2016 Oct 11 Playing Rebetiko with Theophilus

Up until 2am last night, practicing rebetiko songs with Theophilos at his ‘Psitopoleion’ (souvlaki shop).

  I’m doing a Rebetiko gig tonight with my mate Theophilus. He plays bouzouki and his mate Costa lends me a guitar and translates.

Rehearsing last night, I asked Costa if his book had the chord charts for the song that Theophilus was struggling through over my inadequate accompaniment.

Costa said no, so I asked him if he had a chart for any ‘similar song’. .

We all found this very funny 🙂 and drank more retsina.

Quite happy with yesterday’s church drawing, but very unhappy with the girl in the restaurant. A quick go at fixing her, and then revert to architectural drawing!

Reading that again, I shoul have said, “very unhappy with the picture of the girl in the restaurant”

Today begins with heavy rain under a yellow grey sky that looks capable of sustaining rain all day long. A perfect day for painting with neither exercise, not chores, nor bad conscience.

First I proof-read and edit a 10-page essay by my German friend and neighbour Werner Sölch, and return it to him. Then I decide to do a first rough water colour of his house on drawing paper, and then visit the harbour for a break and a spanakopita. Lunch is over by 4pm. How “civilised”!

Werner was an industrial architect and designed his place after Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House near Chicago.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farnsworth_House

By 6pm after two hours, I have a second pen and watercolour picture in the Moleskine book. I’m leaving the building, the sky, and the earth in clean paper to reduce the palette to the almost monochrome of green trees and blue shadows in the building.

In the morning I try again, colouring the sky but not the trees

  
Attached are the draft and first attempts, while I begin my vocal warm ups. La la la la la la la la laaaaaaa!

2016-10-10 Mon. What would Steve do?

Last night was spent listening to JS Bach’s St.Matthew Passion. Again, yes. Without being on a ‘diet’ I am eating less, which might compensate for spending a lot of time sitting. In respect of the sitting, and prolonged concentration, painting is similar to computing. However, I believe there is greater scope for using the brain’s ‘right hemisphere’, and a far wider appreciation of the final result. 
Today I plan two projects:

One is adding watercolour to the extreme two-point perspective drawing of the coastal church with bells. I intend a soft wash, minimal shading, and perhaps leave in the mechanical pencil work. 

The other is to copy a blown-up detail from a photo, and execute it as 100% watercolour. Therefore the preparation will be unshaded soft pencil outlines, to be removed when the paint dries. Being a narrow angle zoom image, the perspective is very flat, and taken at sunset, it should work as a 2D area comprising blocks of soft colour. 

Rather than comparing painting to music, I’m starting to see the similarity to programming. There are rules to bear in mind during building, but the planning phase is all about anticipating the ideal sequence, the selected elements, and, in case of ‘surprises’, the contingent options – before the building begins. 

I’m writing this paragraph at 4am, listening to cock-crow, while imagining the day’s promising but unpredictable process Another similarity with the addictively engaging programming of computers!

10:00am sitting down to paint, at the window. Looking out at the sea, kefalotiri, apple, grapes and a cup of tea on the side. At noon the painting is done. 4 hours so far!
Time for a really good walk. Up the mountain to begin the next drawing from an iPhone image. 

I drive though, to ‘Iera Moni’ and sit on the lower church steps, listening to the wind and the bells of a small flock of dark goats. The view up here is of hills, and the sea – in opposite directions. 

I attempt some drawing but with the sun, only in the car can I see the phone image I want to draw. Two o’clock and time for lunch. I meet a French lady and a Greek lady who converse in Italian. The French lady does “Arte Pauvre” ..using junk to make art. 

By 4pm, lunch and the water colour are done. It’s time for a proper walk. Maybe to publish results from the harbour. 
Half way through the Moleskine, and not really pleased with these latest two. Can’t control the colours yet, and there’s no ‘priority’ (what matters) in my drawing and colouring of people. 

Two hours with Werner the modern architect from Munich on the way. for a good coffee & chat. And then walk down to Souvala for a W&C and some wireless. Must google ‘how to do watercolour wash’. 

Here are the practice sheets, reference photo, and some of today’s output.  

 
 
 
  

 
 

2016-10-09 Sun. What would Steve do?

Saturday evening was spent by candlelight and then by starlight listening to JS Bach piano music. A little pasta. And then bed. 

After a lie in (!) and breakfast, I reach Cafeteria Kanakis by 11:00am and complete a drawing of Souvala Harbour by 13:00pm. 

Take some pictures inland, and then keftedakia at tenekedakia. By 

4pm it’s time for coffee at Cafe Neon; working out how to colour the new drawing. Sat at the high tables and stools at the back. Perfect. Lots of interaction from passing tourists just behind me. 

Also catching up on Whatsapp. 

17:30 – after 90m painting – result: pretty ordinary! “Nice” but not my objective, which is – much ‘crisper’ stuff!

18:00 stop to draw church on coast at sunset. 2 hours including mathematical corrections to perspective at home. Listening to the greatest work of art in the history of the universe: Bach’s St.Matthew Passion. 

It’s time to visit Kanaki’s for W&C, and post the new church drawing with the painting of Souvala Harbour. Goodnight. 

    

 

2016-10-08 Sat. What would Steve do?

This wordpress app has bugs on my iPhone 4. Sorry about the formatting. 

At 10:30 I waved to Mary on ferry to Pireus. Spent two hours in Souvala cafe, finishing painting of a sink. And some email. Not used to being alone; feels like I’m waiting for someone. Except that I’m not. Now what? Maybe a new drawing in Aegina? Or somewhere quieter? With interesting buildings? I head for Aegina at noon, to visit the art shop, but: nothing there to replace my empty 0.05mm ink liner. 

I find a place in the shade with a good view of the old castle. Two hours later I have a drawing and a painting of it, and I’ve also met a German chap (Hans) who tells me the entire military history of Greece. And a French chap – Cedric – has a chat, then brings his wife Morgan, and two children to see the pictures. 

It turns out that painting on your own is a highly social activity. I’m meeting educated charming English-speaking locals at an alarming rate. 

By 3pm I’m at ‘tenekedakia’ for a lunch of kirino (sketo) & pitta. And a Heineken. The waiter liked my painting of his bathroom sink. Gratifying. I take all the napkins from my table because they are perfect for painting. This holiday is turning into a crash course in ‘Painting as a Lifestyle’. 

By 5pm I have finished v2,0 of Aegina Castle. It’s rubbish. One big error wrecked it. But one must keep on. I pause at the church for a reflective moment. 

Pause. 

On the way home to recharge my iPhone battery, the police stop me! I wait for 15m, they make some fun about brexit, and let me go. Welcome to Greece!

7pm after editing the photo albums, down to Souvala. 

Spending a whole day paint in left little time for exercise. However, one did carry a heavy bag, and walked around Aegina all day.

Off to Jimi’s bar for whiskey and coke and upload my daily photos.