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Hiking and Cycling in the Czech Republic

May 13, 2014/in My Travels

V-Day:

Thursday May 8 was a holiday in the Czech Republic – Day of Liberation/ Victory – commemorating Hitler’s surrender and the end of WWII. It wasn’t a holiday in Austria, but when walking to school that day, I saw that they were preparing to celebrate it with a free outdoor Vienna Symphony Orchestra concert that evening.

By 8:45pm, after Laurence Caruana’s fascinating talk on the Gnostic Worldview (more on that another day), there were 12,000 people on the grounds of the Hofburg – Vienna’s Imperial Palace. At least that’s what I understood them reporting on stage in German, according to police calculations. I stayed for a song and to witness the speech of a Jewish concentration camp survivor, but then headed home as I had to be out the door by 5am the next morning for a weekend trip to the Czech Republic.

Love Public Transportation Here:

I had to take an easy 3-subway ride to the bus station behind Stadion shopping centre, but I still preferred being early. Of course, I was the first one there. Soon, however, a big crowd had gathered for the 6:40am Student Agency bus to Brno (only $13 for a 2-hour drive). On board, I multitasked, watching a movie and keeping an eye on the gorgeous scenery outdoors: bright yellow canola fields, castles, and beautiful villages with those red tiled roofs that pull at my heart strings. Once in Brno, I took a train to Blansko (half an hour for $1.86). I used to do the Brno-Adamov route (one stop before Blansko) often when I lived there in the 90s and have always enjoyed it.

Veselice Tower:

Because Thursday was a holiday, many Czechs also took Friday off, but Soňa, a school teacher in Adamov, had an official day off. After going through some of my Bali pictures with her and wearing out both my Czech vocabulary and my voice (I’ll have to start talking more not to lose my voice when I start teaching again this summer), we decided to go for a nature walk through neighbouring fields, forests, and villages.

After 8.5 km, we reached the 32 m iron observation tower in Veselice for a beautiful view of the surroundings.

Our friend Milan met us there and drove us back to Blansko, where he later joined the Karasek family and I for a delicious pizza dinner that unfortunately took more than an hour to make it to our table. We were starved! I did discover, however, that cumin chicken and sauerkraut make a great combination on pizza.

After partaking in a few famous Czech beers, however, Tonda asked his daughter Iva to pack his parachute for his jump the next day – a wise decision. I was asleep on the couch before they all left Iva’s living room.

Cycling in Lednice & Valtice:

Since Saturday’s weather forecast called for sunny and warm and Sunday’s cold and rainy, we changed our bike trip plans to Saturday. This unfortunately meant that Antonin and Honza wouldn’t be joining us. Tonda was supervising a group of students’ first parachute jump further north and Honza was joining friends to photograph rare orchids in the forest near Brno. Iva had a big university exam on Monday, so her whole weekend was spent studying. Soňa and I, however, packed our gear and met Milan, his wife Julia and son Adam as well as his friend’s family for fantastic day of cycling in Lednice, a village near the Austrian border. I had been looking forward to this since they talked about it last time I was in the Czech Republic. The area around Lednice has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site because of its palace and 200km² park filled with architectural gems.

It was amazing! Thanks to the Karasek family, I was completely geared up: cycling pants & t-shirt, helmet, light wind-breaker (but my Kaliyana anti-suit jacket was enough) and mountain bike. The gear system on this bike was so easy and effective compared to the one on the men’s 10-speed bike that I sold in 2013 after 30 years of riding it … I think my next bike will be a mountain bike. I may even get cycling pants. Although quite self-conscious at first walking around in Soňa’s pants that felt like diapers (or what I imagine diapers might feel like – it had been decades since I last wore any after all), I soon became very grateful for the extra padding. I figure cycling is like walking barefoot for the first time after a long winter of wearing shoes/boots. It takes a while for both our soles and our butts to toughen up. Even after adjusting the angle of the men’s sports saddle I was riding on, it was quite painful. After making a few jokes about it, Adam happily switched saddles with me – he had wanted a sports saddle for a while and I was much relieved for a wider, more comfortable resting area for my sensitive tush. I was still very aware of it for the rest of the day, but it certainly didn’t take away from our heavenly experience.

Known for its flatness, this area is hugely popular for its cycling trails. The parking lots were already overflowing when we got there, but the crowds only added to the atmosphere. With over 100 km of trails, I even found myself alone with the birds at times (speaking of which, I saw a heron, storks, geese, swan, ducks, and I could swear it was a bald eagle, but they aren’t native to the Czech Republic, even if there’s an eagle on their coat of arms. … Wait, I just found photos on the Internet that someone took in Lednice at a birds of prey establishment, including that of a bald eagle in flight. I do believe I was right! I don’t always need to be right – I often prefer to be happy – but right and happy together make a wonderful combination) .

We cycled along country lanes, through forests, fields and villages, and next to fish ponds and vineyards. One of the delights of this UNESCO heritage site is the integration of ruins in nature. OK, so they were replicas – but when replicas were made in the early 1800s, that’s very old for a Canadian! The effect of this combination was quite magical!

After 21 kms, we arrived in the village of Valtice, another World Heritage site. We had lunch at an outdoor terrace and followed that up with ice cream next door. I could have spent a whole day just walking around this village with my camera. I actually didn’t bring my good camera. What you see here is a mix of photos from other people’s phones and small digital cameras – I borrowed Soňa’s 5MP school digital camera – fine for the Internet. The group would have had to wait even longer for me had I brought my good gear, but I plan to do so next time. I loved our day so much, we’re planning on going back in late June before I return to Canada. Trips like this, however, are making me think it might be a good idea to have a lightweight high quality point and shoot – my iPhone just isn’t cutting it these days. I’ll add a pro-worthy Nikon point-and-shoot to my manifestation list – that and I’m still looking for a perfect place to live when I return to St. John’s in July. For now, thank you to Soňa and Milan for adding your photos to this post.

By the end of the day, we had done 35 kilometers and had had another stop at a palace for raspberry crepes. Ah, life is good!

I learned this weekend that in this country long famous for its beer, even non-alcoholic versions are super popular – especially with drivers, athletes and children.

Once back in Lednice, Soňa and I said goodbye to the group so we could walk through the palace grounds. Looking at a map, I discovered there was a whole area with water behind the palace that we hadn’t explored. That’s when I decided it would be a good idea to come back.

Accidentally, yet happily, our GPS directed us away from the highway and back to Blansko on a very scenic route – caramel coloured fields and lush valleys in shades of green and canola yellow. Of course, lots of red tiled roof clusters I love so much. What a gorgeous drive. After a quick shower, Antonin, Soňa, and I headed to the village of Rájec for a delicious BBQ with our cycling friends. Jirka, who usually cycles 100km every weekend, had found our pace a tad frustrating, and so on his way home, got dropped off in Brno with Milan’s son Adam and cycled another 30km home from there. They still made it to the BBQ before us. Hey, did you know that a foil-wrapped cheese like a Camembert on the BBQ is a great thing?! It is. BBQ’d Hermalín, a type of Czech cheese similar to Camembert, was a nice surprise during this feast. Having yet another meal outdoors with friends was indeed a great way to end the day. By the end of the evening, however, the rain came in strong and my Czech comprehension dropped to about 5%. It was time for another good night’s sleep.

