Tag: watercolor

Palm Where Leto Gave Birth to Apollo and Artemis

Up on a hill on the Island of Delos, Greece~  I take in the island laying before me and stretched out to the north. From up here, I see the circle of greenery that in antiquity was the location of the Sacred Lake, the spot where the goddess Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis, divine fraternal twins. This is the reason Delos was considered so sacred in ancient times. More recently, the Sacred Lake was drained to rid the island of malaria mosquitoes, and now it has filled in with a small forest.

Agora of the Italians and the Terrace of the Lions

Delos, Greece~ Beyond that patch of green where the goddess Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis, stands another set of ruins that I want to draw next. I locate it on the map as the Koinon of the Poseidoniasts. It was used in the worship of Poseidon, the sea god, and was built in the 2nd Century BC. We make the trek down the hill, and I break out my drawing tools, and go to work.

Later in the day, as I’m walking back towards the entrance, I encounter the Terrace of the Lions, a row of marble lions facing the Sacred Lake. At the end of the 7th Century BC, the Naxians placed them here on a level terrace. The lions have weathered considerably through the millennia, and only six of the many originals now stand.

Mykonos Cafe

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

We wake to the sound of rain. Today is our only chance to see the archeological site on the nearby island of Delos, since we will head back to Athens tomorrow. But as I peek outside, sunlight breaks through the clouds. We take our chances and head to the dock. Sure enough, the ferry is running, so we purchase tickets. The ferry departs at 9 am, which gives us about an hour to get breakfast. Surprisingly, it’s hard to find a bakery open at this hour, but eventually we locate one with an available outdoor table. I order the same custard filled pastry I’ve ordered at other bakeries. I love the outer flakiness dusted in powdered sugar. Topping it off with a Greek coffee makes my morning.

Mykonos Hotel Room

Upon our arrival on Mykonos, a middle-aged woman in a van picks us up and drives us to her hotel. Our room, actually two rooms with a kitchen, is spacious but situated along a main road that we hope won’t keep us up at night. Here I’ve drawn the desk located in one corner of the room. My dad can be seen in the reflection of the mirror above the desk.

Hydrofoil to Mykonos

On the hydrofoil to Mykonos, I draw the front of the boat where we’re seated. The final drawing is tipped at an angle and the perspective distorted, but it gives a feeling of how disoriented one can feel when out at sea. The hydrofoil is smooth running and wicked fast.

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.