Collage Collective

WELCOME
Mixed media collage
4"x4"

My arty friend Carole and I got together in the studio last week and set about making collage. We had such fun! Threw lots of paint around and cut and stuck stacks of painted and found images. Inbetween we laughed, drank red wine, cooked and ate a good old Cyprus favourite, Fasolia Yiahni (see recipe below).

I don't know if it was the wine or the collective enthusiasm and inspiration, but a lot of work got done. I've continued to refine and add to what I started that day. Can't wait to see what Carole has made.

Here's the first one of mine completed. It's 4"x4" mounted on a gorgeous piece of 5"x7" art paper.

This is how it might look when framed.



Fasolia Yiahni

Ingredients
2 cups dried haricot beans (washed)
2 large chopped onions
2 medium carrots (optional)
1 celery stick (optional)
2 tablespoons tomato puree
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley for decoration and taste (optional)
2 fresh lemons

Method
Soak the beans overnight in water (covered with at least 4 inches of water as the beans will swell). You can add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda as this helps soften the beans.

Drain and rinse and put the beans in a casserole pot covered by at least 2 inches of water and bring to the boil for ten minutes taking care to remove the scum.

Drain beans, return to pot, add boiling water (get this ready when boiling beans), turn heat down and simmer for about 30mins or until beans are soft.

While waiting for the beans to cook fry onions, garlic (optional carrots and celery) until golden then add tomato puree, stir and cook for a few minutes then turn off the heat.

When beans are ready, add the onion mix to beans and if necessary add a little water. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30mins. If there's still a lot of juice, take the cover off and cook for a further five/ten minutes as this will reduce liquid.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon, good crusty bread and salad.

Kali Orexi! Good Appetite

Life got serious

Just a brief word to explain why I haven't been around for a few days. My beloved has been through a scary time in ICU. All is looking good now and he is home and in good spirits. Our thanks to Dr Femke Ellens, Dr Kazantzis and staff at the Poly Clinic in Limassol and Dr's Christou and Constantinides at the American Heart Institute in Nicosia. Thank you also to all the people who know us and have supported us with good wishes and prayers.

Cyprus landscape painting 15th January 2009

Cyprus landscape 15 January 2009

Oil on canvas
7 x 9.5 ins (18 x 24 cms)

A brighter day and the winter sun shining brightly on the sea took my attention. From my hill near the village of Pareklishia I looked across at the hill overlooking Amathounda (Ancient Amathus), with the Akrotiri peninsula in the background.

Cloudy landscape

Cyprus Landscape 14 Jan 2009
Oil on canvas
7 x 9.5 ins (18 x 24 cms)

A cloudy day and an appropriately subdued look to today's landscape.

Sketching inside out

The sun continues to shine but it was too breezy to sketch outdoors today. Instead I set myself up infront of a window and picked a bit of view to add to the sketchbook. This is the old track that leads to the next village, Pyrgos, in the next valley. These days myself, my dogs and the goats are it's main users. And yes, that is the sea in the background. Maybe if the weather holds, I'll take my sketchbook down to the coast.

This evening when I've run out of daylight, I'll finish making some more fingerless mittens and start a scarflette in this gorgeous yarn.

Fruitful New Year

Not much artwork since I returned from England. A few drawings in my sketchbook that's all. Today I had planned to paint, but I still feel in holiday mode :) So when checking out the fruit in the garden I got sidetracked. Ho hum!

The red grapefruit are juicy and great for eating fresh and hardly need added sugar, they are so sweet! In a few weeks I shall make Lemon Curd, but today I decided to tackle a few Pomelos. Pomelos are similar to huge grapefruits. Whilst delicious, my particular ones are full of pips, and so I decided to use a few of them to make marmalade. I adapted a Seville Orange Marmalade recipe by Delia Smith and fiddled with the quantities It seems to have worked OK. It's cooling in jars just now, so will need testing at breakfast tomorrow.

FIGURATIVE ABSTRACT PAINTING work in progress 1

If you want to follow the progress of this painting, you are going to need a little patience and perseverance, as it's going to take a few days.

It was inspired by an evening I spent with friends in old Limassol town a few weeks ago. One friend who's a teacher took us along to see an exhibition of her school's A Level Art work at the Morphi Gallery. All those beautiful young people with so much talent and so seemingly unaware of how blessed they are to be at the beginning of the adventure. I was so impressed and so envious ... left me depressed for days!

In this first work in progress image I've begun to lay down the structure/architecture on the 28 x 20 inch canvas.

DAY 91 Project 365

The Sword Lily/Field Gladiolus, in Cyprus is known as Paschalia because it flowers during Easter (the Greek for Easter is 'Paska').

The sweet Commandaria dessert wine produced in Cyprus, it is said, counteracts sterility if the corms from the Paschalia plant are crushed into powder and mixed with the wine. Farmers also use the corms for feeding their animals, which they believe will ensure they conceive. Fortunately I don't like sweet wine .... (now that would be a miracle)

THE SWORD LILIES

Cool shaded on green mossy banks

A purple-headed army stands;

The sword lilies in serried ranks

Prepare to guard their sovereign lands.

