Gary J. Kirkpatrick Art and Travel Blog
Expressionistic art
Another in the Enamorado Con Amor/In Love with Love series. Part of love is intimacy, but of course not all intimacy denotes love. Here it does, and the couple sparkles in the play of light and shadow and smoke in a turn of century setting based on a scene in Downton Abbey.
Palma is a major tourist destination for beach goers in the millions. Germans, Russians, even the Spanish come here to luxuriate in the the beach resorts that line vast sections of the island’s coast. But for a more serious tourist there is art, architecture and history, plus a neat one hour train to Sóller, a small, charming and tourist-overrun village in the mountains, in vintage wooden cars. There are galleries for the upscale buyer and for Miró fans there’s his museum and studio on high with fine views of the coast. (continued below the paintings)
After the the Iberians came the Phoenicians and Greeks. The island was ruled from Rome no later than 123 BCE. Then the Arabs arrived, whose fleet moored in the harbor and convinced the islanders to submit to Islamic rule while allowing residents to maintain their religious preferences. Piracy was a significant source of wealth in the Islamic era, most likely largely due to the strategic location of the island. The city was reconquered in 1229 by Jaume (James) I of Aragon. His son built Bellver Castle and started the Cathedral. In 1391 anti-Jewish killings were widespread. Those who did not leave the island and survived were forced to convert. Two gangs ruled the island in the 17th century, when piracy was again widespread, while the Jews suffered tremendously thanks to that lovely chapter of Spanish history, the Inquisition.
The Cathedral, called La Seu, was started in the 13th but not finished until the early 17th century. It is a Gothic structure and by no means is its exterior among the most attractive of that style.
The view of the Seu was from the roof of our hotel in the old center.
Another in the Enamorado Con Amor/In Love with Love series. Part of love is intimacy, but of course not all intimacy denotes love. Here it does, and the couple sparkles in the play of light and shadow.
The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints. The binder has a neutral hue and low intensity.
Pastel is challenging because it is mixed and blended on the paper or other surface. Colors cannot be tested on a palette although with the new powder pastels you can. This work was done with sticks. Changes are not easy to make, as you can not just paint over things.
In use since the Renaissance, they were very popular in the 18th century. My favorite pastel painter is Renoir.
No Solo Mia — Not Just Mia.
Mia is our friends’ Chihuahua , on our model’s lap, pen ink, A3, 8.25 x 11.7″
I always carry a small notebook with me. If I am sitting around and see something or someone interesting, I give it a go. Here are some recent ones.
These miniatures are just $50 each. Prints too.
We visited the village where our nephew Travis worked as a Peace Corps volunteer. It was a fabulous visit despite the primitive conditions- the people were just so loving and friendly. These are the only ones I still have and I am offering them for the next week at special prices. See blog on Zambia for further accounts of this special journey.
Women, with Towel shows another in the mirror. A third appears in outline, derived from the Portrait of a Young Woman, recently attributed to Leonardo. Her outline is done with a water color pencil, otherwise the work is acrylics. The background is applied with a knife. Original and prints.
I did these small paintings at Aranjuez, Spain. The Summer Palace of Spain is located there. I wrote a bit about Aranjuez at https://garyjkirkpatrick.com/aranjuez-the-summer-palace-of-the-spanish-royalty/
A fall scene at Aranjuez:
At Aranjuez is the same scene as Carmen at Aranjuez. But there is no railing separating her from the harsh reality below –it’s nearly winter, the icy gray of the cold Rio Tajo running on the backside of the Palacio. Nonetheless there is beauty of sky and the shimmering reflections to enchant, but, yet, stay back. It reminds of those mythologies we invent to account for both the cruelty and charm of existence; no wonder our deities are so self-contradicting.
I was thinking of how I would miss my new friends, the warmth of her standing there contrasting with the coldness of the water, the building, affection as a guard against life’s sometimes harsh realities.
This building sits just across from the Palace. It was built in the mid 1800’s and completely renovated.
