Why travel abroad?

06 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by pat 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...the dessert in the snow. Photo by me.

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 with this architecture is unique to the city.

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.)

Twee

24 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by pat in Uncategorized, United Kingdom

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Downton Abbey, language, movies, twee

Twee. Such a sweet word. And that is just what it means. According to Webster…

Chiefly British: affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint. Example: The movie was a bit twee for my taste.

A London shop window during jubilee. Twee? I think so. Photo by me.

The first known use was in 1905, and the origin is thought to be the baby-talk alteration of sweet.

Now, some of my British friends have referred to Downton Abbey as twee. And I was taken aback when looking at descriptions of one of my favorite British sit-coms, As Time Goes By to see that it was suggested it might be a bit “twee”.

A cottage in Castle Combe that is lovingly, purposefully “twee”. Photo by me

Of course, we American are just suckers for twee. That is what many of us expect to see when we travel to England, or go to a British film. Think of the movie The Holiday, or Sense and Sensibility.

It makes me think I might like a world that is just a bit twee, although, like too much chocolate, you can sometimes have too much of a good thing.

The Studio Wall

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by pat in Art, paintings, sketching, Uncategorized

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art studio, branches, photography, trees, Versailles

The wall in my studio is always plastered with images…sometimes mine, sometimes another artist’s, sometimes just a photo or image I have sketched and am thinking of working from.

I love The Wall…it is one of the most wonderful things of having a room that is strictly an art studio, and not a corner of the living room or bedroom or a dining table as in years past.

Trees at Versailles near Paris. Photo and photos by me

Sometimes it will stay the same for weeks. I may trade one or two images out here and there…

It all depends what I am working on and if I am nearing the completion of a painting and beginning to contemplate new works.

The Louvre in Paris, MOMA’s dining room and the courtyard in front of the Public Library in New York City. All photos by me.

If I am working on a particular piece I may put up other artists’ works that somehow relate in tone or feeling or content–just to see what others have done. Sometimes it will influence me but more often than not it just keeps me strong and focused and original with my own work.

I can sit and stare at the wall many times during my work day.

Central Park in New York…two very different images from the same afternoon.

And then there is the space near my desk with images of friends’ work and more personal images, just because I love them.

At my desk, cards and photos of friends and fellow creatives…

Everyone should have a wall. It’s what you look at before you squeeze the first bit of paint on to the palette.

City Parks: London, Paris & New York

06 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, England, entertainment, Gardens, London, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

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Central Park, New York City, Paris, St James's, The Tuileries

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 Palace in London, 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.

A quiet corner of Central Park, NYC, in summer. Photo by me.

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.

Taxi, take two!

01 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, paintings, sketching, Uncategorized

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MOMA, New York City, taxi

In early 2011, I did a small painting that is still one of my personal favorites…”NYC:Taxi (winter)”. The small 16″ x 12″ painting evoked the classic New York City street scene in winter, which I viewed from the window of The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). The woman I saw from my perch actually had the hat on that matched the color of the taxi she was trying to hail.

NYC:Taxi (winter), painting by me

When I returned to New York City this past summer, of course I went over to MOMA. And there I looked out the same window, and saw the same street scene in a totally different light.

From the window of MOMA. Photo by me

I began to sketch from the photos with the winter painting in mind. I wanted this small painting to echo the first.

The photo is referenced but the composition changed slightly.

The isolation of the small figure hailing the taxi is still there as in the first painting, but the surroundings have changed with the season.

The taxi is centered.

The middle of the work, where decisions about color and lightness are made. I can go back and forth for days deciding on contrast, brightness and emphasis.

And finally, it is complete.

NYC: Taxi (summer)

It has been a journey, but I love the story these two paintings tell.

My favorite spot, at the easel in my studio. photo by me.

Click on “workshop” at the top of the page for information on the September destination creativity workshop in Bath, England.

MOMA, Joan and New York City

29 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, paintings, sketching, Uncategorized

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Joan Mitchell, MOMA, New York City, texting

When I was in high school, more years ago than I like to admit, I escaped to New York City to The Museum of Modern Art as often as possible. I grew up on Long Island, and “The City”, as we called Manhattan, was magnetic, always drawing me in.

A group of us would take the train in, and spend hours looking at the art at MOMA. We would then sit in the sculpture courtyard talking about what we saw, lingering forever over one cup of coffee or a cold drink, feeling very grown up, modern and inspired.

Matisse at MOMA. Photo by me

On my last visit to MOMA this past summer, so much seemed the same even after the huge remodeling of this important museum several years ago. The groups of young adults lingering in the museum seemed the same, although the cafe on the edge of the sculpture garden has gone. Instead these art lovers gather on benches near the lobby under the great paintings and soaring architecture.

MOMA’s admissions lobby. Photo by me

More often than not, however, they seem not to be talking, but rather texting. Every museum I visit around the world, there always seems to be this texting thing. Huddled in small groups, they hold these small objects, fingers moving furiously over the surface. Are they still “talking” about art? Do they feel grown up and modern with the new technology?

Underneath a stunning Joan Mitchell (Wood, Wind, No Tuba, 1980) at MOMA, everyone was lined up on the benches, tired from walking through the galleries…texting or tweeting. I must admit, I love the new technology, but do we still share experiences with those we are with, or are we always looking out to the “net” beyond?

A group of young adults relaxing after their day at the museum. Sketch by me

Fleshing out color. Photo by me

Joan Mitchell’s painting dominates the color palette and the scene. Does anyone notice?. Painting by me.