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Final Stop in Bali: Sanur Beach

April 30, 2014/in My Travels

Note: I’m posting this from Vienna. I’m at my school’s directors’ house until I can move into my new residence room this afternoon. OMG! What a difference high speed Internet makes. I’ve just uploaded in 10 minutes what took me over 24 hours and several retries in Bali!

More Drive-Bys:

After a month inland in Ubud, spending a couple of days near the ocean in Sanur was a great idea. Of course I spent half the drive there with my lens out the window having fun capturing images with a super high ISO that allowed high speed shooting without blur.

Lots of throw-aways, but plenty good ones to provide another glimpse at drive-by Bali.

It’s really amazing how many art galleries and statuary shops there are here– often dozens in a row for miles on end. It almost makes me wonder why I need to paint when there’s such great stuff out here for so cheap. Then I remember that I paint first and foremost for myself. My excellent driver Ketut ([email protected] ,mobile : +6285205506104 ) says that the artists in Ubud are suffering because of a chain of humongous 24-hour art supermarkets called Hare Krishna, that have opened up around the island. He says they’re really busy at all hours. Unfortunately, Ubud, the traditional cultural center of the country, is no longer attracting as many art buyers because of it.

Kolonial House:

Here’s a good example of how expectations and assumptions can lead to disappointment – at first, anyway. In the end, it all turned out great. When I got to Sanur, I was surprised that Kolonial House wasn’t closer to the beach, on the same property as the Power of Now Yoga Oasis. They’re owned by the same people and they advertised them as being 5 minutes apart. I imagined a walk through gardens or on a sandy property between the guest house and yoga space. The first time I walked it, however, it took more like 20+ minutes along a few streets, through a parking lot, and a short alley of vendors with their “Please madame, come look at my shop” pleas. My idea of walking in peace and beauty from my room to the beach in my bathing suit quickly disappeared. I soon figured out, however, that there was a shortcut through the luxury Mercure Resort – not quite 5 minutes, but close.

When I emailed the yoga centre looking for peaceful yet affordable accommodation recommendations, they also gave me the names of several nearby places to check out. I took them up on that after I saw Kolonial House’s Standard Room at $50/night (quite expensive for Bali). It was right against the street and because it was built to buffer sound, it lacked natural light. My heart sank when I walked in and my throat ceased up as it had just been fogged against mosquitoes. The smell was really strong, so I decided to go exploring other places. It was hot at high noon and nothing felt quite right (price, location, my mood, etc.) What can I say, I’m a budget traveler with a need of peace, quiet, and comfort. Not sure why I was feeling so fussy, but I was. It happens. Transitions aren’t always the easiest for me, even if I’ve lived on several continents and across Canada.

After spending time looking around and gathering information at the Power of Now Yoga Oasis on the beach, I was overheating. When I returned to Kolonial House, Putu, the manager, took one look at me and brought me to the very back of the resort to a small pointed thatched roof private bungalow in a secluded area and offered it to me at the same price as their Standard Room. What a relief and such a blessing. It was actually smaller than the room by the street, but the feng shui of it felt great – even the outdoor washroom in the back appealed to me for some strange reason. As you can see in the photos, the pool was right in front of it and also a large private living room and a small kitchen (not in photo). Thanks Putu! Funny thing is that I’m actually writing this blog from the first room (as they let me stay hours past check-out as I flew out at 10pm, but my second room had already been booked) and today it feels great – spacious, clean, etc. It just goes to show how we can (OK, I can) stress myself for no good reason at times.

Anyhow, I did enjoy my private room at the back. I also enjoyed the pool shared by the few occupants within that secluded area. I even enjoyed the outdoor washroom. I was glad, however, that after my first swim, I initially kept my bathing suit on. I ended up making eye contact with the young men who clean the place – they were taking their break on the 2^nd floor of the building opposite. It’s a strange feeling making eye contact with strangers during your shower… I have no idea what went through their minds though as I’ve talked about the difference in privacy bubbles here in Bali. They may not have been peeping Toms. All I know is that I only finished my shower once they had moved on. I’m also not sure how I felt after I found them rummaging through my garbage after I had moved out of my room. I could understand them checking to see why I threw out an umbrella (which had stabbed me a few times too many with its several broken spokes). I couldn’t understand why they had retrieved and what they may be saying about my discarded sketches from the life drawing session back in Ubud. Again – perverts or appreciators of the level of drawings I judged worthy of the trash. Hmmm…. I choose to take it as a compliment as I’ll never know. Again, the mind is in control of perceptions and can make a huge difference in our experience. So that decides it. These two young men were simply appreciators of true beauty 🙂 .

Creatures:

The washroom was actually very nice with its bamboo trees, stone sculptures, and new fixtures. Thank goodness, the fogging at Kolonial House seemed to work – I didn’t see any mosquitoes. It is odd though to take one’s clothes off outside at all hours after spending a month covering up to protect against both the sun and disease-baring mosquitoes. As I sat down for my morning business at 5am on Sunday (with the dim but warm illumination of a tungsten light bulb), I got pleasantly distracted by the beauty of my surroundings and its natural sounds (excluding mine). I had gotten quite used to the movement of adorable little geckos everywhere– love them and the fact they eat bugs. This time, however, I enjoyed watching toads of various sizes jump around. Did you know they climb walls? I sure didn’t. Straight up, just like geckos. Impressive! I wondered why they hadn’t made a comic superhero called Toadman…

The second morning though, still in the dark, I wasn’t so excited. You see, the night before, on my way to the kitchen in the other part of the complex to refill my water bottle, I’d made eye contact with one of four big rats that scurried up from somewhere below. As our eyes locked, I recalled an article I’d read in the English Sanur newspaper the day before about the epidemic of rabies and the consequent euthanasia of dozens of purebred dogs that people had tried to smuggle into Bali. Poor dogs. Anyhow, the thought of rabid rats certainly took my mind off mosquitoes as I myself scurried in the dark to do my business. Every little toad became a huge hairy rat with blazing red eyes…. it was early! Hee hee.

