A wonderful week at the School in Olhao Portugal http://www.artintheargarve.com

‘Creativity can be described as letting go of certainties’.    Gail Sheehy

This watercolour was painted by Ginny, one of the group in Olhao Portugal last week. Throughout my years of painting and teaching, I have heard so often the frustration of those who would like to explore their creativity, but who always seem to find that life gets in the way!

The School in Portugal is a place where we can immerse ourselves into the creative process.    Water colour warm up exercises at the beginning of each session, along with sketch books enable us to let go of all the stuff we carry around in our day to day lives.   We are able to explore possibilities and take risks, not worrying about outcomes.

We were a harmonious group of twelve with two additions.    Geoff Levitus, an Australian artist http://www.geofflevitus.com, who is tutoring a group this week joined us for meals and conversation,  and during the final two days Keith, Ginny’s husband joined us.    Both brought a great deal to the week.           We had lovely sunshine and warm temps for most of the week, plus one night of storms which made for interesting and very paintable skies, and one day of rain…..but did we let it deter us???….not at all!     I love this photograph of us on our way to the Saturday market:)    We spent a perfect day on Armona Island and as always was treated to a delicious lunch of fresh grilled fish and vegetables at Armona 4 restaurant.       sketchbooks were in full use.

Armona Island – 15 minute boat ride from Olhao.    After a delicious breakfast, thanks to Joanna, each day begins with demonstrations.    The group can then choose to paint in the School or around the town.    Some prefer to paint alone and others in a group.     Lunch is served at 1 p.m. and then we have a two hour free period.     We meet again at 4 p.m. when I give more demonstrations and the group continues to work until approx. 6.30.

Those who have followed my blog will know that I often refer to the School as having a touch of Faulty Towers.     One of our group Deborah had just returned from India and said she thought the School reminded her a little of The Marigold Hotel…..and she is right.     It is a perfect place to explore creativity, to let go and to laugh a lot.

From the top level of the School with pool overlooking the rooftops of old Olhao.     There is another pool in one of the downstairs courtyards. I find the School to be one of the best places to explore the creative process.    Set on many levels with all sorts of areas for private or group work – it is perfect.    Added to that is the wonderful family atmosphere provided by the team…….I love seeing Joanna and Margarida’s children growing year by year…..

Joanna, Margarida and Camilla…..A fantastic teamWatercolour, painted by Jayanthi showing a lovely sunny day in the park. We had some lovely and unexpected surprises.    Dora Keogh, another of the School’s tutors had an exhibition in the town.  http://www.dorakeogh.com      Dora’s work is excellent and we all enjoyed the evening.    All Dora’s paintings were based on Olhao. We were also introduced to the Republic Community Centre – A beautiful old building with superb gallery space plus a bar and terrace and a really lovely large courtyard.       The paintings on display were of a high calibre….and it was much fun to meet more local artists who like many who attend the School come from around the world.

I like the shadow play of these trees against the yellow ochre/sienna walls in the courtyard at the Republic.     Definitely a place to paint next time. Minutes from the school is 4Elementos Ceramics & Azulejo – a shop and studio owned by artists Celia and Oswald.    They very kindly allow members of the group to paint in the charming patio behind the studio and over the years have become friends.

Celia in her studio….at 4Elementos Ceramics & AzulejoThe patio behind the studio at 4Elementos Ceramics and AzulejoGiven the techno charged fast pace of our lives today, it often seems that our collective senses are being deadened.

As we constantly try to fill the ever widening holes within us with more and more frenetic activity, frustration levels grow.

When we take time to feed our senses through the creative process, in all its many forms,  miraculous changes can and do occur, leading to a sense of well being and fulfilment.

Looking down into one of the courtyards from my room watercolour by OlgaOur final day coincided with the Carnation Revolution celebrations….Here are some of the group celebrating the occasion. I can’t write a blog without mentioning the Magical Hummingbirds.    They were clearly with us all the way on this trip.      I enjoyed a really meaningful conversation on my way to the airport with, Peter, one of the visiting Australians and (this is a bit of an inside joke for those attending this week)   I had a beautiful little eleven month old girl sitting next to me on the plane.:)

Also, as a lovely blob of icing on the cake, I got to see my friend Vicki Snaddon who runs the lodge in Belize http://www.pookshilllodge.com      A magical place filled with hummingbirds.   I will  be seeing Vicki again in September.

 

There are many more photographs of the groups work…which can be found on the facebook page of Art in the Algarve. 

