February 19 How I work up to a painting idea

This morning I went up to our big deck and took with me a Cala lily that a friend had given me and a terrific Chinese vase that just happened to be in our casa.  I did these two quick sketches in my notebook and then I started the 1/8 sheet painting.  After finishing it, I drew it up on smooth half sheet paper.  Unfortunately this was hours later and the sun is now in a completely different location, and so I will wait until tomorrow morning to take the big painting further.

February 16, 2020

Two more paintings finished; both with a different approach to my usual

The first is the lemon tree.  One day I did the little sketch and then next week I went back and started a half sheet. I worked on the lemons with no real idea of how it would come together.  Then back at our casa, I fought with the number of lemons, the size of the lemons, the shape of the trunk.  There was more scrapping, scrubbing and white paint in this one than I have ever used before.

The second painting is the street behind our casa.  There are steps at both ends so I decided that I was safe to sit right in the middle of the street.  Since the stool that I brought had collapsed a couple of weeks ago and I had to through it away, I used a little ladder/stool that I found in our apartment.   Unfortunately, the legs didn’t lock open and on the rough cobbles, I suddenly found myself down on the ground.  Now this wouldn’t be a problem for most of you, but I have muscular dystrophy 2 and my legs and arms are weak.  Emilia, our landlady, heard my fall and rushed around the corner.  She doesn’t speak any English and so she kept trying to help me up and I kept asking her to go and get Jim.  Eventually, she did and somehow, before they got back, I set up the stool again and used it to launch myself to my feet!  I found the whole thing embarrassing and depressing.

So when I was working on this second painting, it was all  grays and all about the shapes and shadows and it seemed depressing too.  I took the challenge in hand, and added the people, the flowers, the birds.  I can imagine using this image in my next children’s book, “The Adventures of Dog and Table”.  I can just see Dog and Table prancing down this street and all of the people smiling and watching.

February 12, 2020

Word Picture, February 12, 2020

Early in the morning,

Before the sun has cleared the cliff,

It is the performance art of waves,

The combination of sound and sight,

That soothes my soul.

A dark line rolls in 

Across the cerulean sea

Toward the beach.

It builds into a mighty viridian concave wave.

The razor top edge glints with morning pink.

Then a thundering collapse

Of glorious surf and sound

Rolls along the entire shore.

When the energy is spent,

Only quiet flat froth remains,

Until the next wave arrives.

February 7, 2020

Word Picture, February 7, 2020

The teal sea rolls in,

Crescendos build and ebb

Where the amber cliff meets the beach.

Occasionally, seagulls squawk in alarm, 

Dogs bark,

A crowd of tourists with

Walking sticks hike by below us.

Jim amd I sit in the sun

at the “Veranda”,

Our favourite coffee shop,

Drinking sweet coffee

And burning our mouths on 

Piping hot nibbles of pastel tarts.

Gradually friends surround us.

Tables are pushed together. 

Seven of us

Drink coffee and chew the fat.

“Arts in the World”,

“Where to go in Italy”,

“Where to stay in Lisbon”,

“Favourite movies and books”.

Today, we enjoy the combination of

Friends, conversation, 

And our warm beautiful environment.

Today, we avoid political ineptitude,

The corona virus and global warming

I must be in a fruit phase.  Yesterday I sketched an orange on our balcony and today I did two sketches of lemons.

January 26, 2020

“Chips or chocolate? That is the only option”

Over the Bay of Biscay

In an airbus 321 to Lisbon,

The air crew push their trolleys

Down the minuscule aisles.

Our three stewardesses have 

Long dark pony-tails.

Matching Portuguese Air Uniforms

Are edged with poppy-red or lime-green piping

On their black vests, skirts

And ironed white shirts.

With gleaming perfect white smiles. 

They tell us:

“Chips or Chocolate?

That is the only option.”

Most of us choose chips;

Plump black air-filled bags 

With golden calligraphy,

“Gourmet Lays Chips”.

We tear the bags noisily

And crunch down the greasy morsels.

Clinking our plastic glasses of red wine

Adds an air of gentile decadence.

When Jim tells our winking waitress

That I am writing a poem about

“Chips or Chocolate”

She bring us more chips, more wine, 

Tiny toffee nut squares,

And four “salame de chocolate”,

A delicious salami like slice

Of white cake and dark chocolate.

We are the cute old couple;

Me scribbling and Jim flirting.

We are off to Burgau, Portugal tomorrow January 25. Please contact us by email laking.joy@gmail.com or wyatt.jim@gmail.com. These are the first two paintings of 2020