There’s one more creature worth mentioning here. On my last afternoon, I went to the Flames restaurant across the street from the Mercure resort. I had already packed and just wanted a quick lunch before doing some writing. As I walked upstairs, my eye caught a movement in a nearby tree and I gasped. It was a bat the size of a cat, almost within arm’s reach to one of the tables. I could see its crew-cut hairstyle and perky little ears. This fruit bat, it turns out, hangs out there (yes, pun intended) every day and is named Rasta (not sure if there’s a link to Reggae music or not). I took lots of pictures of it as it did its yoga – constantly in slow movement, hanging from both feet, or a combination of a foot and a wing, each equipped with a long hook. I felt scared, yet excited. It seemed to be fanning itself or doing some sort of devotional heart pounding with one of its wing. I was surprised it wasn’t sleeping since it was daytime – can’t say I’m an expert on bats though. I also thought they were blind, so when I decided to use my flash, I was shocked that it cranked its head backward and made full eye contact with me through the lens. A bit of a déjà vu from the night before. A bit freaky. After that, I left it in peace, but kept observing it from a few tables back, alone on the terrace. I wanted to shout to tourists walking by below on their way back to the Mercure luxury resort – “Hey! You’ve got to come see this bat!” Instead, I’m sharing it here with you.

Sanur Beach:

I’ll be writing more about some of my experiences at The Power of Now Yoga Oasis in the next post. For now, I just want you to see how beautiful the beach and ocean are. I spent a few hours here on all 3 days. There are several resorts along the beach and each has its own area for lounge chairs in between the restaurants, spas, and water sport vendor booths.

These stretches of beach seem reserved for the tourists, each with its security guards. The first stretch of the beach, however, near the parking and food vendors, got quite crowded at times with Balinese families.

I enjoyed spending time here too, especially at the small pavilion at the end of the partition that divided the areas.

There, I could be in the shade and breeze while listening to the water, simply being or chatting with the locals, and watching the young tattoo-covered locals fishing. The tonal contrast of tattoos on darker skin isn’t as high as on white folks, but perhaps that I why I liked them better. The designs contributed to that feel too – same as on the old temples – gods and monsters mixed with modern imagery. Interesting. I’ve never been into tattoos, but I grew to appreciate them more here.

I’m sure some of the tourists never leave the resort areas– there’s a whole different world just steps away. I took the longer route home on my last day to find a crowd gathering for an organized cock fight. I didn’t stay to watch, but prayed that some Balinese woman wouldn’t lose her home because of it. I found out women can’t own property here. So if the husband gambles it away or passes away, they’re at high risk of being homeless. I hear it’s not so uncommon.

On Sunday morning, I was on the beach at 5:45am, in time to see the subtle pre-sunrise colours and observe workers cleaning the incredible amount of garbage that the tide had brought in (a mix of plastic bottles, food containers, and flip flops mixed in with the more natural prayer offerings and seaweed).

I liked walking there in semi-darkness, barely able to see the dozens of lumps on the beach – the sleeping dogs that would soon rise to play together before it got too hot. Later in the day, you’d find them motionless in holes they’d dug on the beach, under tables in restaurants, under boats or any other shady spot. One time, I admired a white one under a table at a restaurant in deep sleep despite my camera clicks nearby. When I looked a few minutes later, a couple was sitting at that table, but the dog hadn’t moved a muscle. I can only assume they had seen it. since it was inches from their feet. It didn’t seem to matter to anyone. Cool!

Early mornings also saw a change in mosquito brigades – from small bats that zoomed overhead to swallows or a similar small bird with a v-shaped tail. I do like my early mornings. (I’ll share more of my sunrise photos in my next post.)

By 7am, however, the light was already too bright and the sun too hot for me, so I made my way to the yoga center for my complimentary huge bowl of fruit, muesli, and yoghurt (not ayurvedically friendly for my out of balance Pita, but delicious nonetheless). I would then relax in a hammock or on a couch flipping through spiritual books opened at random for messages about love and fear – some very appropriate – before partaking in their programing (more on that in my next post).

If given a choice between living near a mountain or near the water, I’d definitely choose the water. As a Scorpio, I’m a water sign. No matter the reason or size of the body of water – it just soothes my soul …. despite the tsunami evacuation signs (they only scared me for a minute).

I am so grateful I chose to go to Sanur. It wasn’t part of my original very structured plan – but that may have made it even more special. Plus it was closer to the airport and didn’t add too much to the expenses of my trip. Yay! Ketut, the driver that had brought me here, who had been highly recommended by a friend, sent a relative for the taxi ride back to the airport – he got me to the airport nice and early.

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Feathers and Feelings – More Bali Adventures

April 17, 2014/in My Travels

It’s getting late on this, our quiet day of Nicole Lawrence’s extension to Flora Bowley’s Bloom True workshop. Not surprisingly, even if we’ve slowed down a bit in the last 2 days, there’s still so much to write about. I’m sitting on our terrace after several heavy rain showers alternated with the jungle concert of creatures and drummers/chanters somewhere nearby. Enchanting! The girls have gone out for dinner, but I was in my creative flow and decided to stay put. It’s good to know what we need and to do just that.

I haven’t painted at all this week. Two of the gals found time yesterday and today to do a bit. Instead, I was more interested in creating images from my shots from last night at the Petulu Village Heron Sanctuary.

But let me backtrack before I share more of these photos.

Life Drawing in Ubud:

On Wednesday morning, Nicole took those who wanted to Pranoto’s gallery for a life drawing session. I almost didn’t go. After 6 months of studying drawing at The Vienna Academy of Visionary Art, I still can’t say I enjoy drawing. But I will eventually enjoy what I can do with my drawing skills on canvas, so I went anyway. There were about 20 other people there, sitting on the floor or on mini-stools in a circle around the model, a local woman wearing a sarong around her waist. The light was almost straight above her, hanging from a rod. The one thing that amazed me was that I could clearly see the highlights and shadows on her because of the colour of her Balinese skin. What a difference! The highlights truly shined. As per usual, my first 5 minute sketches were a good reminder that constant practice is needed. By the end, with the 10-20 minute poses, I did better.

I still can’t say I enjoy drawing, but I see some improvements for sure. During our last pose, I spent half the time admiring the work of the man who was running the session. He just went at it with charcoal on large sheets of paper and created such beautiful stylistic pieces in such a short time. I preferred those to anything on the walls. Wow! If you’re planning on going though, make sure to go to the washroom before – I ended up holding it in until I got home because I was strongly discouraged to even go in there if I wanted to keep my pants dry (from the bottom up, vs. the other way).

We were supposed to go to a temple in the afternoon before heading out to see the herons and egrets, but we all voted to postpone that visit as we were feeling too rushed. Instead, I had a nice swim after lunch (I know… not recommended, but that’s my version of living on the edge.). There’s nothing quite like floating on your back with the open sky above you and the world going quiet. Even my mind quietens down when my ears are under water. I need that. It gets sooooo noisy in there.

Petulu Heron Sanctuary:

After a quick ice-cream break, we headed to Petulu village, home to the heron sanctuary. The village charges a $2 entrance fee to have access to their one street when the birds come home to perch in the trees for the night.

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Nicole’s husband Paul learned traditional Balinese dance from the head of this village. It was part of his music studies here sometime in the past. We went to his house after spending a bit of time on a path in the rice field where a sign advertising the “best viewing of bird” led to a little food stand / store. I didn’t actually make it to the warung. I just stood there on the path looking up and taking zillions of photos – knowing full well that I’d be a horrible sports photographer. I had lots of fun though – thanking the inventors of digital photography. Whether I took 50 or 500 shots (guess which), it was all the same price.