I am off to Boston on Thursday morning and will be gone from here until June, at which point I will catch up with the blogs of all my friends.

OBSERVATON OBSERVATION OBSERVATION – and remember to carry a sketch book at all times. 

A bientot

Janet                                                   http://www.janetweightreed.co.uk

The Second half of my trip to France…

watercolour – CaramanyThis post is about my week in Caramany, a small, ancient hill top village – in the Pyrenees-Orientales department in southern France.     A very beautiful area.

My friend the artist Suzy Davidson (www.suzydavidson.com) –  has been renovating an old ruin there for the past nine years …..all of this done whilst living in South Africa and and Malaysia.    Quite a feat.        On her regular visits, she has managed to organise builders, and much more…..and being a hands on person has done a lot of work herself, including building walls….

To get there, I flew to Carcassonne and then a two hour drive to Caramany.     (On my return trip to Brittany and then London, I travelled by train – more about that in a minute)   

I left London just  before the ‘Beast from the East’ descended on the UK and Europe.  For the first three or so days it was freezing cold.     Fortunately Suzy had just installed two wood burners!

Suzy between house and atelier. Initially it was too cold to paint outside (we actually woke to a dusting of snow one morning!) – and so I painted some interiors, plus portraits of the local Caramany people – again an excellent way to connect with people and to learn about a place.

A very warm spot next to a wood burner (now shown in this picture:)A rapid sketch from open window. Built into rock, the community sits on many levels.     I took this photograph overlooking the courtyard to Suzy’s house with the ravine, village and hills beyond. There are 150 full time residents – (during the summer months this number grows)     Through Suzy, I was able to meet some of the locals who not only made me very welcome but also provided in one case a delicious typically French five course lunch, and in another a superb evening meal.

Marie – a multi talented lady. – watercolour  Seven year old Capucine – watercolour By mid week the sun was shining and in sheltered spots it was very warm.   I actually enjoyed my first al fresco lunch of the year.

Part of the village in mild sunshine. Remy – Caramany resident – watercolourVivi – wife of Remy  – watercolourI certainly hope to visit Carmany again during a warmer period when I am able do much more plein air painting.      I believe that Late April/May or September/October would be perfect….as I think the summers might be a little too hot for my liking.

Perpignan is about a 35 minute drive from Caramany, and so it was here that I caught the  first train on my way to Lorient in Brittany.      Other than the initial local train, I was travelling by TGV – the superb French train system which travels at high speeds and for the most part is very efficient.

Between Perpignan and Narbonne – I was able to see the lagoons with Pink Flamingos….what a treat.     After a quick change at Narbonne onto Toulouse, – Toulouse to Paris and Paris to Lorient where Elisabeth and Herve were waiting for me.    The train was right on schedule.        It sounds like a long day, and it was but given that the trains are so comfortable and everything on schedule….it is a far better way to travel than flying!.    An excellent opportunity for reading, writing, thinking and people watching.

A rapid watercolour/gouache in my sketch book looking down on the reservoir beneath Caramany….It was extremely windy and cold that day. .  

Now onto my next trip where I will be giving a workshop at the beautiful school in Olhao Portugal  http://www.artinthealgarve.com      starting Wednesday 18th April….

We have received two late cancellations and so if anyone is interested in joining us on what is always a wonderful week, please contact Camilla at +44 203 2877 140

I have a limit of 12 for these workshops and am fully booked for September.   

At this time of year, especially after our very cold spring, the thought of arriving at the School is such a treat.     The top of the old olive tree that grows up through the centre of the School….simply beautiful. 

I finish with a pile of magical hummingbird watercolour doodles 

 

A Bientot

http://www.janetweightreed.co.uk

 

 

Creativity – Use it or lose it….

I attended a gathering this week where I was asked what kind of art I made.    This is a loaded question and one I often find difficult to answer.       I said I love colour and believe that the creative process in all its forms is the key to emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing.      I was then asked if I thought everyone had a desire to create.   My answer was a resounding – yes.

This years visit to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. After returning home I thought more about my response.

Our inborn creativity has to be nurtured in the same way that we care for our minds and bodies.      For example, if we allowed one of our limbs to shrivel and atrophy  – we would always be aware of the many things we might have done with the full use of that limb.       It is much the same with creativity.     Not to use it in one form or another, brings frustration often accompanied by a sense of loss.   A loss that in many ways we are unable to identify.     Use it or lose it really does apply. 

