As splashing in puddles is to a boisterous 2 yr old, art is inevitable with me.
You cannot help but be thoroughly and utterly inspired here, it's just slapping you round the gills at every turn. My eyes are like magnets...
The scorching climate, the simple slow pace of our life here (I actually surrender to our bed with delicious and frequent abandon through the day, usually just for a minute or considerably longer after climbing our steep steps) the fact I brought most of my art materials with, and of course the visual topics that I love to paint (ie. cats: literally falling out of gutters and trees, the quaint and quirky villages, the folky folk villag-ers and the ever-present imagery of Mary, and other icons created in the spirit of reverance). Everything is coming up Sara!
So, naturally, it was only 2 days after we arrived that my paints came out to play. First it was painting the cut-off water bottle to make us a makeshift vase to house the bushels of blossom I tend to snaffle on our morning walks. Next - pottering with water colours as my favourite entry point into the blissful state of creative flow, just because. Then with the dire need to consume basil with the big luscious tomatoes, we purchased a pot and plants, so of course the pot needed a 'Sara' makeover, and hence, slowly art is finding it's way out of me and into our surroundings, like I am oozing Art, (ha! thats funny) or as my sister, Susie says, vomiting divine inspiration!
Also, my Art residency has begun!!! Yessss (air punch)
The 'all things' magical space I am working from really does require more time and introduction (so I will keep the fullness of it for the next bloggedy blog post) though for now you can see some images below (right at ze bottom) of the first piece of work I am creating and chief Bee Hotel engineer, and creative genius at 'Layia Village Crafts', Pete Gallagher. Playful MAGIC. Yessim, but of course...
Images here including: Plenty of art play, yippeeee...a little chapel in Episkopi, the oranges we gathered roadside, our magical sunset visiting to the birthplace of Aphrodite (Petra tou Romiou), Daryle sitting in the bleachers of the ancient Kourion stadium (built in the 2nd century AD, WOW!) some happy snaps of Choirokoitia (an idyllic traditional village) which is on the road to Lageia (sounding like a ready song title) and a wee chapel in Larnaka.
Annnnd as mentioned above these last few photos are of 'Layia Village Crafts' and the beginnings of my first piece of work for them.
Something I have learned this week is:
Kalimera! (pronounced Kelly-merra) is how you say hellooooo, good morning, good day! efcharistó (pronounced eFaris-toe) is Thank you. I am practising these a lot on the locals...and they are very patient with me. noice.
A lot of tree trunks here are painted white… It's called white washing and the paint is basically like a sunblock to stop the poor tree bark from becoming scalded and cracked, on account of the fierce Cyprus sunshine. Clever.
Some of my favouritist things this week
The phenomenal scrumptious bounty of food to forage in open ground in Cyprus...so far we have scrummaged and spied almonds, carob, figs, grapes, olives, oranges, lemons (I have personally located the best spot to acquire my 'lemon a day' for my early hot drink with local honey...m mmm), pomegranate, and prickly pear, just in our wee village. One warm evening driving home from a yummy meal in Larnaka we spied a couple dozen laden orange trees lining a main road. Daryle promptly swerved illicitly to the curb, I bounded out and filled my skirt with as many ripe hanging fruit as I could haul, both grinning like naughty 4 year olds who just pulled a lolly heist. That's abundance right there! Imagine if all towns, and cities used edibles in their landscaping...Wow there’s a thought!
The ice cream truck style pottery wagon meandering the village streets at night spruiking his wares over a loudspeaker in Greek, like a gardeners call to prayer...beautiful terracotta earthenware stacked voluminously inside and on top of the teeny vehicle as it manoeuvres the maze of haphazard stoney streets.
Mmmmmmmmmm the Peaches… Enough said.
Well okay since you ask, these are no ordinary: looking all fabulousness, tasting like cardboard peaches, Nooooo... these ARE air punch, chin drenching, teeth sinking, sweetly succulent, Queen of all peaches, peaches. The kind I had as a kid that still give me that wistful look when recalled, Oh flavour of all flavours, a PROPER peach.
Added to that there's a peachy doughnut shaped variety as well (it looks like it's been run over by a horse and cart, slap punched into a compact version of itself ) but make no mistake, do not be fooled by its diminished appearance, this sucker is a candy shop peach. A fairy bread flavour that makes your eyes twinkle. Yep. Really.
Ok, I'm off for a swim...
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