I also had fun speaking Czech to a couple that came along – friends of Paul. They’re from a small town near Brno, but are now living in Australia. I became much more extrovert around them – funny how that happens with Czechs.

The village chief then took us to the flat roof of a nearby building to get a better view of the birds. We were as captivated by the cock fighting training going on below as we were by the egrets above. It takes a lot of skill, we were told, to train roosters. They are pampered (special leg massages) and trained so that they can kill or be killed. Luckily, we didn’t see that. We only saw some teasing and short training bursts. Poor roosters…

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I much prefer the village’s relationship with the egrets and herons. They are truly appreciated, and I don’t believe it’s only for the tourism value. Not sure though… We heard a few stories about ceremonies that brought them back after their disappearance for a few months, the abundance of feathers that fell from the trees when they needed them to make special costumes, etc. I only caught part of these stories, however, as I walked around the roof with my nose up in the air, yet fully aware of its 2-storey drop.

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Obviously, I spent quite a bit of time today in Photoshop layering some of my photos as the clouds and the egrets never seemed to be lined up in real time. Here are other photos of Petulu from street level.

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Traditional Healer:

Today, on our day off, Nicole took a few of us along for her 8am visit to a traditional healer she has seen before ($25 a visit). What an experience! When I asked about putting his name and photo on my blog, he didn’t want any promotion (but the photo was OK). I therefore don’t even know his name. I can certainly understand. After “Eat Pray Love” came out, life for almost everyone in Bali changed and I hear the services from the healer in Elizabeth Gilbert’s story have been quite compromised by it.

photo by Jenifer Swaringen Reynolds

We all sat on a bamboo mat in his office – an outdoor covered platform like those we’ve seen everywhere here. As the healer worked on each of us in turn, the others sat and watched (we were all OK with this – we could have gone indoors somewhere if we had wanted privacy). The only time I wasn’t comfortable with our group session, was when 2 other foreigners joined us and one lit up a cigarette. That was the first time I breathed in cigarette smoke since I arrived – I’ve been swimming in incense, but I’ve so appreciated the break from the other kind of smoke.

Nicole was the first to be treated. It was remarkable. He pressed on a lymph node on her leg and the indent remained long after. It didn’t on the other leg. After he did his thing, he pressed again and there was no more indent. It’s impressive when the results are so visible. I soon followed after her as I wanted to get it over with. In addition to obvious intuitive skills and a quick yet effective visual scan of the body, he spends time feeling the head and face, using pressure points to assess our condition. Painful spots is what he’s looking for. He then moves to the feet and pushes several points on several toes with a special stick-like instrument. Each point is associated with various organs, etc. Everyone writhed in pain at different points and didn’t budge at others. I even found myself using the double tap wrestlers use to break a hold (I watch a lot of movies). The amazing thing is that after he finds the spot(s), he does quick energy work using his magic wand over the specific meridians (I may not be using the language he would) and then tries the acupressure spot again. Miraculously, there was no more pain at all anymore. This happened time and time again with everyone.

For some, he looked at the person and before they had time to report all their ills, he would say – sit down and confirm with his hands what he had assessed at first sight. Sometimes, he would say – here’s your problem. I can fix that. For me, however, I was told I would have to do the work myself (or the play, really) – the story of my life. He explained that my creative center (root and sacral chakras; sex organs) are closing down as I near menopause and I’m holding too much of the fire inside. Basically, I have smokin’ ovaries, and if I don’t let some of that fire out through passion and creativity, mental issues (memory, confusion, fear, etc.) as well as my skin and nerve issues in my arms (carpal tunnel, etc.) will just keep causing me problems. I always thought my problems with my arms were a call to creativity – I was right – both skin and nerve deep. Although he didn’t talk to anyone else in terms of Ayurvedic elements, he confirmed that my issue was too much fire that I’m keeping in and not releasing. He told me to be more creative and passionate (but not to complain when I get strong emotions) ]. He also gave me a breathing / visualization exercise to do several times a day. I’m to visualize all the fire in my first two chakras and move it up to my heart and then to my throat. I need to pause it there until I feel the saliva in my mouth – savour the sweetness of that creativity and passion, smile, and breathe it out. Sounds simple, but I did it a few times and it’s quite nice indeed. It’s all about controlling my inner fires and lightening up and out.

Now you’d think that my life was all about creativity. But if you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that this year of learning hasn’t been a year of playing. I haven’t really let loose like I can sometimes do in the studio. I’ve never really been good at playing, actually. That’s why I took a 4-year degree at university to become an expert at organizing events for other to have fun at. I’ve always been too serious. One healer told me in Hawaii that my spirit was from the star Sirius and it was no use wishing I was from the planet Palladium. I just am the way I am. I still am. When out of balance, however (as the Ayurvedic doctor reported earlier this week), I am not only introspective and focused, but overly controlling and just not fun. Flora noticed it. Other participants in the workshop have noticed it. My classmates in Vienna and teachers there have noticed it. Basically, I’m not the most easy-going person and can be quite harsh on myself at times. I’m much more relaxed than I was decades ago, but still have a ways to go to be happy in my skin – litterally. So although I’ve devoted this year to the arts, I need to figure out the best way for me to have fun and creative with it. I need to let go and let loose so my volcano doesn’t implode. Hopefully, between my Ayurvedic medicine and new breathing exercise, I’m on my way there.

Creativity is one prescription. So is passion. Although the doctor didn’t say it specifically, I’d say that’s a confirmation that it’s time I find my life partner. Thing is, I’m not one to settle. It’s always been 0 or 200%. I want a man who is committed to learning to love unconditionally (and is already quite good at it). That’s also where I want to be when I enter into my next relationship.

If he’s read this blog, he’ll know he’ll need a good capacity for love and willingness to grow into that. There are lots of delightful aspects to who I am -really! I just don’t believe in only putting my best foot forward here. This blog is not all about marketing. It’s more important that I be authentic. You get to know all sides of me here as I travel through life exploring and expressing my love of beauty and the beauty of love.

I’m sure there’s a compatible mate out there for me – I just haven’t met him at all these events I enjoy that only attract women. Being an early up and early to bed person hasn’t helped my social life either. Oh well. I’ll keep on working on myself, following my guidance, and living to the best of my happiness all the while having faith that when the time is right, I’ll meet someone with whom I can add another element of love and passion to the mix. After all, it’s doctor-recommended. I’d rather do it while my pitta / fire is balanced, however, not to attract someone else who is out of balance. Until then, I’ll enjoy being single and learning to be more truly loving to myself and others. That’s always a good thing.

OK – off to bed. Big day tomorrow and it’s almost 11pm. Time to enter the magical wonders of dreamtime.

