Hello all,

 

After a very long and fantastic trip throughout France and the Netherlands we came back in Spain about a month ago.

 

 

I have not posted since July and have come to the conclusion that this will be my final blogpost.

 

Will I miss it, after over 9 years?

Well, frankly I don't know, but after having had some serious doubts before I am now sure that my blog does not add anything new into the world, not anymore.

 

Somehow my life in Spain and the activities I am involved with keep me from creating at the same level that I was used to while living on our island in the Caribbean.

 

Another thing is, that I am growing more and more reluctant to write about personal/private matters.

 

On the web there is a wealth of beautiful images to swoon over. Sources for inspiration galore..!

 

A special thank you for the people who have been following and commenting on this blog over the years: Thank You!

 

Maybe one day I will join Instagram (if I do miss my blog), but until that time, should you want to connect, I am on Facebook.

 

Wishing you health, inspiration and creativity,

 

Regina

 

CAD

 

 

Hi folks,

 

Before the holidays began, I promised myself to continue painting, no matter what...

 

So I cleaned and gessoed a long and 'skinny' canvas that a friend had salvaged from the garbage for me (you know I love recycling, don't you?) and then the question came: what to do with it?

 

I opened a similar format canvas in Photoshop, put a few pics of my collages over it and then the layering and filtering fun started!

 

This is design no. 2.

 I plan to continue designing until one emerges that really speaks to me, the one I really would like to translate into paint.

 

It is not an easy way to paint, but the painting is yours and yours alone, so you may do with it whatever comes up and will always be original...

 

This will be my way of working for the next weeks

 

See you!

 

************

 

Regina



Summer blues (bloes)

Sometimes I feel the need to make new clothes...

This time, with the heatwave we are experiencing here in Spain

it had to be something airy, so I designed a simple top

 

I hardly feel it when I wear it...

 



 

I knew there were some fabrics in the cupboard

Remnants of Japanese patchwork fabric (bottom), a panel from a once loved skirt

 

A fabric that a dear friend gave me years ago (the dots) and the silk fabric at the right side of the top that was part of a thriftstore find!

 

This is the thing I like so much, making something out of 'nothing'...

You see, it is no problem at all there are no fabric stores around our lovely coastal village

 

Thanks for reading, grtz

 

***

 

Regina

Short, summer

Just a short post today. 

It is sweltering hot in Spain; days to swim in the sea, a time to do just the necessary things

So: just this dyptich, that I quickly composed from the files of collages I once made...

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

***

Regina

Art cards

 

Last week I've been making cards

this is just a small selection

 

 

At the end of my painting sessions,I like to clean the brushes and wipe off the leftover paint on clean white, cheap paper

 

This results in lots of collage papers, that can further be

decorated

 



 

Texture may be obtained,  like with the above one, by pressing a piece of  painted canvas down on the paper

 

 

bold marks simple added by a wide-tipped marker

 

 

the blue circles were printed with cork, these were cut of protecting cork pieces of the glass curtains on our naya (covered porch)

 

I cut the cards myself, find an interesting rectangle or square with a viewfinder and just glue it down, then brayer the whole and put it under a very heavy big book et

 

voila!!!

 

Made with love by me,

 

Regina

Independence...

 

 

While in the USA in 2011 it was Independence Day

 

and in the days before I saw this billboard in a shopping mall

 

...

 

Knowing that it had to be somewhere in my huge photolibrary of our USA travels, I found it and chose to post it on my blog today

 

I think of you all

 

Though the picture may look a bit grim, I prefer to see strength and pride for your country in it

I don't mean to offend you

It seems appropriate to me though, this time, today

...

 

But, as every year, HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!

Guggenheim Bilbao

It is almost one year ago that we visited this great museum

in Bilbao, Spain

A funny thing is, at this moment our daughter and her partner are visiting this very same place. 

They are traveling with our Roadtrek motorhome, so needless to say that our thoughts are with them a lot these days. I hope they enjoy Northern Spain as much as we did...

