April 12, 2023

 Twice before, I have witnessed the ultimate of luxury shopping;  the first time on Rodeo Drive in Los Angelos and the second time at the Queen Victoria Building, in Sydney Australia. Now we are in the old town of Prague.  In the 1950’s the Jewish Ghetto was leveled

and now ultimate high-end shopping has taken its place..

Inside each shop door, a handsome, thirties-something man dressed in an impeccable black suit with a pristine white shirt stands, ready to open that door, ready to smile and welcome you to tranquil perfection. The sales clerks, at the back of the store are gorgeous young women perfectly coiffed and dressed in fitted black jackets and short skirts.  Their long beautiful legs stand comfortably in black stilettos. Their jewelry is understated, gold or pearls.  All the attention is on the “product”  by Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Tiffany, Prada, or Gucci.  Handbags might be sparkly clutches that shimmer and shine or large, subdued carry-alls. All zipper pulls or fastenings have the understated but recognizable logo.  Something for every occasion as long as you are rich.

April 5, 2023

The good news is that the other day, when it seemed like we walked for many miles because we were lost, we came across an art supply store and I am now the proud owner of a pencil, an eraser and three brushes!!!! This is our last full day in Prague and I have decided to post the latest sketches and the unfinished quarter sheet started yesterday because once back in Germany we won’t have Facebook again.  It is still really too cold to paint outside. I lasted only an hour, and because of the cold everything stays wet a long time. The unfinished Charles Bridge sketch was done waiting to go into a concert and yesterday I did the one with the river  while waiting to go on a boat trip!

April 2, 2023

 Jim and I are really loving Prague.  It is so beautiful and the preEaster time is a great time to visit.  Yesterday we saw exhibitions of Mucha, Dali and Warhol. Although interesting, there was nothing inspiring to me.  Last night we attended a great concert by part of the Royal Czech Orchestra in St. Salvator church.  I had time to do two sketches once we found the venue before the concert.  Unfortunately, I realized that I lost my pencil case with all of my brushes, and pencil. This sketch was painted today with a brush made out of a toilet paper roll, my hair and tape.  Not the best brush.  It does have two ends, one fine and one chunky. 

March 31.2023

Old Town Prague

Winding streets twist and turn,

And often narrow to alleys.

Cars and clusters of Ubber electric scooters 

Line the cobbled streets and sidewalks.

The glorious facades of the five-story buildings are

A rainbow of pastel colours.

The exteriors of these upstairs apartments are 

Covered with embellishment, reminding me of wedding cakes.

Domes, towers, balconies and roofs are decorated with 

Stone sculptures, often of nearly naked men or women. 

At street level are cafes, pubs, hotels, bakeries, ATM’s,

Sprinkled in with brand name shops such as Hermes, Victorinox, Hugo Bosh.

In one shop window, a man in a dazzling, white shirt and immaculate black suit,

Uses a tiny brush to whisk away the dust in a jewelry display.

Outside in  the 10th-century main square,

Located between Wenceslas Square and Charles Bridge, 

Giant rabbits and eggs are decorations for Easter.

Vendors cook hams, goulash and chimney cakes

On outdoor fires.

Some vendors sell baked goods, cheeses, and souvenirs.

An accordion and a bass player fill the square with music and dance.

While the spires of churches, palaces and government buildings

Catch the last of the day’s sun.

March 29, 2023

                    On the way to the airport, back in February, I noticed the winter colour of the blueberry 

                        fields with some white pines behind.  I did a little sketch to remind me of this image

                             and this week, while playing around with skies, I decided to try it. There was                               

                           a second  sky experiment on the bottom of the sheet and I decided that instead of the                       blueberry field coming right into the foreground, I would change it into an inlet with reflections.  It felt

good to paint Nova Scotia again even though we are in Germany.

Another quartersheet watercolour inspire by the Uelzen Market.  This time the vegetable stall.

The roses aren't quite finished but they are getting there.

this is the sketch, that I did in the car on the way to the airport.

Tomorrow, we are off to Prague for a week.

 

March 23. 2023

I thought this one was finished before we went to Holland but thinking about it while we were away, I decided it needed another layer on the sky and that I needed to subdue the buildings just a little bit. So here is is, the first one that I thought was done and then with another layer on the sky and some darkening of shadows on the buildings.

March 22,2023

Cherry blossoms in Amsterdam

Canal in Amsterdam

Rembrant's kitchen (Amsterdam)

                                                          Girls waiting for a train in Amsterdam

People sit at train stations

Clutching cellphones.

They stomp along in crowds

Conversing alone.

They are a river of bicyclists

Racing along narrow bike-lanes,

Wedges between car traffic and pedestrians.

Earbuds firmly in,

They take calls, list to music,

Check train schedules.

Signs on shops say

"NO CASH; cards only".

Credit cards are on phones,

As well as tickets to art museums,

Directions, emails, banking,

Menus at restaurants.

Check-in codes for hotels,

Fares for tram cars.

No longer do people handle money.

Contactless transactions are the new norm.