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Monkeys, Culture, and More Brave Intuitive Painting in Bali

April 11, 2014/in My Travels, Paintings

Abundant warnings leads to monkey fear:

It’s 4:30pm on Thursday – our afternoon off. I’ve come back to my room at Swasti Eco Cottages in time to witness the thunder and lightening show from inside. I had just been out for a walk down the street, to the very edge of both my comfort zone and Monkey Forest. This was my first taste of tourist-Bali. I had chosen not to visit Monkey Forest or even walk around it into Ubud as I had heard of both monkey and human attacks in the area – both leading to hospital visits and thefts of various kinds. I’m quite content to play it safe here. All of my classmates have already been into Ubud to shop, eat out, or even to get tattoos. I haven’t felt the need or desire to do any of these in town yet. I don’t feel I’m missing anything right now – perfectly content with how I’m choosing to spend my time here in the adjoining village of Nyuh Kunning.

Our cultural guide Nicole was asked to show our group the way on Monday and had a monkey start to crawl up her leg until a local man with a stick scared it away. She had been avoiding the place in fear for decades. I’ll admit I share in that fear and would probably attract such an occurrence because of it. Instead, I decided to stay at the hotel for a swim on that day. It was way too hot for me to go for a long walk at high noon. Call me chicken – a smart one though! I’ll add that I read on Facebook that someone from my 3rd workshop (visionary art one) had to go to the hospital earlier this week after being bitten. Monkeys will climb on you to steal your food, water, phones, etc., and a simple scratch requires a rabies shot…. so perhaps you can understand why I’ve passed up the opportunity. Sorry, no great monkey shots.

Lunch on the edge:

Coffee & Copper is not the most relaxing place to eat with all the hubbub outside. Imagine a tiny dead-end street (where cars are concerned – motorbikes have a small but busy lane-way that bypasses the forest and goes to Ubud). The parking lot is big enough for about 6 cars, but there were at least 12 there and more trying to turn back after dropping off loads of tourists who wanted to pay to visit the monkeys (something locals think is crazy). Others may not even have noticed or cared, but I’m still a bit in hermit / ashram mode. One tourist parked her rented van right at the entrance of the lane and came in to eat – quite the commotion outside until I told her about it. Motorbikes were scraping by both sides of the van and some were getting a bit aggressive with it. I’m glad I don’t need to drive here – the fact they drive on the opposite side of the road would be the least of my worries.

From the restaurant, I could observe a few monkeys in the parking – the first ones I’ve seen. It’s baby season, and I’ll admit, they are really cute (although seeing them fight amongst themselves behind the fence as I walked back wasn’t very comforting). My classmates told me that an aggressive male came in Coffee & Copper the other day and stole the desert off their plate, growling and baring its sharp teeth. I therefore chose a table further back. At one point, I heard the waitress hiss a few times and take out a red wooden mask whose jaws made loud clacking noises, so I imagine there was a monkey coming in, but I didn’t see it. Effective.

Swarmed:

What I did see is a lone traveler – a woman about my age, but with tons of make-up and hair like Dolly Parton’s (but in black) – get swarmed by a throng of vendors. They kept shoving their wooden sculptures in her face and speaking loudly at her. I’d read about these and heard that some folks were happy to leave the country to simply get away from them and begging children. This was my first time seeing any in action. The tourist bought a beautiful dragon sculpture (which attracted even more vendors) and had a hard time getting to her hired car. She looked harried, but had her arms full by the time she got in. Both parties probably thought they’d gotten the good end of the deal. Interestingly, the vendors basically ignored me. I only got a “Buddha for a dollar?!” once and then was left alone. Maybe it was the wet hair under a Tilley hat, my hippy dress, my lack of make-up, or simple vibe of polite disinterest. All I know is that I was glad to have been left alone by both the monkeys and vendors. I did have a wonderful conversation, however, with a young artist, Dewa Artawan, who was painting fantastic pieces in an art gallery on the way. He invited me to return to the shop to paint with him. That was nice.

Abundance:

The lunch, by the way, was very good. The portion of red rice with garlic marinated chicken breast and loads of vegetables was bigger than at my hotel and the price much better. It’s not the $2-3 meals I had heard about, but still under $5. I had gone for a late lunch because before that, I’d had my 3^rd massage – this time a mix of Mayan and Indian energy and body work to target the abdominal area / digestive tract (1 hour for $18). Two days ago, I had a lovely Thai massage. My body is appreciating the care and attention – and hopefully my eczema will improve. After letting the coconut oil soak in for about an hour while I did the laundry in my bathroom sink, I had a wonderful swim. Once a day, at least! There’s nothing quite like it.

Swasti Cottages– a truly Eco-friendly place:

This resort is doing a lot of things right for the environment. In addition to using salt in the pool (which my skin also appreciates), other examples I’ve become aware of is collecting rain water for their extensive organic gardens, cutting the grass by hand, giving guests cloth bags to avoid the use of plastic, using small refillable bottles for their organic shampoo and soap, recycling paper, plastic, and glass in each room, using cloth napkins in the restaurant and serving drinks with glass straws (very cool!), changing bed sheets and towels only upon request, and more I’m sure. Although the Internet service and restaurant have generated a lot of complaints in our group (which management has tried to address repeatedly), it’s quite the amazing place.

Balinese Cultural Afternoon:

On Wednesday, Nicole Lawrence took those who wanted to her friend’s house – or should I say her friend’s village. From the street, it looks like a normal household gateway (and it probably is). Behind it, however, there’s not only the family temple, but several houses where various relatives lives. It’s basically a family complex. There are also a few outdoor pavilions where people hang out, spaces for the pig (I had a nice moment with that pig!) and chickens, and green space for all the cousins to play. During my time there, I could really sense the importance of extended family bonds that exists here in Bali. Interestingly, however, families don’t eat together except for ceremonies. Food is prepared in each house’s kitchen every morning and people eat when they’re hungry. Although sit-down meals aren’t part of the culture, they seem to get plenty of together time. It was beautiful to watch everyone interact.

We were there to learn various crafts from this talented family. First, two of the girls taught us how to do a traditional dance. Fun, but very challenging! They perform at a local hotel every night. Later, when we were leaving, we got a glimpse of their elaborate preparations.

Several of the parents taught us to craft various offerings, an integral part of the Hindu culture here in Bali – they use about 100 of these a day, blessing their homes, properties, vehicles, temples, etc. It appears that there are plenty of young coconut fronds on the trees to supply each family year-round.

I’ve also seen the staff at the hotel walk around placing these everywhere, sprinkling them with a wet flower and burning incense in each spot. They’re also on the street in front of shops, etc. Sacred rituals are very evident here. Our taxi driver also had one on his dashboard. When folks don’t have the time to make their own, though, they buy them from door-to-door salespeople or at the 4am market. I’m sure it’s like knitting – you can get good enough to do it while watching TV (it took one mother 1.5 minutes to make a mini rice cake steamer pouch) – but as a beginner, I made plenty of mistakes. No worries – the gods will still know how grateful I am.