A royal head serenely stoops

And, nodding to his noble peers,

Majestically surveys his troops

Presenting arms of sharp-edged spears.

(Anon.)

DAY 89 Project 365

Last night H took part in the Cyprus Starlight Challenge walking from Chesters to the Zoo. Here he is with about 2k to go. Not bad for a chap who had a massive heart attack less than a year ago.

He's now looking forward to gathering in lots of sponsorship money in aid of breast cancer charity. All contributions welcome.

DAY 87 Project 365

Went with S & J into Limassol yesterday and while they were doing their thing, I shot off to the art shop for a new big brush, having singed my other favourite one (don't ask). Also needed some Paynes Gray acrylic paint as my current tube is gunged up and useless unless I continually stick cocktail sticks down its neck. I'm gradually changing over to jars with big lids, which are so much less trouble. Found some other yummy colours, so had to have those too! Permanent Rose, Burnt Rose, Indanthrene Blue, Red Iron Oxide .... doesn't just the sound of them make you want to paint!

I then schlepped off down the back streets looking for a particular bookshop, and bumped into Constantinos Constantinides' studio/gallery. He's tucked away on Megalou Alexandrou (Alexander the Great Street) and a very impressive setup he's got there. His well equipped studio is fab, with lots of natural light from his garden at the rear. I watched him working on a large hotel commission while chewing the fat on the Cyprus art scene in general. Contantinos is a straight forward kinda guy and has strong opinions that he likes to share. I like him. In the end I was late for my lunch meeting with Steph & Jamie, but will return probably with Carole for a longer look at his ceramics, monoprints and paintings. Never did find the bookshop.

DAY 85 Project 365

The only pine trees I know much about, are the sort you stick in a bucket with baubles at Christmas. I'm fascinated to see that the spectacular specimen we have in our lower garden has developed what I suppose are flowers. Don't know why, but till now it never occurred to me that they would bloom like this.... but what do I know. Less attractive on the branches, are white web parcels filled with hairy catterpillars, which cause nasty irritations if touched.

Off to the airport to collect our visitors. Will endeavour to keep up with the blog in some way while they are here ... but no promises :-)

DAY 83 Project 365

These wild Rock Roses are jolly.

Today I shampooed some of the pups and gave them haircuts. Now they're all ready for Spring and sweetly fragranced for our visitors arriving Tuesday. Not much art going on ... but hopefully will slot in some quickies over the next couple of weeks.

DAY 82 Project 365

Garden blossom for a change .... on our one and only peach tree. This year I'll try to remember to gather and freeze more of the fruit. So much went to waste last time. The wildlife enjoyed it though.

DAY 81 Project 365

Here's a view from our bedroom window. It rained a bit today so the goatherd was in wet weather gear. His flock were very contented with lots of lush stuff to munch. After next month when the summer sun kicks in, this land will be parched brown, with no hope of any rain until possibly November.

DAY 79 Project 365

Of all the Cyprus wildflowers, the miniature Iris is my absolute favourite. I know every year they will appear but when they do, it's like I'm seeing them for the first time. Their deep violet/bluish purple flashes sensationally in the lush spring grass. Only the sight of a bluebell wood in England could score higher!

DAY 77 Project 365

Checking with my books, I think this is Storksbill (Erodium gruinum) but not 100% sure. It is such a pretty lavendar blue and is dotted every where on the scrubland on top of the hill just now.

In town with the girls yesterday, preparing for visitors next week and art stuff squeezed in where possible.

DAY 76 Project 365

Wild Crown Anenomes found on our walk this morning.

DAY 68 Project 365

Had to get my lense right in among the grass for this wildflower. Just realised... I seem to be stuck in a blue phase this last few days.

COMMON PIMPERNEL

Such modesty, such gentle grace

Discouraging inspection,

The Pimpernel needs so little space

to house its small collection.

Each tiny petal has its place,

Each microscopic section

Forms a shy retiring face

In miniature perfection. Anon.

DAY 65 Project 365

Beautiful spring day. Some village women are in the field opposite gathering bags full of wild leaves. They told me they were good to eat...Poli kala! But the name they gave them, completely escaped me. I may go for a mooch right on top of the hill today, and see if I can search out some wild asparagas. It hides under the bushes ... a bit thin and spindley but such a treat. They share the rocky scrubland with vipers ... but hoping they still think it's winter and are asleep.

I think the pretty pink flower is a type of Salsify or Vegetable Oyster/Purple Goatsbeard. Again the villagers have a good use for it, as a vegetable and to flavour salads. Both its tap root and leaves are edible.

Now I've got the quirky girl series out of my system, today I'll go back to working on the blue canvas.

DAY 62 Project 365

Lunar eclipse at midnight and a half hour later.

At .55 minutes as I type this, the eclipse is total and the moon is glowing completely red with the naked eye. I wish I had better photo equipment.