Crepe Cafe

(Excerpt from my book, The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece)

This morning, while waiting to see if this afternoon’s hydrofoil to Mykonos will sail, we go to an outdoor cafe for chocolate crepes and Greek coffee. These are not your delicate French crepes, oh no. These are Greek crepes, thick, almost pancake-like, folded into quarters and oozing with chocolate sauce. The warm chocolaty goodness melts in my mouth. I work on a sketch of the shops across the street while still enjoying the last few bites of my crepe. Our waitress, gathering our plates, smiles at me, conveying her appreciation of my sketch.

Today I’m drawing a little differently than I have been. I appreciate the fact that I’m not telling too much and leaving the rest to the imagination. It’s as if I’m drawing just the important parts, only enough to describe the scene.  My touch has also lightened, leaving space between lines and allowing the drawing to breathe. It’s really a type of vignetting, and I like the new style. I’ll have to work like this more often.

Restaurant Parea

I’m in the mood to draw something, anything, but with the windy weather, I think it’ll be impossible to draw outside. Yet in the hope of finding a sheltered spot, I go out with my sketchbook. Luckily, I find a semi sheltered spot at a taverna, purchase a Gyro, and find the best seat with a view. I draw another restaurant across the walkway called Parea in between bites of lunch. But its not long before the wind blows me back to the pension.

Oia, Santorini

After a leisurely stroll through Ioa to the far tip of the island, we walk beyond the whitewashed buildings and continue along a stone walkway that leads to the edge of a cliff. Climbing a set of stairs, we now stand among the ruins of the 13th century castle, Kasteli of Agios Nikolaos, built by Venetians to protect the island from pirates. During the time that the Venetians’ ruled the islands, it was christened “Santorini” after the Church of Santa Irene.

The old castle offers one of the island’s most spectacular views overlooking several other sepia-colored islands rising up from the cobalt-blue Aegean. Looking back, the pale, whitewashed colors of Oia spread out across the top of the caldera in contrast with the dark, rocky cliffs below. To the north, several prominent windmills rise above the city.

Another small note – although I was unaware at the time I painted this piece, the house that was used to film the old 80‘s movie “Summer Lovers” is at the bottom, toward the center of the painting. I happen to watch the movie again a few weeks ago just to see how Santorini has changed in the last nearly 30 years (yes, its almost been that long), and at one point, I paused the movie and noticed that my painting of Oia actually included part of the their house.

Santorini’s Lighthouse

(Excerpt from my book, The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece)

We hop into the car and drive west to the faros (lighthouse), located at the south-western tip of the island. We pull up and park just below the square base of the lighthouse with its green-domed tower pointing skyward. Built well over 100 years ago, it was originally fueled by petroleum with a lighthouse keeper attending the oil lamps and lenses, and keeping the clockwork mechanism wound. But in the 1980s, it was converted to electricity, and now an automated system handles these tasks.

Hoping for a better view, I follow a path that leads to the top of a small hill. From this perspective, the lighthouse sits at the horizon with the open sea stretching out in both directions. Small white caps rise and fall on the water animated by a breeze blowing from the west. I try to imagine the darkness the lighthouse faces every night. Being a nocturnal creature, the lighthouse is generally viewed as a warning to mariners, but beyond that, a lighthouse has an archetypal presence, and has a romantic, lonely quality that resonates deep within the human spirit. It’s as if it has its own purpose, one which keeps it searching the darkness night after night for someone lost and beyond its reach. Feeling alone and a bit lost myself, I climb back down the hill.

Ancient Thera, Santorini

(Excerpt from my book, The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece)

Ancient Thera has always been a windswept place, but today’s gentle breeze is a welcome change from yesterday’s weather. The ruins are spread along the northern side of the mountain, and thus, somewhat protected from southwestern wind. I find a sheltered place near a windswept tree and begin to paint. It seems an appropriate spot from which to describe this place.

The island of Santorini had been uninhabited since the volcano erupted circa 1600 BC and destroyed the island civilization. Then, according to Greek mythology, Kadmos, an ancestor of Oedipus, arrived here in 1400 BC while searching for his sister Europa and founded a colony.

Ancient Thera takes its name from Theras, a descendent of Kadmos and Oedipus, the king of Thebes who inadvertently killed his father and married his mother. Theras came here and was accepted as king because of his lineage.

Thera’s ruins are extensive and spread across the top of Messa Vouno. The center of the city was formed around its agora (about the size of a football field), and its temples, Stoa, and theatre were at the edge of the cliff, with homes along the interior.

After traversing the rest of the ruins, we descend the switchbacks and continue our tour around the island.

Akrotiri Ceramic Vessels

When the wind and rain kicked up on Santorini, my dad an I chose to hide inside the Archeological Museum. We were lucky to see more Akrotiri wall paintings along with ceramics and other painted artifacts. It’s amazing they are 3,600 years old. Most vessels have extraordinary design, rhythm, color, and look as though they could’ve been created today. Although, these were functional vessels back then, today they are beautiful works of art.

This painting is a collection of vessels that were located throughout the museum. Some museums in Greece wont let you draw or take pictures in them. The Archeological Museum on Santorini didn’t seem to care.

Map of Santorini

Santorini has a very unusual shape when seen from above and that’s because the island is actually a volcano.  In 1,600 BC, the volcano erupted and then collapsed, taking most of the island with it, leaving behind the current five islands. The ancient city of Akrotiri was also lost. Many people speculate that this island is where the lost civilization of atlantis was located. Regardless of whether it was or not, this is a beautiful place to visit. Boat tours can also be taken out to the center island to see its smokey center. This map shows the different places we visited as we drove around the island in our tiny car.

Santorini Sunset

Walking along a courtyard located on the ridge of the caldera in Fira, I find several brightly colored, free-standing doors that have a surreal presence. At first glance, they look like gateways opening up to the sea far below. Each door is uniquely designed and painted. I enter through one and see steps descending to a terraced restaurant below. A menu listing mouth-watering entrees catches my eye, but the prices make me step back.

After Finding a place to sit on the edge of the caldera overlooking the sea, I watch the setting sun display deep oranges, reds, violets—a rainbow of color. Surprisingly, few people are here to take in this magnificent sight. Not far behind me, a jazz saxophonist sets up and begins playing old standards in a slow tempo, perfectly fitting my mood.

I wonder at the improbability of my presence here. It’s the one place I’ve always wanted to be. This moment, as fleeting as it is, is real. As real as the sea breeze. But somehow it feels more like a memory, rather than an event happening now. It’s similar to the feeling I experience looking through some of my old paintings. They are a window to my past, a record of what I saw, what I felt, and who I was at that time. Someday, I’ll rediscover the paintings I’ve created here in Greece buried in my studio, relics of my own life long past.