After our craft session, we got to try their traditional instruments – the horizontal gongs (hear a sample on YouTube by clicking here). Great stuff. Now I know what’s making the music I hear very early in the morning around the neighbourhood.

Basically, though, we simply got to enjoy the company and the space with Nicole and her friends. Once again, I was grateful for this non-touristy experience.

After our visit, we walked to the most expensive hotel in the area and snuck down to their viewing area to see the rice terraces. Wow!

We followed that up with the world’s best ice cream (according to Nicole, and I’ll admit it was amazing!) and a lovely dinner at a traditional Javanese restaurant in Ubud (but not in the busy core). Afterwards, we walked behind the restaurant into their organic gardens to see the firefly show – advertised, but free. Nice. I certainly slept well that night.

Being Brave – Flora Bowley Style

Flora’s workshop continues to be great! After our first days’ themes of “presence”, “letting go”, and “self-love”, we had a day of “bravery”. As usual, I was moved by some of the stories that some of the gals shared in our morning circle. What wonderful beings! It always feels good to be in a loving, accepting, authentic group. This is one of those and our workshop process has created the space to both express and honour that for ourselves and others. It’s not just about painting – everything Flora teaches in her Bloom True course is as much about life as it is about what happens when you’re in front of the canvas.

If you’ll recall from my previous blog, everyone moved around the circle to paint on every canvas for the first few layers of the process – creating a space of openness, exploration, and total non-attachment. This was done with a variety of tools in alternating layers of cool and warm colours, black & white, and so on – you can use just about anything really. Take a look at some of the ones Flora used during her demo.

After that, we did more collaborative work,but with two people working at the same time. Here’s Flora and her wonderful co-organizer Rachel Rice demonstrating – but on a fresh canvas.

This helped us to totally accept that anything can change at any moment. It’s so freeing when the painting isn’t yours and you know several more layers will follow. It’s all about getting in the flow and moving with what moves us without getting the mind too involved. It’s also all about letting go of control. Fun!

The funny thing is that when it came time for us to do it, my partner had gone and chosen the painting I had worked on last the day before. We had been asked to keep one for the next day and let one go for the collaborative work. I had let go (i.e. rejected) that one because I really wasn’t drawn to what I had created. What an opportunity, therefore, to get past the “I have no idea what to do with you” to simply keep playing with someone else – complete exploration and letting go of control. The results were pretty interesting and when it came time to choose any canvas from that batch to keep working on for the rest of the week, I chose that one. Ah, evolution… This is where that painting got to by the end of Thursday. I really wanted to practice one of Flora’s techniques using the sponge brush and whites…. I’m still struggling with using whites with my colours…. can’t say I like this right now, but I know it’s just part of the process. The nice thing is that I’m not tied to anything there and so the possibilities are still limitless.

When it comes to painting (and life), there are threshold moments that bring up fear and ask us to bravely move forward. Most paintings go through an awkward teenager phase – mine sure lived up to that today. I tried some new things in class and really embraced the idea that I’m not here to produce a finished piece to show you all. This is truly practice time – I may or may not finish anything this week or even here in Bali – and that’s OK. I’m just taking advantage of being in this group and having Flora to consult with when blocks come up or when I want to try one of her techniques that I couldn’t quite figure out during her e-course. I was feeling good about my umbrella and banana tree that I had painted from on-location sketches. When I turned it around, however, I decided to take a risk and turn the banana tree into a woman. A few layers later, however, I had created a total mess, sprayed it and wiped it down, creating a very muted painting – not my preference. I know that the bright colours on the next layer will really pop on the muted background, but by 11:30, I was too hot and I’ll admit, a bit discouraged even if I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be with this painting. So I gave up for the day. I was brave and took a risk – I didn’t like the results. Tomorrow will be a brand new day. I know the awkward teenager will evolve. There are still limitless layers to go.

Flora’s painting is evolving beautifully. I loved what she had done yesterday with her painting, but it wasn’t edgy enough for her. Nothing gave her that spark – so she went in a completely different direction with it today– not to prove a point, but because it was what she was moved to do. I love the results of that too and now she’s feeling more interested in it. It’s important to keep things interesting for ourselves in our painting process – or else painting becomes boring. Again, she’s a great role model! To see with what ease she let go of what was to create something new by bravely exploring new avenues was inspiring. This piece, as for all the ones you’ll see here, are all works in progress. Stay tuned for more.

Flora’s work in progress:

Some Classmates’ Work in Progress:

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3 Days to Go – VAVA Works In Progress

March 18, 2014/in Paintings, Vienna Academy of Visionary Arts

There are only 3 days left to this trimester. The other five students are returning to the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art full time next trimester; nevertheless, everyone is working hard to move their projects forward. It will be really nice to have our work on display at the Equinox Party & Exhibition on Friday night, some works in progress and some for sale. May those find good homes!

WORKS IN PROGRESS:

Here’s a glimpse at what the others have been working on these days.

Martin Cash:

Elizabeth (Lizzy) Banker:

Hadley Seymore:

Kevin Campeau:

Rachel Lubeck:

Timea Tallian (teacher):

Dominique Hurley:

As for me, I will probably put the finishing coat on all my oil paintings tomorrow. It won’t be traditional varnish as this can only be done 6 months after they’re finished, but I’m told it’s not necessary. Name suggestions are still coming in for my main piece – so many to choose from – I’ll make my decision by Thursday, when I finalize the tags. Quite a few ring true for me. As for “Co-Creative Bliss”, I added series of little white highlight dots in the eye and on the spirals. It’s vibrating even more now. I love the energy of this painting (not just the one represented visually) – but it puts my iPhone in a tizzy – very hard to photograph!

I’ll have more to show of everyone’s work later as I’m bringing in my good camera and tripod tomorrow for students who want me to photograph their pieces. I’ve also been working on name tags for all the paintings we’ll have on display. I’m used to this kind of work, plus I don’t want to start any new projects, especially since I’ve been packing up my gear for Bali. It always feels good to de-clutter and organize. I’ve even put a pile of drawings and projects together to offer to party-goers at a “Pay What You Can” price – I don’t want to ship everything back to Canada to sit on a shelf and the funds will help with my upcoming art workshop travels. No expectations – I’m simply open to the possibilities. By the way, none of my paintings on canvas or panel are part of that deal… sorry.

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Please Help Name this Painting

March 17, 2014/in Paintings, Vienna Academy of Visionary Arts

4 days to go before the end of trimester party and exhibition/sale! I’m almost done.

I need help naming this one though. All suggestions welcome. Let’s start brainstorming – your comments may inspire others. Feel free to comment at the end of this post or on Facebook.

The theme is Never Alone, but I’m looking for positive wording that expresses that same feeling. I’m also open to whatever else inspires you.

It’s all about being connected to Source, to guiding spirits / totem animals, to angels, to Love and to the Higher Self on our evolutionary journey. I usually “download” titles during the painting process, but oddly, for this self-portrait of sorts, I haven’t … I came up with “Never Alone” just this morning, but being big on the guidelines for wording affirmations, I try to avoid negatives.

