Return to the Beach

I am back at Paradise Beach on the east shore of Santorini in Greece. At least that is what it feels like when I paint a scene from my travel photos.

The day I walked from the town of Oia at the southern tip of Santorini to Paradise Beach (approximately 5 miles), it was one of those beautiful Greek days of sunshine and warmth. I left early in the morning so that I was not walking in the heat of the day. At least that was what I thought. Little did I know how quickly temperatures rise even along the shore. I walked the shoreline cliffs and could not wait to get in the water when I finally reached the beach. There was NO WAY I was going to walk back! Lucky for me there was one bus returning to town. I planned accordingly and learned that these remote buses do not consistently run on schedule.

I saw my first sand orchids as I walked the shoreline cliff.
The view.....


First glimpse of a beach, but I had to walk further.


On Paradise Beach looking south


Looking north


The sculpted cliffs


I spent the afternoon swimming and sketching. My memories linger while I painted this watercolor rendition of the rocks along the shoreline of Paradise Beach.

Fascination With Rocks

My grandson, Haeden, came to visit me the other day, and he was fascinated with the pile of river rocks boarding the deck.



What is it about rocks that is so fascinating?

The colors and shapes attract me. When I was in Greece not only did I take photographs of rocks, but also brought some home from various locations, especially beaches. I have these small piles on a counter and not sure what to do with them.

Rekindling my love of rocks with Haeden, I began a watercolor painting from photographs of one of the beaches on the island of Antiparos in Greece.

This is just the first day painting:


A close up:




To be continued.......

Does Size Make a Difference?

A question to ponder.....

I remember enjoying painting on huge canvases because it was like a dance. Not only did you move your arm as you painted, but also your body.

When I began painting in watercolors, a half sheet of watercolor paper seemed essential to capture all that I wanted to paint.

Recently while traveling in Greece, I created small watercolor and ink sketches because I was traveling light.

Today as I painted with watercolors, I wondered about the significance of size.

In the third watercolor painting of sand orchids of Greece, I finally loosened up. Yet as I painted today, I became mesmerized by shapes and colors as I worked a small area of the painting. The thought occurred to me to cut out the section of the painting as the final product.

It reminded me of a story my artist friend, Judi Colwell, told of tearing off a section of one of her paintings because the art patron liked that part. It really shocked the customer!

Here is the watercolor painting so far......


And the detail....


Who knows where this might go?

Second in the Series: Sand Orchid

When I was in Greece, the orchids growing in the sand amazed me. They seemed to thrive in the environment in the sand next to the water. How can this be?

Not only were the orchids a beautiful, but also was the contrast of the curly, straw like foliage emerging from the sand and the blue-green colors of the spent bulbs of the flowers.

I tried to capture this in the second of the series of watercolor paintings of the sand orchids of Greece.



On to the next painting....

First in the SeriesSand Orchids of Greece

Back to painting!

First, we had sunny days which found me working in the yard and thinking garden. Next, we had lots of snow and I had to go skiing. Now, I am back in the studio. Well, since I am painting from photographs of Greece, can I actually be in Greece?

To be exact, I am sitting on Plakias Beach on the southern coast of Crete where the sand orchids are profuse and the vista spectacular.

Ahhh, what fond memories......

Sand Orchids of Crete
Joanne Osband
watercolor

What You Can Miss Seeing

At the moment, I am working on two watercolor paintings. The subject matter for these paintings is the sand orchids of Greece which I mentioned in my last blog.

As I was painting and enjoying the range of colors which were happening because I was using a technique called glazing and defining negative space. I use the technique often because it is truly one of my favorite watercolor techniques. As I was enjoying the moment painting, I realized how this beauty and detail is lost in a reproduction of the painting.

You miss seeing this color and detail when you view a watercolor painting online or buy a print. Only when you see the original watercolor painting can you see the variation of colors. It is similar to viewing the dots or blobs of paint of a pointillist or impressionist painting. From a distance, these dots and blobs blend and the experience is different than viewing up close.

Thus, when you view a watercolor painting online you will miss out on all the nuances of its creation. Always ask to see the original or treat yourself to a visit at an art show of original works.

Here are a couple of details of the stems of the sand orchids in my current watercolor paintings:

Sand Orchids of Greece

One of the most captivating sights when I was in Greece last fall, is finding orchids growing profusely in the sandy beaches along the coast of the beautiful Aegean Sea.

My first sighting was on a hike to find Paradise Beach located on the northeast shore of Santorini. I love orchids and know that they are the only plants that do not need soil to survive; soil is bad for the plants because it cuts off air circulation at the roots and blocks the drainage of water.

Amazed by this discovery of orchids growing in the sand and not in a tropical forest, I took a couple of photographs.



The next time I saw an array of sand orchids, they were growing on Plakia Beach in southern Crete. In fact, I sat in the middle of them under the shade of a tree and did a quick sketch before I jumped in the crystal clear waters of the Aegean Sea.


Now, I am taking the time to recreate that feeling in a watercolor painting.

Ahhhh....to be in Crete again :)

Another Great Idea

A new blog to follow.....

Sketchers from around the world will be sharing their art on postcards.

The project has grown out of the Sketchercise group which was founded by Katherine Tyrrell.
Sketchercise is a group of people who enjoy sketching from life, have already developed the sketching habit, and have found ways of exercising with a sketchbook.

The idea of A Postcard From My Walk is that once a month an artist will mail a sketch done on one of their outings to one of the group of Sketchercise members who are participating in the project. That way they get to see the real sketch rather than just the image on the Internet.

The blog will record a monthly postal exchange of sketches on postcards between the 14 members of Sketchercise over the course of one year.

What a fun idea. Since I love to travel, I look forward to seeing the sketches from around the world.

Here is one of my sketches when I was traveling in Greece.

