Art Weekly No 131 - Italian Lemons

For Sale - 15th October 2013 
Italian Lemons
Size: 21 x 15cm
(Postage and handling included)

I guess Italian lemons do look like any other lemons! I seem to have rather a collection of photos of them, and these are mostly taken around the Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terre areas of Italy. Many of the shops have beautiful displays outside, just waiting for a quick photo to be snapped, and many of the restaurants have a simple heaped bowl of lemons sitting on a table before the restaurant is barely open in the morning. Then of course, speaking of lemons, there's also the wonderful Lemoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur. This particular photo, was taken in Manarola, Cinque Terre on our visit there last year. 

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 jackie@jackiesherwood.com.

A Painting A Week No 124 - Mission Bay Palms

For Sale - 7th May 2013 
Mission Beach Palms
Size: 21 x 15cm
(Postage and handling included)

My first painting featuring swaying palm trees. There's something about the leaning trunks and haphazard fronds that made it a pleasure to paint.  These palms were at Mission Beach, Queensland, where we spent the night on our way from Port Douglas to Townsville. Its a lovely drive through lush tropical areas of sugar cane with a sense of umm, I think perhaps....timelessness!  Unfortunately, Mission Beach was hit hard in last year's Cyclone Yasi, but seems to be recovering slowly. It has a lovely unspoilt feel to it, and although it was getting a bit late in the season, we managed a wonderful 'real' Aussie hamburger for dinner, complete with beetroot (much to Peter's dismay!)

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 122 - Shutters, Pont de Vecchio

For Sale - 26th February 2013
Shutters, Pont de Vecchio
Size: 21 x 15cm
(Postage and handling included)

I finished this painting just before we left Koroni, and the photo was taken on a visit to Florence during our last spring trip to Italy.  I always seem to spend ages in the attempt to get good photos of the Pont de Vecchio - there's something about the angles that I just can't seem to capture, though I do have some photos with good reflections!  Until I do manage to crack it, here's my interpretation of its wonderful wonky shutters.

I do often wonder whether all those hoards of people peering into the jewelers' shops on the bridge ever spend time actually looking at the character of this lovely bridge. 

These photos show 2 different sections of the bridge. It was evidently built in medieval times, and is unique in that it still has shops enclosed inside.






And whilst I'm on the subject of the Pont de Vecchio, my father was in Florence with the NZ Military at the end of World War II, and took this photo. Its amazing that the bridge itself wasn't destroyed. This was supposedly due to an express order by Hitler!

As you can see from this photo, the approach to Pont de Vecchio was destroyed.

A little bit of history with this week's painting!


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 120 - Koroni Rooftops, a Trip Down Under... and A Wedding!

For Sale - 4th February 2013
Koroni Rooftops, Greece
SOLD
(Postage and handling included)

This painting has been done in a rather sketchy palette knife technique - a simplified version of one I did as a demonstration at some recent Acrylic Classes that I taught, in conjunction with my art buddy, Gill.  Here is a link to her website showing the most recent session, and you can also look back over the previous 3 weeks of Wednesday and Friday classes if you wish. http://artistswindow.com/new/2013/02/final-friday-acrylics-2/

It was an honour to be able to guide these lovely people through the technique that I generally use, and I was impressed with the work they did over the 4 week course. Considering most of them hadn't used acrylics before, and certainly not in this way, they turned out some beautiful paintings. We look forward to being able to continue in the spring.

This view from one of the pathways through the houses down to Koroni port, is one of many that I love, and I thought it appropriate to have it as this week's painting as we leave tomorrow for the slow and rather involved trip back to Australia. Car willing, we drive to Patras, and take the overnight ferry to Bari in Italy (assuming they're running - they're a little few and far between during the winter months, and I believe they were all on strike this weekend!) We'll spend a few days driving through Italy, and hope to arrive in the Languedoc during the weekend. We'll have a few days around Pezenas to take care of a bit more French bureaucracy and then on Valentine's Day, we both fly out of Paris, but in totally different directions; I go straight to Sydney, and Pete to Los Angeles for a couple of weeks with his Mum.

It will be busy visit to Sydney this time. No exhibition to worry about, but a wedding instead!  Yes, we're tying the knot on 23rd March!  I'm sure there'll be masses of rushing about getting organised, and of course, lots and lots of shopping and socialising.  We're also going up to Northern Queensland for a week, to attend James' graduation  from James Cook University, and we're looking forward to exploring the areas around Cairns and Townsville during that time. In our usual topsy turvey way, we're also turning it into an early honeymoon (which is just as well, because when we leave Australia, I fly off alone to spend 10 days in New Zealand!) I'm looking forward to trying my hand at painting some Australian beaches lined with swaying palms (and obviously the wedding too!)

Of course, I'm still hoping to post blogs and my weekly paintings as we travel about. I'm sure its just a matter of notching myself up a gear or three once we leave quiet peaceful Koroni..... we shall see!

I'm just adding a little note here - the ferries are still on strike and are not committing as to whether they'll be running Wednesday, so we've launched ourselves into Plan B, which is to fly from Athens to Montpellier, via Paris, (where we'll be leaving from a few days later) - it entails all sorts of complications, but hey, we'll get there eventually!

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 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.