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Koroni Harbour, Greece

Koroni-Harbour,-Greece Details of this painting can be found in Gallery – Greece.

This lovely Greek fishing boat is one of many seen bobbing about in Koroni harbour. They are owned by local fishermen and head off each day for their catch, which is mostly sold to the local restaurants.  Koroni, in the background, is a small town of whitewashed houses tumbling down the hillside towards the harbour. A perfect setting for an artist to live!

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Art Weekly No 146 – The White Church, Skopelos

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31st August 2014 –

A slightly different format for my Art Weekly this time, as I’m trying various techniques in different formats. As you can see, this is a small canvas, which I really enjoy painting on, and I particularly like the fact that it doesn’t need framing, or if it is framed, it doesn’t need to be put under glass. I’ve used gesso and thicker paint on this canvas to add a little texture.

Continuing on with my current ‘favourite Greek Island’, I absolutely love this church which towers over the edge of Skopelos harbour, and have spent many hours trying to capture it in sketches and various painting styles. It seems to be sending an invitation to climb up the stairs and peek into its hidden corners! I believe it’s name is ‘The Church of the Presentation of Virgin Mary’ or Panagitsa tou Pyrgou – far too complicated to incorporate into a painting name!  The temple of the church evidently dates back to the 17th century and it contains icons from the 18th and 19th centuries plus a large icon that was salvaged from the sea. Beside the church there is a very cute single-aisle chapel dedicated to All Saints. The church and chapel are equally as beautiful looking down from above, with the church towers sitting against a backdrop of brilliant turquoise water. (I think perhaps I’ll paint something from France or Italy next week – everyone must be tired of hearing about brilliant turquoise water.)

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.

The White Church, Skopelos
Price:  AUD$100.00
Size: 20 x 20cm (canvas)
(Postage and handling included)

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Painting in Skopelos

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I’m currently relaxing in Northern Greece following two wonderful weeks on the gorgeous island of Skopelos.  It really is a beautiful island with the main town spilling down the hillside in a confusing maze of steps and laneways. Many of these are draped with brightly coloured plants, lined with pots, and scattered with churches and tiny chapels.

I was on Skopelos to tutor at the inaugural Skopelos Art Painting Holidays and what a great week that was. Our base was the Mercurius Bar which looked out over the turquoise harbour and bobbing boats. We had a great group of all abilities, some from Sydney and some from New Zealand, and for a change they all spoke the same language as me!

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We launched into the painting by having a play around with the great palette of brilliant watercolours provided, initially painting some colourful still lifes, then moving onto something that caught the eye of each student – there was a huge amount to choose from very close by, with bougainvillea and other climbers in every direction, typical Greek street scenes (you needed to tuck your legs in quickly to save them from the odd passing car or motorbike), a nice selection of interesting pots and plants, lovely window frames, old doors, and even a little chapel.

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At the end of the first morning, we were rewarded with a huge lunch at Agnondas, a serene little fishing village further along the island, and we ended the day with lots of swimming and loafing about. Well deserved I think!

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Towards the end of Day 2 we moved onto acrylic paints, with a quick still life in acrylics, in readiness for some On Location painting the following day, when we once again headed off to Agnondas,  Here we set up in the shady taverna on the water’s edge and each student selected their subject to paint. Everyone worked incredibly hard all morning, and produced some great paintings, all strangely enough in a very similar colour palette!

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The next few days passed in a blur of creativity, continuing to paint in acrylics, coming to grips with the use of the ink and stick, and battling two very hot days. We were well looked after with plenty of iced water and frappees and coffee each day, along with some very yummy almond florentines from the bakery. Paintings were finished and new ones started, including a small canvas.  It was wonderful to see the paintings appear and the confidence so quickly gained, and everyone’s style becoming evident.

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It was a great week that went by far too quickly with some wonderful paintings to show for it. Thank you Margie and Andrew for making it possible.

If you like the sound of painting, sunshine and plenty of good fun on a beautiful Greek Island, why not consider joining us next year on Skopelos?!

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Villa Koch, Kalamaki, Greece – May 2014

 

I was invited to take part in an Art Exhibition at the lovely Villa Koch with several other local artists of various nationalities.

It was a full-on weekend of art, music, food and wine and a wonderful experience to be amongst such a varied group of great artists.

 

 

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Art Weekly 141 – Polperro, Cornwall

AW-141_Polperro-Cornwall22nd April 2014 – SOLD

I took this photo of the harbour in Polperro when we visited the UK in December. This is my first ever painting of anywhere in England and the colour palette was a bit challenging! One of my reasons for wanting to visit Cornwall again after nearly 40 years was to see and photograph these tiny fishing villages tucked into the Cornish coast.

Polperro is a magical place with its jumble of small white houses and narrow streets set around a pretty harbour with its bobbing boats (when the tide’s in) – sounds a bit like Greece really, apart from the tide, but, way different! The fish and chips eaten in a little topsy turvey pub on the harbours edge were most definitely a high point. It really doesn’t take much imagination to evoke the centuries of its history as a thriving smugglers port either.

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.

Polperro, Cornwall
Price: SOLD
Size: 21 x 15cm
(Postage and handling included)

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Art Weekly No 140 – Blue Boats, Sanary sur Mer

AW-140_BlueBoats_Sanary-sur9th April 2014

There is something about the little harbour in Sanary sur Mer that I find quite magical. It’s lined with colourful Provencal style buildings, and tightly crammed with lovely old, even more colourful, traditional fishing boats. Tiny sea food stalls often line the port, selling today’s catch;  each stall proudly labelled with the name of the boat it was caught on. There is also a wonderful daily market under the trees with the usual spectacle of beautifully arranged fresh fruit and vegetables that the French do so very well.

Sanary sur Mer is a small, but interesting town on the French Cote d’Azur.  In the pre-war 1930’s, Sanary became home to a large number of German writers and intellectuals. I particularly like a quote from one, Hermann Kesten;  “If one lives in exile, the café becomes at once the family home, the nation, church and parliament, a desert and a place of pilgrimage, cradle of illusions and their cemetery… In exile, the café is the one place where life goes on”.  How true!  Sadly, following the outbreak of war, most of these exiles were imprisoned in Camp des Milles, a French concentration camp on the outside of Aix en Provence.

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.

Blue Boats, Sanary sur Mer
Price: AUD$90.00
Size: 21 x 15cm
(Postage and handling included)

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Greek Boats, Methoni

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Details of this painting can be found in Gallery – Greece.

There is a lovely old ruined Venetian fort in the town of Methoni, not far from us here. On one side of the slightly dilapidated walls there is the crashing sea, usually fairly wild as its the west coast of the Peloponnese, and on the other side is a calm bay, perfect for swimming, and for all the locals to use as a harbour.  I love the colour and shapes of all the different boats, tied up along the harbour walls. Although these can’t technically be described as Greek fishing boats, I bet that’s what they are!