Kastraki Joanne Osband
watercolor & ink
September 2010

A Return To Flowers

I took a break from painting images from Greece to capture the uniqueness of the poppy in watercolors.

Intrigued by the curves, shapes, and variations of color, I found myself transported in time as I painted. Interestingly enough I just finished reading a section from Thomas Moores' book, The Dark Nights of the Soul, where he talks about this phenomenon of loosing all sense of time when you are wrapped up in something which you enjoy. I could definitely relate!

Instead of calling this watercolor painting "Poppy", I will call it "Somewhere in Time".

Third Time

Do you find the expression, "third times the charm," rings true for you?

Many times it takes me three times before I learn the lesson or make an attempt to get something just right. This THIRD time I am hoping to achieve a final and expressive watercolor painting of the bougainvillea from my travel photos of Greece.

In the first watercolor painting, I am not happy with the color of the bougainvillea and I believe there is too much detail.


The second watercolor painting, which I finished today, is more playful and colorful. But then, I found myself laboring on a few details.


The THIRD watercolor painting, which I began today, will flow more smoothly having had some experience painting the bougainvillea.

Stay tuned........

Good News About Rain

Yes, rain is good for all living things, and that is why Washington is so green and beautiful. But some of us in the Pacific Northwest have challenges with the number of rainy days, myself included.

Today, I took advantage of wanting to stay indoors and created a watercolor painting. So, that's the positive side of rain.

This painting is from one of my photographs I took when I was on the island of Antiparos in Greece. I love the white and gray patterned walkways and the abundance of the bright bougainvillea.



While painting I thought of the warm days and sunshine as well as the fun I had.

Sponge Painting

One of my art therapy clients liked the effects of sponge painting. Upon her closure with therapy she gifted me with a couple of sponges.

When I was in Greece, I fell in love with the olive tree. After a few attempts painting them in watercolors, I have been disappointed with my ability to capture the silvery shimmer of the leaves in the sunlight. I have been enjoying painting the shapes and forms of the bark of the olive tree, but the leaves have escaped me.

Glancing at a photograph of a grove of olive trees, I realized that the leaves in the distance looked like the texture of a sponge.

With wild abandonment, I began to sponge paint.

I remembered the enjoyment and freedom that I observed watching my art therapy client sponge paint. I, too, was playing as I built up the layers of color and watched the sponge texture. What FUN!

I have been staring at this painting for a few days and decided that after all my fun, I had over worked the sponge painting process. Although it had wonderful texture, it was too dark. I thought about using pastels over it as some artists do, but I did not want to lose the watercolor effect. Looking though my supplies, I found some acrylic paint that I had won at an art demonstration. Hmmmmmm......

As I lighten the leaves of the olive tree, I still desired that lovely sliver-blue sparkle. To my delight, I found a metallic white which I mixed with greens.

Painting done!

Sunlight Dancing in the Olive Grove

mixed-media

Greece Paintings

I cannot believe how long this watercolor painting took!

Actually, I found myself getting lost trying for too much detail. Even though I had this fantastic view in mind, I lost the spontaneity of painting that I love. So, this was one of those "labors of love". But I am still not sure I really like the painting.......


The view is from the city of Oia on the island of Santorini in Greece. I was looking down from the main street to the water and the island, Thirasia, that separated from Santorini in one of the many volcanic erruptions.

I might paint a different, more freer, rendition of this view.

Stay tuned.....

Next Watercolor Painting of Greece

Being that the rains have set in here in Washington and those "sun breaks" are few and far between, I have begun to stay indoors and paint.

Greece is still very fresh in my mind and painting from my photographs actually brings me back into the experience. Painting Greece will be a great way to spend the dark winter months.

This second painting is a composite of favorite elements of the Greek landscape; olive trees, the hillsides, and the architecture. While traveling by car with a friend into the mountain area of Crete, we came across a huge, ancient olive tree which begged to be immortalized in a watercolor painting.



I am just getting warmed up.......there will be many renditions of this theme.

First Greek Watercolor Painting

Having spent three wonderful weeks traveling in Greece, I took many photographs and did several sketches. Finally, I am creating watercolor paintings from my travels.

I must admit that have developed a fondness for olive trees. I love trees in general, but the olive tree became a focal point as I traveled. The bark has these twisted looking vines with wonderfully shaped holes and the branches stretch out very gracefully. The leaves are silver green; they extend from the branches in all directions especially when laden with lots of olives. The branches in clusters look spotted with olives so you have this wonderful contrast of circles and lines. I learned that it is VERY easy to get lost in an olive grove.

Here is my first watercolor painting of the olive grove.

Miscellaneous Photos Of Greece

My trip to Greece, abridged version, filled 16 blogs beginning October 4th. There is so much more to tell, yet words and photos cannot capture the amazing experience that unfolded each day.

Included in this final blog - although I will probably mention Greece again at some point in time - are a few photos of note which I would like to share.

Cats are plentiful and seem to have a good life in Greece. Some of the fishermen share their catch of the day which this kitty took to a quiet spot to consume.


Finding a little shade from the intense sun.


Keeping an eye on me while I eat.


Posing for the perfect photograph.


Rocks are one of my fetishes. Here are just a few.......

Paradise Beach, Santorini





Morning light on Plakias Beach, Crete


Despotiko Island near Antiparos



Favorite flower photos

Prickly pear cactus growing on Thirasia Island, Santorini


Mystery plant growing at the monastery of Meteora


Wild Onion found on the islands of Crete, Naxos, Paros, and Antiparos. Most likely grows all over Greece.


Wild sand orchid which I found on both Santorini and Crete.


The lovely, colorful bougainvillea found everywhere in Greece.



Some classic photos

Santorini



Santuary of Apollo on Naxos


Meteora



And the typical tourist photos