Home, for now

5"x7", watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper

As I say, "Home is where the toothbrush is" and this is where my toothbrush is, for now. I spent my birthday celebrating this place with a pen drawing and painting it in while relaxing on the front porch. Jim, my host, was so kind to take me to a special Tripiti beach and a cool sea arch and then for ice cream afterwards while the sun set over Alyki. It was an excellent birthday, indeed!

Bird house, To the Garden, Paros, Greece

5"x7", pen on watercolor paper

I hope someday you'll have the pleasure of staying here. If you like wildflowers in the springtime, swimming in the summertime, hiking, sightseeing and taking in the history of this incredibly ancient place, or just plain lounging, then this is a great place to stay! I'm here at To the Garden, a great retreat in Kamari on the island of Paros, Greece. I'm surrounded by geraniums and an incredible diversity of flowers and olive and almond trees. The hosts Irini and Jim are awesome and I can't imagine staying anywhere else.

This is a pen drawing of where I'm staying, I had planned on coloring it in with watercolor but I do like the starkness of it. I've spent the morning in the creative zone, listening to the bells of the goats being moved from place to place and the sound of the birds that flit by and the constant and relaxing buzz of bees all around me. Today is my birthday and I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing ... drawing and painting to my heart's content in Greece! This is a very good birthday. :D

Piso Livadi, Paros, Greece

5"x7", watercolor on watercolor paper

I've been experiencing the island through my jaunts into the backroads and walking paths of the towns I've visited. The visual discoveries abound behind each corner, which makes me want to venture even further. Most times it means I get lost and eventually find my way back and sometimes it means I walk up someone's driveway by accident (well, once, and that just meant a shared laugh, a wave, and a "please excuse me"). 

I am finding that watercolor is the way to go while traveling in Greece and this is for a few reasons. It is easy to bring along (only paints, brushes, a container of water, and some paper), very quick to set up and clean up, and it lends itself well to this place that is surrounded by water. The lightness of watercolors fits in well with this landscape. Oils can be heavy and dense and this is a place that is definitely not those things.

Dryos Beach, Paros, Greece

Dryos, 5"x7", watercolor on watercolor paper

I rented a car and am enjoying exploring the island of Paros. Spent the day in Dryos and Piso Livadi, where I had a wonderful lunch of grilled sun-dried mackerel and a delicious selection of local appetizers next to the ocean.

This is a watercolor I did of a beach I found at Dryos and virtually visited months ago via Spitigatos, a website of Greek homes for sale (yeah, it's my vicarious pleasure). I recognized it immediately and was delighted to find stairs to the beach where I could sink my toes in the warm sand and dip them in the cold Aegean. The wildflowers were amazing so I wanted to capture and remember this very special moment. A visit by a little orange kitten topped off my morning. Then, it was off to explore the rest of the island.

Olive grove at Dryos

Piso Livadi

Sheep bells ring (Paros, Greece)

Around the property; 5"x7", oil on canvas panel

One of my favorite morning rituals (I've been here 5 whole mornings now!) is to sit on the porch with my breakfast and coffee and listen to the sounds of the sheep bells next door. This is a view of those sheep in the paddock behind "my" house ... white sheep with black heads (yeah, that's what those blobs are). It's just a quick painting and my first plein air oil painting ... ever. Besides the bee sting and the subsequent crazy lady bee-avoiding dance, it was a nice day out. This took maybe an hour.

I'm off to rent a car today ... and do some exploring! Hmmm, what new experiences await?!

Paros, Greece in the springtime

5"x7", pen on watercolor paper

5"x7", watercolor on watercolor paper

"Intentiality ... the appreciating of the little things and experiencing them not as a blur but as a discrete moment in time worthy of cherishing. ... The cool Paros wind on my face. The smell of Greek coffee when I open the cupboard. The sweetness of Greek honey. The sounds of sheep's bells. The unique blue-orange of the sun-setting sky. The unique meows of each of the cats. The buzz of thousands of beautiful bees that swarm the wildflowers around me. The beautiful dreams of really sweet sleep and the sounds of silence that brings me back to myself."