11 Sunday Aug 2013
Nothing says England like a Sunday Roast, and at the beginning of this visit we were treated to a memorable one at My Beloved Brit’s sister’s home once again. Chicken, roast potatoes, veggies, and brown gravy. Yum.
Sunday Roast 2013. Photo by me.
The holiday has only just begun and I am already eating way too much, but loving every minute of it.
09 Friday Aug 2013
Posted in England, Travel, United Kingdom
We arrived in the UK yesterday morning after a long red-eye flight to Heathrow, and made our way up to the banks of the River Cam, Cambridge, to try to adjust to England time. It was the perfect spot to recover.
Our hotel in Cambridge, a Doubletree by Hilton, rear left on the River Cam. Photo by me
Our room was not ready when we arrived late morning, but we managed to sit in the back garden of the hotel, and watch with great amusement as people made their way down the river on the classic mode of transportation, the punt.
The punts lined up on the River Cam ready for action. Photo by me.
Right down the block there are many vendors offering “chauffeured” punt tours of the river, a perfect way to see the backside of the great university and colleges that line the shore. By chauffeured, they mean that someone does the hard work for you.
Some “punters” were quite skilled and comfortable with the boats. Photo by me.
But you can also rent the plain wooden punts yourself, and many did on this mildly warm summer afternoon. We decided to stick to the river’s edge, and watch the action from the shore.
A perfect day to rent a punt. Photo by me.
The level of expertise at guiding the boats down the river with long wooden poles pushing in the mud, varied greatly.
But it was all done with great humor, and much camaraderie and laughter.
The best was to watch the older boatmen try to move the punts from one part of the river, over the embankment by lifting it and repositioning it in the new tributary.
In order to get the punt from one side of the tow path to the other you had to lift it out and carry it over. Quite a procedure. Photo by me.
It became even more humorous when a parade of cows coming by on the same path, who obviously had the run of the river shores, decided to join the chaos. My camera was still in my bag waiting to get to the room so I missed the shot of the day, but we will talk about that site for years to come.
It’s good to be back in England.
01 Thursday Aug 2013
Posted in Cornwall, England, London, Peak District, Scotland, Travel, Uncategorized, United Kingdom
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What should you pack for a vacation in Great Britain? Layers. And more layers.
Down to the sweater layer in Ashford-in-the-Water in the Peak District on a summer morning going for a walk. Photo by My Beloved Brit.
It is positively the only way to go. The thing about England is, no matter what the weather is at the moment, it is sure to change shortly. And it is almost impossible to predict the temperatures for any given season. When we were in Scotland last summer, everyone assured us it would be damp and chilly. It was sunny, bright and in the 80s–for days!
A very warm, sunny day in the gardens at Balmoral in Scotland in early June. Photo by me.
Very unusual, yes. But we have learned in the UK to expect the unexpected and pack accordingly.
The crowds head to Buckingham Palace to see the Queen on the Diamond Jubilee weekend June 2012. Notice the light jackets, and brollies in hand. Photo by me.
Now, granted, we tend to go for long stretches of time…sometimes 5 or 6 weeks (we have a lot of family and friends to visit). But the basics are the same.
1. Don’t pack for a year.
There are laundrette’s all over the UK, and it is a great way to pass an hour or two with the locals and catch up on your reading. You can easily go online, google the town you will be in, and “laundrettes”, or ask at your B&B or hotel. They will know. Service wash means the laundrette will do your wash for you and you can pick it up later or the next day. Self Service means you do it yourself, which is what we do. Usually we are driving, and at the beginning of the trip we stop at a grocery store and get a small bottle of laundry detergent. Or the laundrettes usually have them available for purchase. Our detergent stays with us for the trip and makes it even easier to do laundry on the road.
