Travels

Art for Sale: Tenerife in Canary Islands

March 15, 2021 in Contemporary Art, Travels | Permalink

Original Artwork for sale. Tenerife, in Canary Islands, 16 x 12 acrylic painting $300 BUY NOW

Travelling to the Canary Islands while teaching art on Cunard Cruise Lines, I took a tour of the island. Without a doubt while on the tour of Tenerife, this view captured my soul and my spirit. As a matter of fact, painting this from a photo reference back in the studio, feeling the awe, brought me right back there. Not to mention, every time I look at this painting, I’m reminded of the trip and the joy I felt looking out at this vista. Make this beautiful painting your own and clearly you too will feel the calm and joy it brings.

Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the eight Canary Islands. It is home to 43 percent of the total population of the Canary Islands. With a land area of 2,034.38 square kilometres (785.48 sq mi) and a population of 917,841 inhabitants at the start of 2019 it is also the most populous island of Spain. The name Tenerife originates from a now extinct language, Guanche, the language of the indigenous inhabitants and means snow mountain. After being there, the name makes sense.

Tags: Art for Sale, Artist Donna Walsh, landscape, mountain, original art, snow, Spain, Support Living Artists, Tenerife, travels

Monet’s Waterlilies

April 17, 2019 in Artistic Creativity, Travels | Permalink

Ever since I visited Monet’s garden in Giverny France and saw the pond where he painted the waterlilies and saw the installation of the Waterlilies by Claude Monet in Musée de l’Orangerie, I have been enamoured by them. Here is my version, 16 x 12 in acrylic of Monet’s Waterlilies from 1905 which is in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. My impression of the Impressionist Claude Monet. I started this awhile ago and it has been fun to “paint in the brushstrokes” of the old master. It was so soothing to paint that can see why he painted them over and over. Let me know what you think of my homage to Monet’s Waterlilies.

Tags: art history, Monet, waterlillies

Cuba Travels

April 16, 2019 in Artistic Creativity, Plein Air Painting, Travels | Permalink

preliminary sketch of buildings in Old Havana

John and I went on a cruise that had an overnight in Havana Cuba. It was a great trip and was wonderful to visit Old Havana although it is sad to see such urban decay in some otherwise beautiful buildings. I did bring all my sketching supplies with the intent of documenting my travels. I did some practice sketches of buildings before going and studio painting of the same buildings upon returning home.

I did take lots of photos for reference for future painting. And I did do some plein air painting of the NCL private island , Great Stirrup Cay, from the balcony of our stateroom .

Additionally, I did some “plein lazy” painting by projecting a nocturnal image of Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis onto the TV set in the state room from my cell phone. It was great to paint in comfort on an “at sea day”, and my arthritic joints appreciated the “plein lazy” approach.

“Plein Lazy” painting of Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis 5x 7 ink watercolor

Tags: Cuba, plein air, Plein Air Painting, plein lazy, travel series

Tuscany: Here I come

March 18, 2019 in Plein Air Painting, Travels | 1 comment

I’ve always wanted to go to Tuscany and this summer I will get the chance. John and I will spend three days in Florence and then visit Barga Italy in northeast Tuscany. I have romantic notions of John and I visiting the birthplace of the renaissance, eating Tuscan food and drinking Tuscan wine.

After three days in Florence we will drive northeast to Barga, a medieval town that is an artist colony. There the plan is to enjoy the Tuscan life while painting the beautiful landscape known for it’s magnificent light. I have a friend who I know from Naked Wines who has invited us to stay with her for a bit. I want to paint her a painting as a gift so I started to get int the mod by painting the above painting of Barga with the Alps as the backdrop. Since ‘light was the star’ I decided to use the painting the light method of the Cape Cod School of Art as described by Lois Griffel in her book “Painting the Impressionist Landscape”

This has certainly peaked my interest about the trip and am looking forward to it even more.

Tags: Italy, Plein Air Painting, travels, Tuscany

Jamaica, Yah Man

April 10, 2018 in Travels | Permalink

John and I joined a travel club as we intend to do some travelling. Remembering our escape to Jamaica from snowy Boston, we decided to book a trip to Jamaica. It is not the same as coming from Florida as the weather is about the same but it was a good get away. Unfortunately our room was right on the ‘entertainment’ pool and bar and it was very loud in our room all day long. But I did manage to do some painting and photography of our stay.

beach painting

Tags: Jamaica, plein air

Paris was great!!!

June 14, 2016 in Travels | Permalink

John & I went to Paris June 3-11 20160607_144947 20160604_185056

We stayed in a very nice studio apt we arranged through Airbnb. It was in the heart of Paris in the 13th and close to the metro.

Just before we left there were reports of flooding in Paris with the Seine near overflowing.

Eiffel Tower

John & I

The Louvre and the Dorsay were closed until Wednesday so we decided to take the Hop-on Hop-off bus for two days. These always work well for us when we travel. We hopped off at the Eiffel tower and had lunch at one of the near by bistros. On the second day of the Hop-on Hop Off we went to Montmartre. It really is a tourist trap.

I had hopes of doing some plein air painting there but the energy just was not right. We did pass the Moulin Rouge on the way to Montmartre and afterwards stopped at the Erotic Art Museum which was quite a nice exhibit.

Basilica of Sacred Heart

Paris from the steps of the Basilica

The famous Moulin Rouge

Scenes from Montmartre. We did take the funicular up so

Museum of Erotic Art

we did not have to climb all the way up. With careful planning, we got to see the Rodin museum, the Hotel des Invalides (the military museum), Museum Orangerie. Musee de Louvre, Musee D’Orsay, Versailles and Isle de Cite

The Dorsay used to be a train station.

Monet’s waterlilies at Musee L’Orangerie

John in front of the The Grande Obelisk at the Louvre

Rodin’s ‘the Thinker

Venus de Milo at the Louvre

The Dorsay used to be a train station.

Monet’s waterlilies at Musee L’Orangerie

Travelling to Vermont

May 25, 2016 in Travels | Permalink

When we drive north we take advantage of Trip Adviser to find good places to eat. This time we stopped at an authentic Southern Fried Chicken place. It was the highlight of the trip. Three generations of women serving up the best fried chicken I ever had. We will definitely stop there again. 20160525_115234 20160525_115944 20160525_121331 20160525_121339

Tags: Florida, soul food, travels, vermont

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