Today, I worked on the angel’s final hairstyling – still feathered, but more like the wings.

And added the Light that comes from the joining of hands, of Heaven & Earth, of Psyche & Amore – the Light of constant support, companionship, Love.

So what do you think a good title would be?

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Class Field Trip to Klagenfurt – Fuchs’ Apolalyspe Chapel

March 9, 2014/in My Travels, Vienna Academy of Visionary Arts

My class met at 8am on Saturday morning at the Meidling train station for a day-trip to Klagenfurt, 4 hours from Vienna, near the Italian border. Our main purpose was to visit the Apocalypse Chapel that took Ernst Fuchs and his assistants 20 years to complete.

If you remember from earlier posts, Professor Ernst Fuchs is the mentor and teacher of several of my teachers. Three of them, including Laurence Caruana (our director), Kuba Ambrose, and Amanda Sage worked with him at the chapel. Unfortunately, Laurence wasn’t feeling well on Saturday, and so he stayed home with his son while his wife Florence (our administrator) came with us. This was great as she had never seen the chapel, despite having heard so much about it for years.

The train ride there:

I love seeing new sights and am a morning person, so I was like a kid in a candy shop during the entire 4-hour trip. Excited! The Austrian student beside me liked seeing my tourist’s perspective as she had grown bored with the scenery. I was glued to the window the whole time (literally – if you stick the lens of your camera to the window, you’ll avoid having glare or reflections from inside the train in your pictures and the dirt won’t appear as much – you’re just limited in your angle of view). The side I chose to sit on may not have had as dramatic views as the other side (more mountainous and bigger castles), but we had the sun versus the thick haze. Still, a few times, I went running to the other side (when my neighbour was at the washroom) or simply turned around to grab a few shots. My classmates lovingly teased me all day about my enthusiasm 🙂 and the nearly 600 hundred of shots I took -(I’m only sharing 150 of them here 🙂 ) not always caring about the results, just enjoying the play time. Editing them took most of the day on Sunday. Enjoy – not bad from a fast-moving train with dirty windows.

Lunch:

We arrived in Klagenfurt at 12:21pm and couldn’t find a place to eat fresh trout from the lake (we were off season and the locals didn’t seem to know about this specialty). We ended up at Sukothai restaurant at 22 Domgasse. Wow! My panang curried chicken was soooooo good and I had been soooo hungry, choosing not to eat on the train.

The Chapel:

We had a 2pm appointment in front of St. Egid church, so we rushed there after lunch – my snapping the occasional picture only to have to rush to catch up to the group.

The chapel is usually only open for tours at 11:30am, 3 days a week. When organizing the trip, Florence had asked for us to have access to the chapel for 3 hours, but once there, we found out that we would only be given 1 hour. We also found out that we weren’t allowed photos without written consent by Ernst Fuchs – something that would have been easy to arrange if we had known. Florence tried to change the caretaker’s mind, but to no avail. Luckily, I was able to persuade him to allow 1 group shot inside the chapel – so bringing my heavy tripod was not a waste after all. If you want to experience the chapel, however, you can read about it in this article and even better, take a 360 degree tour in this panorama gallery – just click on the directional arrows top left to walk around the chapel.

We looked around, asked questions, heard Laurence say a few things about it on the speaker phone, took a group shot, had a brief closing circle around the altar, and were out by 3pm. I certainly got a visual appreciation for the work, the colours, the various styles – but didn’t really enter the space on any other level. I’m sure others had different experiences – if you feel like sharing – please comment below.

To the Lake:

My classmates were keen on my suggestion to go hang out at lake Woerthersee. Most took the bus there while Martin and I walked the 4.5 km trail along the canal past lots of locals enjoying the summer weather.

I could imagine spending a few days here exploring the town and natural areas – especially their many hiking trails and boat ride around the 20 km lake. My soul needs water – finding the lake, even if just the tip of it, was top on my priority list. For a couple of hours, therefore, we parked on a dock and basked in the sunshine until it set – which coincided with a sudden drop in temperature.

Train Ride Home:

We then headed back to town by bus, found stuff to eat and got on the 7:39pm train. I did participate in a 21-questions animal game and an “exquisite corpse” drawing game (involves folding a paper in 3 and having 3 different people draw the head/torso/legs without looking at the other parts). Having been up since 4:30am, however, I slept most of the trip home while others mostly socialized. I got home at midnight on the dot.

Overall, it was a great trip – a wonderful opportunity to get out of the city, to discover another corner of Austria, and to learn more about the lineage of visionary artists who have brought the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art to life.

P.S I have written other posts on Ernst Fuchs as we visited Fuchs’ Rosary Paintings last week, attended his birthday party last month, and spent several hours visiting his villa/museum in October. He is not in the greatest health, and so we don’t see him in our classroom very often, but he recently made recommendations on my “self-portrait” painting that were very helpful.

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Art as the Teacher/Mirror – Masks

March 4, 2014/in Paintings, Vienna Academy of Visionary Arts

Art has often been my teacher, providing many opportunities to reflect on life. The last few days have given me rich fodder for looking inward as I spent over 24 hours working on masking my large colourful canvas with hundreds of little sticky pieces in preparation for the emergence of the owl spirit that has called me to assist it into Being. (I have already shared a bit of the process on this Fantastic Creature in my posts “Tidbits” and “Another Great Week at School“) . Indeed, I’ve learned as much about the technical aspects of masking as I have about the symbolism of the experience and authentic living.

Parallels with life:

We’ve all learned to wear masks to protect ourselves from being rejected and to try and manage what others think of us. Unfortunately, when we only present ourselves with our masks on, there is no way others can see who we truly are and therefore accept who we truly are. The result is that we can never feel unconditional love as we remain unknown by those around us: we don’t allow the seen-> accepted -> loved potential that can only exist when we tell/show the truth. I was thinking about this on my way home from school as I compared the masking film I was working with and the masks we wear:

the goal of masks is perfection – or the appearance of perfection – or protection
masks are a lot of work to create and maintain
their low-tack nature means they keep lifting, risking a frustrating and messy situation
their backing gets easier to peel off once you get into the habit and so masking becomes more automatic – beneficial for my in-class task, but not in life
the question is – is masking really worth it? could I have achieved better results without all that painstaking work – just by being more spontaneous or at least more direct by only using transfer paper to lay the lines down of what I wanted and creating around those?

