It has been some time since the last posting. Covid has changed our world, it certainly changed mine. We have been to less places, but have managed to escape a few times. We have just finished 3 weeks on Crete Island, Greece. We have been there many times before, so this trip was mainly for just goofing off, and for me, painting. I took some work that was unfinished and then also painted scenes of Crete, which is very beautiful and the beaches are spectacular. The island is covered with thousands of olive trees, so many it makes one wonder how they harvest them all. Olive oil is used most exclusively by the people of Greece much to their good health and lifestyle.
The cuisine of Crete is different than here in Italy. We did see spaghetti on a menu a few times, but I think it is for the benefit of Italians who make up a great number of tourists on Crete. The foto is zucchini leaves and also grape leaves wrapped around a lightly spiced rice mixture. We kept looking for this in every taverna. The island has mountains in the very center, so if you want to go to a beach in the south, you must cross over using a lot of winding roads with scenery of canyons and rocky hillsides. The south is a lot drier than on the north side, the big difference is that the wind seems to come from the north a lot and so the northern beaches have more waves and the water is not as clear in comparison. The south has crystal clear water that makes boats look like they are floating on air. The water is also warmer in the south.
One big reason we like the south, in particular, Xerocampos, is that at night you can see thousands of stars and the Milky Way is much like you would see in a book. I like this very much as when I was a kid, we used to see a lot more stars, now just a few. Sometimes when I look up, the Italian lights have killed off most of the stars and I might see 4 or 5. We have a friend in Xerocampos who has a habit of shooting out the street light that his village keeps reinstalling. He wants to see those stars!
Tavernas in Crete can be found in the hills and througout the villages. It feels like everybody's grandma started a restaurant. They are also found right on the beach. Spending a mealtime sitting near the waves makes for a good vacation experience. The blue water and the dry rocky cliffs make a peaceful scene. I like to think that it is like if my old state of New Mexico had a sea, it feels like that to me. So I feel at home there. 3 weeks on that island and you can get truly used to that experience. Here are the paintings I worked on, some with a small comment. Some I had worked on and finished there, and some are painted on site.
Obviously not Crete, but a sailor off the coast of Brittany.
In a village outside of Chania, two residents and a priest discuss the day.
I used a fisherman I saw in Chania Harbor and placed it in a harbor we visited along the way.
Another scene near Chania, which had no people, so I added in a bossy lady and her husband and then had them painted by a person leaning against the wall.
A typical scene is this quick sketch showing a very small village in the center of the island. Even though tiny it had a large church.
This one is from a town in Italy called Chioggia. It is just south of Venice and many of the residents are fishermen.
This sketch was done to help me remember the colors and feeling I have for this taverna. We have been there many times and the lady who cooks the food is amazing. When we first came there years ago we sat at a table near groups of old men who munched on the peanuts she set out for them. She became known to us as the peanut lady.
This scene is from the island called Lanzarote, a part of the Canary Islands. Almost all the buildings on Lanzarote are white, and the shadows present a lot of different shades of darkness. Lanzarote is such a peaceful place, life is slow on the north side, and the weather is usually cool. We escape the cold of the Veneto at Christmas time and spend a week there.
Between the houses on Lanzarote one can find stacks of small rowboats they use for fishing in the summer. Boats are challenging to draw and paint, especially upside down.
A loose sketch of a beach house with boats.
A Spanish street with a sailboat on a trailer.
This scene is from the village where my painting exhibition is being held. The flowers were asking to be painted, the buildings are old and I threw in a few people from previous sketches.
Lastly another scene near the Peanut Lady's taverna, we were a bit lost, driving around and suddenly we saw several possible paintings. This is one of them. Thank you for taking the time to view and read my blog. I plan to write about the food we found in Crete. Also, soon we will be making a short trip over the border into Austria and then later another weekend will be spent in Croatia at the beach there. Stay safe, keep those masks on to help not only yourself but others. Ciao, Tutti!

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