A Painting A Week No 127 - Chania, Crete

For Sale - 31st July 2013 
Chania, Crete
Size: 21 x 15cm
(Postage and handling included)

We were in Crete a little over a year ago with some Sydney friends, and this was my favourite place. Chania is the second largest city in Crete, but it feels more like a bustling town. The 'old town' is built around a lovely harbour, and crammed with the usual Greek tavernas and bars. Behind this, is a myriad of lanes and alleyways to explore - fairly touristy I guess, but the whole place does have a great buzz to it, even when you get further away from the harbour, where'll you'll also find some interesting Minoan excavations, as well as Venetian and Turkish areas.

This painting is of a very small area along the waterfront (our hotel was the pale blue one on the right!), with the haphazard line of awnings, and shops and restaurants below. It was fairly windy when we visited, and the harbour was rough, hence no boats lined up along the front.

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 126 - Fishing Boat, Koroni

For Sale - 25th June 2013 
Fishing Boat, Koroni Harbour
Size: 21 x 15cm
(Postage and handling included)

Not a very exciting title for a painting, but I seem to have Greek fishing boats everywhere I look right now, as well as in Koroni harbour and the bay below us. I've been painting them, sketching them, and sticking them onto collages. Each little waterside village around here has its unique selection of boats, and yes, most of them really do go out fishing each day, or night, and keep all the local restaurants full of seafood. I just love the shape of them, all the accoutrement hanging off them, not to forget all the little 'sticky uppy bits' (which I've recently told my students not to ignore!)

Summer has arrived with a vengance now - too hot for sitting on the edge of harbours sketching, but perfect for relaxing in any one of Koroni's many cafes with an ice cold frappe, or an ouzo in your hand!

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 125 - Sassi di Matera, Italy

For Sale - 5th June 2013 
Sassi di Matera, Italy
Size: 21 x 15cm
(Postage and handling included)

After scooting back and forth across Italy during the last few years, it was amazing to stumble across the unique old quarter of Matera. The city of Matera is in the Basilicata region of Southern Italy and the Sassi area is a World Heritage site, but it still seems to be relatively unknown. Within the boundaries of a fairly modern city, Sassi di Matera (meaning stones of Matera) lies in two canyons which are crammed with ancient cave dwellings, carved into and projecting from the canyon walls. In fact, it is the most intact example of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterranean area. Over the centuries these cave dwellings have been multiplying and continually used for housing, shops, and the sheltering of animals. Until the 1980's the Sassi di Matera was considered an area of terrible poverty, even after the 1950's, when the government tried to relocate residents living there.  Although it now now been a little gentrified |(but not too much - the boutique hotels are rather scattered!), a wander through the laneways certainly gives you the feel of  'ancient living'. The area and its surrounds also has a large amount of rock churches. What better place to film Mel Gibson's film 'The Passion of Christ'!

Looking down into the Sassi is quite an unbelievable sight, but it really was difficult to capture its essence in photos, mainly due to its size, the fact that its spread over two gorges, and also because you're either looking down into it, or up out of it! With this painting though, I tried to concentrate on a small but fairly prominent area rising up one side, to portray the density and the monotone appearance.

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 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 123 - The Olive Tree, Koroni

For Sale - 1st May 2013 
 The Olive Tree, Koroni
Size: 21 x 15cm
(Postage and handling included)

This olive tree is an integral part of our view and stands proudly in our neighbour, Vassili's field, with the blue sea behind. A good subject I think, to recommence my 2013's artistic pursuits!

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.

Back in Greece and business is resumed!

Apologies for the huge gap in time since my last post. Its been a busy few months with travel to Australia and New Zealand, and to LA for Peter, and of course our wedding in Sydney. Why I always try and fool myself that I'll be able to produce some weekly paintings whilst travelling, I don't know.  Anyway, here we are now, just arrived back in Koroni and ready to settle into our quiet life here for another few months.



Before I publish my next painting though, I'll just write a short(ish) post about the last 3 months..... here goes

As we tend to do, we flew via France to sort out visas etc.  Its always a bit of a shock to arrive there in winter and be reminded of the cold, but the Languedoc always looks beautiful, no matter what season.

Sydney was wonderful, and its usual bustling self, and I do love arriving there and feeling in charge again! I guess I can only put it down to the language barriers of living in places where I barely speak the language. Its mostly just being able to chat to people when we're out and about that I miss most! It was looking particularly green this visit, despite some scorching days they'd had earlier in summer. The good ole Sydney rain was never too far away, but I must say for the whole month of March, it did itself justice, particularly for the important Wedding Day!

But before the wedding, and after kicking into organisation mode and a lot of rushing about (which its a relief to know I can still do!), we headed up to Northern Queensland to join my son James at his Graduation. It was a wonderful chance to see that part of Australia for the first time too.  It was all very beautiful and tropical, and yes, I am most definitely going to point some palm trees soon.

Townsville Strand Beach - stinger season so sadly not a soul in the water!

View from the hotel

The wedding went off beautifully. We had a lovely sunny day, though it was rather hot, and a little windy down next to the harbour, but we couldn't have wished for anything more and being able to celebrate with lots of family and friends on the edge of one of the world's most beautiful harbours. A day to remember for sure.

Pete and I had a week to get used to being married, before we headed off into different directions (typical of our doing things a little back to front!) Peter to Los Angeles, and me to New Zealand. where I had some total relaxation at 'the farm' with the sheep and pukekos (and sister and brother in-law too of course). I also managed two nights in Auckland with great friends and a nice catch up with others there.  Then after 10 days or so the bride and groom met up again in Montpellier, France for 5 days of more R&R (and another reminder of chilly weather) before flying into Athens......

Today, is the first day I've managed to get into some painting;  those palm trees are on their way!

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.