Our favorite laundrette in Burnham on Crouch, England. Photo by me
2. Make it easy and comfortable
Pack things that are wrinkle free if you don’t want to iron, although many hotels now have facilities to iron. I usually bring a pair of jeans for those country walks, and a couple of pairs of lighter washable slacks–one that is dressier for dinners out. Instead of shirts, I bring knits–t-shirts for me, polos for him, and light, washable cotton sweaters (jumpers in Brit speak). My Beloved Brit always likes a few buttoned collared shirts of the wash and wear variety for when we go out. I bring one or two washable wrinkle free skirts just in case it gets really warm. MBB does bring one pair of shorts just in case. But we find even when all his friends have shorts on, we might have two or three layers of long pants, t-shirts and jumpers on. MBB calls it being unclimatized. We’ve never regretted not packing a bathing suit.
A fine, sunny day in England and the shorts have appeared. Photo by me
3. Outerwear and an umbrella
Bring a scarf or two for around the neck, and preferably a rain-resistant jacket (or coat depending on the season) with a little warmth to it, just in case. I also usually pack a light, packable small umbrella. It is England after all. Rain comes and goes. When I did the Diamond Jubilee week in London last year, it rained lightly off and on over the weekend. I was fine with my layers, my little “brollie” and a smile. It was a great time.
Jubilee weekend. Brollies are up for a moment but the crowds don’t care. Notice the layers of clothing. Photo by me
4. Shoes.
Always a dilemma. First and foremost is comfort. England is known to be a wonderfully walkable place, so plan on taking walks in the country, through villages and footpaths, or long rambles around London.
My Beloved Brit and his cousins walking in to Fowey, Cornwall in search of Fish ‘n’ Chips. Notice his English cousins have sandals on! Photo by me.
There’s usually public transportation, but walking is how you really get to see a country, and get a sense of the natives. I usually opt for two pairs of very comfortable walking shoes that I can wear with socks, one pair a bit dressier to wear with the nice slacks. I also like a good pair of sandles in the summer for those days when you just feel like wiggling your toes in the sun, and to wear with my skirt.
My Beloved Brit actually has shorts on again as we check in to our room in England. Notice the limited amount of luggage. There’s also always one large duffel for sailing gear. Photo by me.
5. For those special occasions.
Dressed for a wedding reception at a sailing club.
Then usually I bring one nice dress, often a very packable light knit, and a sweater I can wear with it for cold evenings.
For most restaurants and gatherings we go to , this is as dressy as we need. I bring my pearls and good earrings in case it gets really dressy.
MBB does bring a solid colored sports coat and one tie, just in case there is a sailing race dinner at a club that requires it.
And that is pretty much it. You start out on a summer morning with a pair of cotton slacks, a t-shirt, a sweater and maybe a rain jacket with a scarf around your neck. By noon hopefully you’re down to the t-shirt, but more likely you are at sweater level. And of course just when you think you have it all figured out, it changes and the temps are in the 80s for five days in a row.
Holiday makers in Charlestown, Cornwall. There were kids swimming nearby. Photo by me.
No matter. A laundrette makes it all workable, and no one cares if you wear the same three outfits over and over. Just pick what you love and what you are comfortable with. It’s a snap.
An early morning walk on a summer’s day in England. Photo by me.
And then My Beloved Brit needs to bring all his sailing gear–boots, foul weather gear, thermals–which is a whole other story, and why we try to pack so light otherwise…
MBB dressed in many waterproof layers for sailing. Photo by me.
20 Wednesday Mar 2013
Posted in Bath, England, London, Travel, Uncategorized
“Third Culture Kids” is a term used to describe kids who have spent their development years outside their parents’ culture…often they have lived in several countries as they have grown up, and never quite feel part of any one culture. When asked “Where are you from?”, they often hesitate while they contemplate the answer.
Liverpool Street Station, London. Photo by me
Home is where the heart is—and these children often grow up traveling and living in many different places. So their “roots” tend to be people, not places.
The train station in Bath, England. photo by me
I can understand this. I spent my formative years on Long Island and most of my “career” years as a graphic designer going between Washington DC and New York City in the United States. But as I matured, I traveled further and further away from my home shores.
The Chrysler Building, NYC. Is this home? Photo by me.