Jayanthi Rani at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition This beautiful watercolour was painted by Jayanthi Rani who I met five years ago when she came to my painting course in Portugal….and since then it has been my great privilege to watch her work blossom and grow.       You can see more of Jayanthi’s work on her FB page. It seems to me that as we try to fill the ever widening holes within as our collective senses are being deadened through the over use of technology, our frustration levels grow and the need for a creative outlet even more acute.

 

Nurturing my little cottage garden in Wales from a barren, fallow patch, was a creative project I loved.       Cooking, sewing, knitting, writing, dance, music – I could go on and on.     When I observe people using a myriad of creative disciplines – I see people who in that moment feel a sense of contentment and wellbeing.

I am off to Crickhowell, Wales (AKA The Magical Town of Crickadoon) on Monday and will hopefully return with lots of new ideas and sketches.

For now I leave you with a happy moment from last year along with a watercolour of the beautiful Use Valley.

A Bientôt

Cat on Armona Island, Portugal.

I return to Olhao, Portugal on Thursday for a few days….and so until then will be showing some photographs that I took in April.

This sequence, of a perfectly placed black cat standing in front of a white house on the island of Armona, struck me because of the wonderful shadow play of the tree against the white wall.   Note that the shadows are almost as dark as the tree and cat.  

The island of Armona is a fifteen minute boat taxi ride from Olhao where the art school is located – http://www.artinthealgarve.com

There are no cars on the island, which is just how I like it.    It would be a great place to rent a cottage for a month, off season,  to write, paint, ponder, etc.

A bientôt

The Olive Tree – art school – Olhao Portugal – http://www.artinthealgarive.com

There is a beautiful olive tree in one of the courtyards at the school in Olhao, Portugal http://www.artinthealgarve.com

Not only does it provide shade, beauty and olives – it also provides endless shadow play observation – which is what this watercolour sequence is all about. 

I have spent time in ancient olive groves where I have been mesmerised by their life force and could well imagine the Ents of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth.

The olive tree symbolises peace.

The olive tree is surely the richest gift of Heaven.   Thomas Jefferson.

A Bientôt

An enigmatic young woman

During the recent painting week in Olhao Portugal, we enjoyed a delicious meal at the 7 Imeio Wine Bar – a place I highly recommend for atmosphere, food and service.  http://www.artinthealgarve.com

From our position in the bar we could see an enigmatic young woman.       One of those individuals who captures the attention of an entire room…..Clearly very beautiful, she was much more.

Elaine, one of our group, managed to sneak a couple of photographs which I used as jumping off points for the following two sketches.     Rapid watercolour on a cadmium orange ground. 

She seemed to be on the one hand totally in her own world, and on the other completely aware of the stir she was causing.   

As much as I would enjoy painting her, I could also see where she might trigger ideas for a short story……She definitely possessed the je ne said quoi factor.

A Bientôt

watercolour exercise – Olhao, Portugal

David, (AKA Bazil) owns a restaurant and wine bar, 7 Imeio Wine Bar, just a few minutes walk from the Art School in Alhao.    I used a photograph of the restaurant (thank you Jude) as a jumping off point for this sketch.     http://www.artinthealgarve.com

Initially I made a rapid sketch using brush and yellow ochre….quickly indicating the darkest areas in the image.

In this frame, I add the shadow play on the front of the buildings…always making sure to move colours around.   this brings a sense of balance and cohesiveness to the overall image.

Allowing the brush to dance around the image, I add more detail….

It’s important to note that less is always better than more when capturing an image such as this,   It allows the viewer’s eye and imagination to fill in the gaps.…..By adding too much detail, spontaneity, the key element of watercolour is lost.

Magical Hummingbird – drinking from the sweet nectar of life. 

A Bientôt

Seeing beyond the obvious.

In my book ‘The Apple Exercise’ – I talk about seeing everything in a myriad of different ways.

The images on this post were taken at the Art School in Olhao on my recent visit.     I am looking at the courtyard, steps, wall and canopy in the Pool House from different points of view – beyond what might be considered the obvious. 

http://www.artinthealgarve.com

In fact within each frame shown here there are many different images.

When I walked into the courtyard of the School House, I immediately loved the triangular shape of the canopy along side the softer Bougainvillea.

Again, looking at the same subject from a different point of view – gives me new and exciting information.

and so it goes…..

I have begun work on some images reflecting the shapes and shadow play within the numerous alley-ways of Olhao, which I will share as they develop.      Observing one small area, is like looking at a jigsaw puzzle of shapes, lights and darks. 