The process of adding detail, and balancing the figures with the art.

Finished! “MOMA and Joan”. Painting by me.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Photo by me

I just hope this new generation of museum goers finds as much joy in their memories as I have. I think they will find their own way to remember the moment.

By the way, Joan Mitchell often painted diptychs as we see here.

Joan Mitchell’s Wood, Wind, No Tuba. 2 panels 9′ 2 1/4″ x 13 1 1/8″. Brilliant!

I love that…how the two canvases would actually work as separate pieces but worked as a whole together. Hockney was another one who use this structure of multiple canvas, and at times I have been known to use this method.

Studio Days and Twombly

25 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, London, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

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Tate Modern, Twombly

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.

Painting in to the New Year

20 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by pat in Art, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

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Musee D'Orsay, Paris

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.

A New Year 2013

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by pat in Art, London, Sailing, Uncategorized

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Bath, Creative workshop

It’s always inspiring to start off a new year. Such wonderful expectations of what it might hold. And this year, we are hoping to spend more time in England during the summer months. My Beloved Brit has his heart set on doing some sailing with his mates, and I am planning my first creative workshop in Bath for September (see the new heading above for workshops). More information will come in mid-January on that.

So today we are just hanging out, waiting for the New Year to arrive. Anticipation is lovely. Especially when it is served with a cup of tea.

At St. James Palace, London. Photo by me

Happy New Year to all!

Congo Bars and Sausage Rolls

26 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by pat in Food, Uncategorized

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Christmas dinner, Christmas Eve, Congo Bars, sausage rolls

Christmas just would not be Christmas without baking sweets in the kitchen for weeks before the actual holiday arrives. Since I was in my early 20s, I have baked for Christmas. For days, and then for weeks. And one of my go to classics is something called “Congo Bars”, a sweet confection with brown sugar, walnuts and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

A view to the kitchen where Christmas magic is made. Photo by me

A view to the kitchen from the dining room where Christmas magic is made.

I made my last batch this year on Christmas Eve day to take to a gathering of friends that evening, and enough to take to another friends’ house to add to their Christmas dinner the next day. I used to make huge batches of sweets before Christmas to give to my clients when I had my graphic design studio in Georgetown. Many of my best clients got extravagant gifts from their ad agencies and other vendors. I was a small boutique studio with a limited promotion budget starting out and couldn’t compete with Lalique Crystal and even TV sets. So I made beautifully decorated tins of various sweets and delivered it to the art departments and creative directors the week before Christmas. It became such a popular tradition I never gave it up. Staff would begin asking me at Halloween if I was going to deliver the treats in time for Christmas, and I didn’t disappoint. There was almost applause when I came through the door with bags loaded down with tins, enough for every sweet tooth in the department.

Prep for Congo Bars.

So now I continue the tradition for me and My Beloved Brit and our friends at Christmas. And he’s added a few items of his own (sausage rolls is truly one of his favorite treats when we go to England). But for now, let’s focus on Congo Bars. So easy, and perfect with a cup of tea.

Congo Bars/Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, and a pat to grease the pan

2 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups walnuts

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with butter, and then put a spoonful of flour in the bottom. Shake it about, coating the bottom and sides, and turn over in the sink and pat the bottom to remove any extra flour. Set aside.

Melt 2 sticks of butter in a small pan on simmer.

In a large bowl place 2 1/3 cups of gently packed light brown sugar (you can also use dark, but I prefer the light).

Stir in the melted butter. Add 4 beaten eggs to sugar and butter mixture.

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and stir until smooth.

Sift together 2 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, Stir in to brown sugar mixture until it is smooth.

Add 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips (if you lightly coat them with flour they will not sink in the batter, a trick I learned from The Barefoot Contessa), and 1 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts.

Pour into the greased and floured pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Cool completely, cut in to squares, and store in a tin or zip-lock bags…or eat immediately!

I love this treat, and luckily there are a few left over for us to share on this rainy Boxing Day (the day after Christmas celebrated in England).

And now for the British side of the kitchen…

Sausage Rolls/Ingredients:

1 sheet of Puff Pastry, defrosted ( there are 2 sheets per box of Pepperidge Farm)

1 lb. mild or hot sausage, depending on your preference (we like the spicy)

1 egg, lightly beaten to brush the rolls

Flour for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Take one defrosted sheet of puff pastry, and roll it out on a floured board to 9 x 12. Cut lengthwise in half.

Take 1/2 of the sausage and roll it in to a long strand 12″ long. Place in center of 1/2 of the pastry.

Wet the edge lightly with water to seal. Roll pastry over the sausage, and crimp the edges closed.

Repeat with the other half of the rolled pastry. Brush with beaten egg for a golden color.

Cut slices, 12 or 24 per roll depending on how large you want the bites to be. We did 12. If you want to do 24 smaller pieces, reduce your baking time a bit. Just watch until they turn golden.

Place the pieces on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until golden. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

They are lovely, and disappeared quickly at the party.

Packed up and ready to travel. I love this time of year! Happy Boxing Day!

All photos by me in our kitchen, with great assistance from My Beloved Brit.

accentBritain

~ a romance with art and all things British

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Why travel abroad?

Twee

The Studio Wall

City Parks: London, Paris & New York

Taxi, take two!

MOMA, Joan and New York City

Studio Days and Twombly

Painting in to the New Year

A New Year 2013

Congo Bars and Sausage Rolls