By the time I met My Beloved Brit, I felt comfortable with experiencing cultures in many foreign countries, so when we decided to move lock stock and barrel to the Caribbean (although still technically American–St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands) for 8 years, it was not nearly as scary as it might sound.
Home in the Caribbean, on the distant shores of St. John.
Now, although comfortable back in the US, we do experience wanderlust and never know where we might land in the future.
The Lake District, Grasmere, England. Photo by me.
Thank goodness for Facebook, Twitter and Skype. We have friends and family as far away as Australia, Portugal and The Philippines, and I can’t imagine what our phone bill would be without these forms of cheap global communication.
Pont Alexandre Bridge, Paris. Photo by me
The world is our home, and like the T.C.K. kids, our home is where our friends and families are, wherever that might be.
06 Wednesday Mar 2013
Posted in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, paintings, Travel, Uncategorized
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Many Americans do not have a passport, which is unimaginable to me. Statistics estimate only about 30% of Americans have passports.
Grand Central Terminal, New York City. Photo by me.
When My Beloved Brit first came to America to be with me, he was stunned by how large this country really is. One long drive from Washington, DC to Maine and he had a much better understanding of why so many Americans never leave home.
My Beloved Brit in Maine. Photo by me.
You want palm trees, we’ve got Hawaii, or Florida–from St. Augustine to Key West.
A cruise ship departs from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Photo by me.
Big cities? Of course. On both coasts, and top and bottom.
Times Square, New York City. Photo by me
The metro in LA, California. Photo by me
Mountains? Try out west or the gentler slopes of Vermont.
Driving cross-country, we understood what they meant by “big sky country”. Photo by me
MBB at Yosemite, and yes, he is hating the cold. Photo by me.
Dessert…yup.
Joshua Tree near Palm Springs…the dessert in the snow. Photo by me.
Crossing western Texas. Photo by me.
Oceans…two of them.
The Atlantic on the east coast. Photo by me.
And lots of bays.
My Beloved Brit looking towards San Francisco on the west coast. Photo by me
Green lanes, quaint villages and lush gardens…New England was named that because it must have reminded the settlers of home.
A quiet stroll in Bath, England. You could easily find a similar scene in New England in America.
We do love exploring these great United States, but there is something totally astounding about going to a new land where the currency, the language (and being married to MBB, I am convinced American and British are two different forms of English), the food, and the customs are, well, foreign.
A cafe in Paris under these ancient columns is so “Parisian”.
I love escaping from my own comfortable cocoon and going to a world where nothing is quite so familiar.
Versailles in early spring. Photo by me.
And of course, that is what I do with my art.
Me at Capa Rocha. Portugal
And one of the many “Wave” paintings that came from this journey. painting by me.
But you must already know that if you read this blog.
(For information on the creativity workshop “The Creative Journey: finding inspiration in travel for the visual artist”, click on “workshop” at the top of this page.)
06 Wednesday Feb 2013
Posted in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, England, entertainment, Gardens, London, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized
I have always loved large cities. And traveling has just increased that love and fascination. What is it about these magnificent cities that lure me back again and again?
A Paris street. Photo by me
I think there is something incredibly special about spending a day in a major city–visiting museums,
maybe a movie or a show…
Times Square in New York City, featuring a movie, a play or just people watching. Photo by me.
or a bit of leisurely window shopping…
Window shopping in Paris. Photo by me.
A shop windows near St. James’s Palace in London, photo by me.
And then when you have just about had enough (but never quite), and your feet cannot carry you another block, you find a corner of a cozy park to settle down in with a cup of coffee or a cold drink.
Central Park in summer, with a jazz musician playing under the bridge. Photo by me.
I think it is part of what makes a great city, well, great. A green oasis in the center of the bustle and noise. They have their own excitement and energy…
Central Park in summer, photo by me.
But also moments of peace and tranquility.
Sailing boats in Central Park, NYC. Photo by me.