Right up my alley, you might say:)

The Magical Hummingbirds bring vibrant colour to begin the week.

A Bientôt

The Art School – Olhao, Portugal – http://www.artinthealgarve.com – (5)

On the final day of our week….we visited the beautiful island of Armona, which is accessible by water taxi from Olhao.

Leaving Olhao.    It takes approximately fifteen minutes. 

We arrived at the dock in Olhao to see the welcome site of Nuno and his lovely dog Boli.    

Nuno is a marine biologist, and his family have lived for many generations on the Algarve.    The perfect person to tell us about this unique coastal lagoon, – which is a paradise for bird watchers and a rich source of shell fish and leading contributor to the local economy.

Two of the group enjoying the ride along with Boli.

Armona is part of the Ria Formosa National Park – an area which is a very important stop over point in the migration routes between Europe and Africa – and so much more.     

The largest population of sea horses in the world are found here, although because of new fishing methods their numbers are sadly dwindling.

Nuno showed us this beauty.   It is the male sea horse that becomes pregnant. 

Arriving at Armona.    

The Island is approx 9 Kilometres (6 miles) in length by 1 Km (0.6 mile) wide.    It has quite a large community of beach houses and several cafes/bars and a well stocked shop.    There are no cars on the Island, which of course I love. 

It reminds me of some of the outer islands in the Bahamas.  A perfect place to rent a cottage for a month (out of season) to paint, write and think. 

Once again, we had sketch books and cameras at the ready and a lot of beautiful work was produced that day. 

I just happened to see this cat against the white wall and loved the drama.    Managed to take about four images before the cat spied me and disappeared.

I encourage people to go off on their own to find places where they can sit, focus, observe and sketch.

One of the group enjoying a lovely moment with nature and sketch book. 

Bougainvillea everywhere……

Many interesting nooks, crannies and jumping off points for paintings, in between the cottages….

And the beaches are lovely.

We had a fantastic lunch experience on the roof of Armona 4 – a restaurant situated by the arrival dock.        Lots of grilled fresh fish and vegetables – along with conversation and laughter.  

This is John, who looked after us so well, taking a much deserved rest after lunch. 

Before we left the Island, John made us his specialty cocktail…..and my oh my was it special:)

Then back to The School for our final evening meal together.      This is the walk form the water taxi towards the school.

I now look forward to returning to Olhao during the last week in June, in the autumn/winter for  some long painting weekends and again next April.

Meanwhile, the Hummingbirds continue to weave their magic.

I hope everyone enjoys a lovely weekend.    I plan to paint:)

A Bientôt

The Art School – Olhao, Portugal – http://www.artinthealgarve.com – (4)

The weekly market in Olhao is a feast for the eyes and once again just minutes from the School.     It is spread along the water front next to the two large Market Halls that are open every day. It is bustling with energy and activity.     Farmers and people with small holdings come in from many different places to sell their wares. It was here that I purchased the calla lilies for 2 euro!       One stem would cost that and much or more in London…. This market provides seasonal eating from sea and land – and everything displayed is of excellent quality.

Given the crowds, we split up as a group and sketch, or take photographs as we please.     I love to observe the local people.    Ideal for portrait painters.

Several of the group happily sketching – with an interested observer.

.  

I missed a wonderful band this year, but remember so well the music and these dancers from last year.

This is a place that feeds all the senses, including taste.   Some of the goods on offer are simply delicious including the local honey.

The Portugese custard tarts, are to die for…….once tried, never forgotten🙂   The custard is in a creme brûlée like consistency, caramelised in a puff pastry case. 

I really enjoy that all the different elements are joined together in one big celebration of life.    There are many sellers of flowers, and to see them in front of the Lagoon with boats behind provides a wonderful contrast.

As I mentioned earlier, Olhao is the largest fishing port on the Algarve.     What a great place to view the fruits of the sea.     It brings an awareness of how precious Mother Nature’s bounty is both from sea and land.  

Storks play an important part of life in Olhao….and can be seen nesting on top of the church and other high places.

I took this photograph on the walk from the market.

After a lovely morning, it’s lunch at 7 imeio wine bar where the food and service are superb.      David (AKA Bazil) owns this establishment  – one I highly recommend.

After lunch a two hour free period and more painting, and then a another excellent evening meal at O Bote.      

Tomorrow, our visit to the beautiful Island of Armona. 

The magical hummingbirds were clearly in residence.

A Bientôt