Month: October 2015

It takes a village

lisaponders1 Comment
image
Path to the beach

Last Sunday was a glorious warm and clear day.  The weather reports for this week and weekend indicated rapid declines in sun and warmth.  So I played hooky from the studio and photo lab and hiked the 45 minutes each way to a slighty more remote beach.  Being in the chillly Aegean, sleeping in the sun listening to the waves, breathing the salt-filled air did more for my soul than mucking about in paint.  The beach is in the center of the photo just beyond the trees.  Not a single soul besides me was wise enough to partake in this most wonderful portion of God
s magnificent creation.  This Sunday is 20 degrees cooler, windy, and completely overcast…I made the right call! Continue reading “It takes a village” →

What do you need?

lisapondersLeave a comment
image
Hog operation in Paros

We took our weekly hike on Friday.  Again we took the bus from Parikia to Lefkes, but this time we turned uphill.  Really uphill – huffing and puffing and sweating uphill.  We passed this hog farm, the largest on the island.  You could smell it, hear the roosters, see the goats meandering about; but the pigs were safely inside during the noonday sun…unlike the crazy Americans walking by.  Not exactly what this Iowa girl is used to as an agricultural reality. Continue reading “What do you need?” →

Art on center stage

lisapondersLeave a comment
image
first layer black and white

I do not like posting my art work, but then again this trip and blog are all about creativity.  Now into our 2nd week of work, I am going to get more technical about what I am learning in the painting classes.  Our first composition was a still life of our own choosing from their pile of stuff.  Do not, I repeat do not, ever choose a teapot.  Way too many ways to render it wrong – I know because that is what I have a whole of practical experience in that department.  Another mistake is choosing too many things that are light – or technically called a  high end palette.  Becomes rather boring, as you can see. Continue reading “Art on center stage” →

The windmill of my mind

lisapondersLeave a comment

I lied yesterday.  It was beautiful, sunny, and crisp with a forecast of continued sun and cool temps.  However, about 5 the clouds mounded on the horizon and the rain started falling in fits and starts.  Then the wind blew in – and blew and blew and is still blowing.  Come to find out that the Cycladic islands are the root for the word Cyclone as this is where the northern wind streams from Europe battle out with the southern rising from Africa.  It is now 80 and humid so Africa is winning.  TWC says tomorrow and the rest of the week will be lovely with the northerly breezes caressing us more gently.  Who knows.  Continue reading “The windmill of my mind” →

Thyme on my hands

lisapondersLeave a comment
image
hiking outside Lefkes

This photo depicts the scene from the donkey path overlooking Lefkes, a brilliant white village in the mountains of central Paros, about a 15 minute bus ride from our home in the city of Pariki.  Yesterday was our first Friday hike of the semester.  As we clambered along the stones and brush John pointed out all of the wild herbs, and graciously handed out plastic sacks for us to fill for our kitchens.  Thyme, oregano, myrtle, fenugreek, and sage are now filling my apartment with aromas I had only read about.  The depth of scent and strength of the smell is beyond my ability to describe…just like the pervading blue, you have to experience the reality to understand. Continue reading “Thyme on my hands” →