Of course, I grew up near New York City on Long Island, and spent many happy hours in Central Park. And in the decades I worked in Washington, DC as a graphic designer, I also had a small studio apartment in NYC right across the street from Central Park. I could walk out the door of the building, cross the heavy traffic of Central Park West and I was in that very special place…a city park.
One of Central Park’s Broad Avenues. Photo by me
I have many images of Central Park that I have been looking at and sketching as part of the “Cities” series of paintings I have been working on this year. One of the things I have noticed working on this series is how similar the great parks are. Although each region has its own personality, the parks also have common elements–the broad walking paths, gorgeous ancient trees, people playing games…socializing…walking, and cool swaths of rolling lawn. And of course a water feature.
St. James Park, London. Photo by me.
In London, I think my favorite park is St. James’s Park.
The London park’s incredible flowers. Is it the abundance of rain? Photo by me.
Right down the street from Buckingham Palace you can always find a garden or a group of ducks on the edge of the lake that help to rejuvenate you.
One of St. James’s noisiest residents. Photo by me.
Kensington Gardens, a Royal Park, is one of my new favorites in London, just between Hyde Park and Kensington Palace. On my last trip to London in November it was golden, and I managed to take lots of pictures.
Kensington Park, London. Photo by me.
Luckily a painting was born. I look at this, and see any of the parks I have visited in large cities. This is just the beginning, but although it is Kensington, it could be a scene in New York or Paris.
The beginning of a painting of Kensington Park. Oil sketch by me
The three women are connecting with each other as they stroll through the lanes. You can hear children playing the background, maybe a dog barking, but mostly it is a quiet space where the women stroll in their own special world. The beauty of parks in a big city is it offers the residents a place to come together before retreating back to their small, or large, living spaces behind locked doors.
It reminds me of the painting I did of Bath, England a few years ago. The two women are alone under the trees walking and talking.
“The Voyeur”, painting by me.
In Paris, my favorite park is definitely, without a doubt, the Tuileries. It is a spectacular park. And is so “Parisian”.
The Tuileries in Paris. Photo by me.
All the elements of the other parks are there. The social games…
My version of the scene…
The water feature…
The edge of the Tuileries with the Louvre in the background. Photo by me.
The grand trees and broad avenues …
A lovely road through the park. Photo by me.
In Paris, everything is so neatly trimmed unlike the wild abandon of the English parks…
Kensington’s ducks being fed. Photo by me.
Or the naturally sculpted woods of Central Park…
Central Park’s rolling lawns. Photo by me.
But each has its own special magic. I can’t imagine if I really had to pick a favorite, which it would be.
Good night, dear cities. Sleep well. Your parks will wake up early in the morning.
Paris from my hotel window. Just beyond the rooftops, is The Tuileries. Photo by me.
04 Monday Feb 2013
Last week marked the 200th anniversary of the first publication of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Two centuries later, it is still going strong.
Bath, England–home to Jane Austin two centuries ago. Photo by me
Attached is an excellent story about Jane and Bath, England, and the celebration.
(And for information about our art workshop in Bath in September, click the word “workshop” at the top of this page.)
25 Friday Jan 2013
Posted in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, London, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized
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I have been working in the studio steadily this week, with just time in between to let a layer of color dry, or sketch a new idea, or just think of what I want to do next. It’s great when the rhythm of the studio takes over.
And often I keep the momentum going by reviewing my ideas from my travels. Things that I suspected were important in some way when I first sketched or photographed them on location, jump out at me again and again from the images I have taped to my studio wall.
A small part of “The Wall” in my studio.
I started on an image from my trip to England last summer…the Tate Modern and an exhibit on Cy Twombly’s later works, one of my favorite artists.
The Tate Modern in London on a rainy morning. The museum is in an old power station on the south bank, and is one of my favorites I return to again and again.
His work is minimal, but rich in its texture of layers. Line is everything. As he grew older, the lines grew bolder and thicker.
Cy Twombly at the Tate Modern in London. Photo by me.
These bold, red scars on canvas are some of his last works. But the movement and drips are reminiscent of his early works.