I haven’t finished the process – stay tuned to see what other philosophical insights it may lead me to… Can you tell? I spend a lot of time in my head 🙂

Technical lessons:

For the fellow artists out there, here are a few tips if you’re going to use low-tack masking film, popular with airbrush artists. I used Artcoe Frisk Film – matte. It was recommended to me as a way to create nice crisp lines for my owl spirit.

draw your original design right on it or on a transparent paper, like tracing paper. That way you can use a light table to see through both and trace it onto the matting paper. The part of my design I had on thick brown paper had to be traced on transparent paper and then from that to the masking film
use a sharpie to trace shapes so that you can see the outline of your mask once you put it on your artwork. It’s very hard to tell in some lights, especially with matte, where my pieces are
if you have a zillion pieces, use transfer paper to get the design down on your surface – it will make placing the pieces easier and it washes right off – an easy job on acrylic paint
if using transfer paper, go over the original lines on your design with a different coloured sharp pencil or pen (if you use the same colour, you’ll easily lose track of which lines you’ve already transferred
it really is low-tack – make sure to press hard and don’t use paint that’s too liquidy as it will seep under. My pieces kept lifting… I can’t imagine using this on an upright canvas for airbrushing – they’d fall off…
it’s extremely hard to separate the clear sticky part from the paper – some of my pieces took 5 minutes or more, especially in the beginning – if you have over 100 pieces on your artwork, consider another approach. My average was 2 minutes per piece… I had about 200 pieces.
if you have an intricate design, it’s a good idea to number each piece on both your original design (make sure not to cut that one up so you have a guide) and on your pieces before you cut them

I am grateful for the exercise – I’m not sure I would approach this project the same way again, but I’m learning and that’s what exploration is all about.

The repetitive nature of this manual task did have a bonus – I needed something to keep my Left Brain engaged so that my Right Brain could get into the flow of creation all the while keeping me out of all the discussions happening around me in class. To do this, I listened to a lot of uplifting educational podcasts in those 24 hours – some from my Art Empowers Me e-course, from the free Product Publicity Virtual Summit (March 3-14), and my friend Jo-Anne Guimond’s inspiring podcast about her Gratitude Project on www.debozarko.com. My interview on that site will air March 20 – mark your calendars. Keeping my left brain engaged like that actually helps me step out of my own way so that I can connect with my art in a deeper way – sounds strange, but it’s true. During more creative (vs. repetitive manual tasks like today), I find kirtan music (Sanskrit meditation chanting) better.

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Busy Week at School

February 27, 2014/in Vienna Academy of Visionary Arts

We’ve had a busy week since I last wrote about my time at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art.

Thursday evening last week, after class, we were treated to a special public lecture by our guest teacher Benedetto Fellin. The event was to celebrate his own teacher, the famous artist Rudolph Hausner, who would have been 100 this year. He presented along with Ulrich Gansert, one of Hausner’s assistant teachers at the time and Timea translated for those of us whose German isn’t quite there yet.

Poetic Landscape – Draperies, Transparent Figures, and Horizons

Left to Right: Lizzy, Benedetto, Kevin, Laurence, Edgar, Hadley, Martin // Timea, Dominique, Rachel

We’ve been fortunate to spend quite a bit of time this past week with both Benedetto and Timea, who have continued to teach us about light and shadow, this time using drapery as our main subject – one of Benedetto’s specialties!

Still Life Drawing:

We started by drawing a drapery still life with white and black chalk on coloured paper … not as easy as it seems. I am still struggling with making things look dimensional and unified. The more I practice, the better I get. Funny how that happens…

Abstract Acrylic Ground:
Then, we prepared a decalcamania acrylic ground on canvas boards for painting the same set-up from a photograph. We used sticky masking paper or cardboard in the shape of our drapery to keep that part protected before flinging paint around. This splatter and smush exercise was a lot of fun – the kind of work/play I’ve always enjoyed… I used a little Photoshop magic for the action shot backdrop above.

with Rachel

Lizzy

Masking paper

masking paper on acrylic ground

the fun begins

Underpainting in Black and White:

photo by Florence

I spent several hours staring at the photo of our set-up and a photocopy of Benedetto’s painting while working at my easel. On the first day, I didn’t think it would ever look real. I tend to go too fast and too bold at first, using more expressionist brushstrokes (as Benedetto calls them – I’ve also heard them referred to as sloppy – a term I may have originally volunteered). I really have a hard time seeing how things all link together with light and shadow – shades of white and watered down black. Truly, I think I may be visually impaired in this way. I didn’t give up though. In the end, with patience and lots of coaching, I’m quite thrilled with the results.

We then painted the horizon in colour before painting a figure in white in a way that would make it appear transparent – a ghostly figure. The way to do this is to only paint the highlights. I used a photo reference I found on the Internet and did mine free-hand. What I learned is that rubbing paint once it’s almost dry doesn’t make it look more subtle… it only scrubs some of it off, revealing the texture of the canvas and taking away all of the subtle strokes I had and leaving the bold highlights. Oh well … 🙂

Oil Glazes:

The next step was to apply thin local oil glazes on top of the underpainting using a transparent paste and a new medium made in part with sunflower seed oil. Et voilà! From far it looks even more realistic. I tell ya, that’s progress!

Learning by Observing:

I spent a lot of time this past week just standing behind Benedetto, watching him paint – a very good way to learn (at least I keep praying that I’ll learn by osmosis each time I observe our teachers or classmates at work).

Personal Projects:

Because of tight timing, I’m not sure I’ll get to create my original Poetic Landscape composition that I had planned. I may do something like it in Bali instead since I’m supposed to bring a design for the week I’ll be spending in Philip Rubinov’s “Eye of the Spirit” reatreat. I really want to get working on all the other projects we’ve got on the go right now, so I can finish those in the three weeks we’ve got left. Some students, however, took photos of various drapery set-ups for their poetic landscape project – rather entertaining…

Fantastic Creature Project:

One of these unfinished projects is my Fantastic Creature. I spent 6 hours on it today, but am not much ahead. I’ve created quite a puzzle and a lot of work for myself – an experiment that was suggested to me and that I’m happy to try out. Instead of simply painting freehand on my large canvas, I traced my design on transparent paper, then on sticky masking paper and mirrored that. I then spent hours cutting up and numbering all the bits. I’ll eventually stick them all on and paint the whole thing dark. When I remove the sticky bits, the colourful parts should show up with nice crisp edges.

Live Figure Painting:

This week, Laurence also gave us a presentation / demonstration on live figure painting (instead of live figure drawing). I had fun the whole 2 hours of trying it out – something I don’t usually experience when I work with pencils.

Out and About:

It’s been quite warm here this week, and I enjoyed the sunshine at lunchtime a couple of days. Even just sitting at the foot of the monument across the street for a few minutes is a nice treat after inhaling turpentine and other fumes all morning.

Wednesday morning, I walked around Vienna’s 5th district for a couple of hours before class because the art store wasn’t open at 8am as I had understood it would be from their website. No worries. Instead, I explored a new neighbourhood, found some of the natural supplements I needed to ward off dengue fever and Bali Belly during my trip in April, walked about the Nacht Markt, went into one of those tiny tobacco shops to get another 10 Euros put on my phone (yup, 10 Euros/ $15 a month for all the calls, Internet, and texting I need) and approached school from a different direction – always fun. I then returned to the art store in the evening to buy supplies and to try out an affordable Mexican restaurant my classmate had talked about. I enjoyed my in-city 3.5-hour hike that day. There’s always so much to see.