it off to our Australian friends, but it was incredibly busy, without any hope of parking, so Peter kindly sat and relaxed in the car whilst we had a look around!  Not being able to stay there for a coffee was compensated for by coming across this beautiful tree lined driveway amongst the canola fields. There was a rather nice looking restaurant at the other end!

If you would like to buy this painting, please click on this link to my  Art Weekly Online Shop, or if you'd rather deal with me direct, please email me at either jackiesinfrance@hotmail.com or jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

Post No8 - 2012 Trip - Crete

We couldn't possilby spend all that time in Italy with 'the Australians' without showing them some of Greece, and after a few relaxing days back in Koroni to catch our breath, we drove up to Athens and caught a flight over to Crete. It was a new experience for us all, apart from a stay there for me way back in the 70's.

The first night we ventured only as far as Sissi, a small town on the water, buzzing with tavernas. In fact, we enjoyed it so much we stayed again the following night!

We took the scenic route and drove through some very dramatic countryside.

Next day we were off east towards Sita which I remembered from a visit in the 70's. 

We stopped off for a coffee in the famous Agios Nicholas which was as bustling as ever, and then continued on through the increasingly barren landscape to Sita for the night.

 Sitia had changed quite dramatically since my last stay. In my early days of painting, one of my first large acrylic paintings was from a photo I took when we stayed here in the 70's.  I am currently attempting an updated version, hopefully downplaying the apartment buildings up behind the harbour!

One other place I remembered from that visit was a little place called Myrtos, on the South Coast, just past Irepetra. We took the gamble and headed there for the night, and it paid off. Myrtos still has loads of charm, and a very nice laid back feel to it. It still seems to consist of mostly narrow streets with little whitewashed houses, a lot of them leading straight down to the blue sea. Its wonderful to see there are still some of these villages around.

Next it was time for a dose of Greek history, and we'd realised we would more than likely have to save Knossos until the next trip, so off we went to Phestos. This is a Minoan archeological site, where the Phestos disc was discovered.  It was amazingly hot there, but an fascinating place and set in amongst high mountains and lush plains.

 and saw plenty of  'lines in the landscape'

Once we reached the north coast, we spent the night in Rethymnon, an interesting place with its Venetian facades,

but the following day we moved on to have a look at Chania, and decided that was the perfect spot to spend the last couple of nights and have a break from the car. We stayed in a great hotel right smack bang on the waterfront amongst all the restaurants and didn't have to venture far for anything.  Having said that plenty of wandering was done as there was a maze of laneways in every direction, buzzing with life.  It is fairly touristy, but beautiful and it worked extremely well!

checking out the menus.....

 We also did do a short trip to nearby Stravros which is famous for as being where the movie Zorba the Greek was filmed, and having just watched the film again recently, it doesn't seem to have changed too much since then! If you know the fil, you can see the mine up on the mountain, and the tiny house, right by the beach.

Sadly, our titme in Crete went way too fast, and it was time to head back to Athens again for a couple of nights before putting Rita and Peter onto their flights.

Just a little footnote. There was actually some sketching done enroute this time as Australian Peter became my 'sketching buddy'. I'm soon hoping to be able to get my sketchbook into shape, fill in the odd blank page, and produce something to put online in the not too distant future.

Needless to say, I have many many beautiful photographs of all of the places we visited on this trip, in France, Italy, Switzerland and Crete, and they will be appearing on my Picasweb site soon, at which time I'll add a link.