The negative space is as important as the stroke, which is energized and rhythmic
There is nothing like his line.
When I started my painting, I wanted the Twombly to dominate, but it is the viewer on the right, the woman in the trench coat, that I most identify with.
Step 1–the composition and color is blocked in.
A lot of the time it is not until you actually start sketching a painting that you know if it is going in the right direction or not.
In to the middle
The Twombly needed to take over the image, but not lose the viewer.
It’s when you get in to the middle of the piece that it gets rough. The beginning is exciting and somehow at the end, fine-tuning the details is rewarding and peaceful.
But especially in the middle of the work, decisions need to be made that will alter the outcome dramatically. The mind works on high-speed making trying to understand what the story is. And often it means going in and taking a chance of wrecking the whole thing to make it go beyond the expected.
Twombly at the Tate. Painting by me.
When it is finished you somehow just know. When I was less experienced, I think I often stopped too early…didn’t take the chance of going too far. Now I seem to know just how far to push.
For information on the creative workshop in Bath, England next September, click on “Workshop” at the top of the page.
20 Sunday Jan 2013
Posted in Art, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized
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I have been back in the studio on a regular basis, and am absolutely loving my time there. I must confess though, it is exhausting. Such concentration on a regular basis for long stretches is a challenge, but so satisfying when something good comes of it.
The Cities series begins in the studio.
I spend an hour or so each morning working on the Creativity Workshop we are planning for next September in Bath. Can’t wait. Art and England and My Beloved Brit. Heaven on earth.
The River Avon at Bath
The workshop will focus on the artist traveler and how to use their precious time in an unfamiliar environment to best advantage. When we get back to work on our art at home, we will have an immense reservoir of ideas and reference.
If you click on the “Workshops” link at the top of this page, you can see all the details.
The Crescent, Bath England
The “Cities” series of paintings I am working on now is a direct result of my years of travel. And it is the true satisfaction and increasing interest I find in the subject of using travel for inspiration that led me to put together the workshop.
Musee d’Orsay, Paris. My photo.
If you remember, back in August I began the “Cities” series, sketching a painting of the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, a direct result of my visit last spring to the magical city.
The first sketch on canvas
Musee d’Orsay is one of my favorite museums in the world.
The Musee d’Orsay in Paris. Photo by me after a long happy visit inside.
And of course, Paris….need I say more.
Starting to choose a color palette
As always, one of the most difficult things when you get home from travel is what to choose to paint. Even though I have a pretty good idea of my choices before I leave the foreign location thanks to editing my photos and sketches on the road, I looked at this image as well as a few others for months before I decided I had to try to interpret this particular idea. The multiple perspectives were daunting, and the arches and architectural details could be a nightmare. But I decided to tackle it.
What I wanted to come out in the final painting was the art lovers, the museum visitors, who were dwarfed and stunned by the gorgeous museum, carved from an old train station in the center of Paris. (I love how cities have re-purposed old buildings for art–think Tate Modern in London which used an old power station)
The last stage of the painting. Art lovers embraced by architecture.
This Parisian landmark is reminiscent of an ancient tomb. And yet it is so light and bright with the arched skylights overhead, perhaps it seems more like a cathedral. I am always awestruck by this museum…the building as well as the content.
Paris: Musee d’orsay, painting and photo by me
I think the painting is where I want it. Such satisfaction to finish the last stroke. Now it sits drying in a corner of the studio while I get to work on other ideas from other travels.
New beginnings. Photo by me, the studio
I have about 5 different pieces in almost finished stages. Unusual for me. In the past, I have worked on one or two pieces at a time. But this series is so interesting to me, I keep rushing on with it. There are at least 5 more ideas that I have not even started sketching yet. Such fun, and I get to relive each travel adventure as I paint.
12 Saturday Jan 2013
The London ” Tube” celebrates 150 years this week, the world’s oldest underground railroad. The underground is definitely one of my favorite ways to get around London, especially once I figured out the Oyster Pass. Happy birthday!
The Underground…a must for getting around London. Photo by me