Grey weather today

 

 

Hi there,

 

 

This morning we awoke to very dark and grey skies. It made me think that it was very early, not yet time to get out of bed...

 

It seems though we have a little interlude in the very sunny and hot weather of the recent weeks.

 

When we were living in the tropics this grey weather sometimes happened and upon occurring I mostly felt happy, for it enabled me to stay inside and make the most (creatively speaking) of it!

 

This kind of feeling I have today...

 

Looking for possibilities I found the picture of numerous beaded strands  (Pinterest) and was attracted by its colors. And at the same time I found back a picture of a postcard I once made, there is a detail on the right. I was surprised to find that it is made up of these very similar colors.

 

Now, I wonder, what could this mean?? 

Could this be my style, is it related to my personality?

 

However, it inspires me to go and do something creative on this grey day in Spain!

Hot summer days

Hot Summer
dyptich, 


This dyptich says it all: it is hot here in Spain...

Not my kind of weather to make art, I seem to get no further than some storyboard composing with my photo-editing programm

But that's not bad at all, since some practising and skill improvement is highly desirable.

Wishing you lovely summer days too,

***

Regina

Backgrounds

 

 

 

 

 

Hi!

 

Not much happening in my corner of Spain.

 

Though we do have the Moors and Christian

 festival currently,with its closing part tonight,

I once again did not go to watch it.

 

Somehow celebrating these fights of ages ago by way of a reenactment does not appeal to me.

Especially in this time where history seems to repeat itself throughout our Western world, I prefer not to celebrate it, how beautiful and wonderful this spectacle may be...

 

On a different note:

the storyboard above has been composed of details of some recent work by me. They are backgrounds at this stage,

I just started painting without any objective in mind, simply enjoying 'what if?'

 

We are supposed to paint clouds this time,

 but despite the fact that I love to look at skies, I feel no need to paint them.

 But that may come later,

this time just background details

 

***

Enjoy your Sunday, thanks for reading

 

Regina

 

Painting summer

 

 

No need to say more...

 

Regina

Chiringuito's

After a hot summer day in Spain, it is always good chilling

in one of the many chiringuito's

that are on the coast...

 

 like this one,

between the lovely village of Moraira

 

 

somewhere in between

 

 

 where young and old come for a

refreshment and some music...

 

 

with in the distance the next city,

Calpe

 

More on these lovely beach businesses here:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiringuito

 

Greetings from Spain,

 

Regina

Liberty...

 

...

 

Can hardly see you now



On being inspired

 

Hi!

 

 

Restless Mind

digital collage

 

This is not a time for making art... Not for me, now all things 'summer' are needing my attention.

 

The yard is in full bloom, with our Jacaranda tree in a leading role with its purple-blueish flowers, so lovely!

Reminds me to take pictures today, because very soon it will be over again. Furthermore we have two old rose plants, one in a old fashioned pink color (which I absolutely do not like), the other one bright red. Both plants have been trimmed heavily by me and that seems to do the trick: fully in bloom for the first time since we live here.

 

The garden is a big mess on the backside of our house. We are making new terrasses and a summer house there, where we can have dinners in a comfy setting. It could also be a place for painting, when the weather is too hot inside. But first the mess, inevitable.

 

Our son has been visiting and of course that means quality time with him. Not a time to sit in my studio all alone like a hermit (which I normally love...)

 

But like always there is Inspiration galore!

I found two very inspiring paintings when I was preparing our painting theme of Nothing. The first one was with asemic writing and the second one I was attracted to by its colorscheme.

 

So yesterday, in a lost moment, I managed to combine these pics and compose the above digitial collage.

 

I have called it Restless Mind

for that is somewhat how I feel these days...

 

Thanks for reading, enjoy your day,

 

Regina

 



Nothing...

...is our painting theme for this month.

Just trying to let the brushes and the paint work together,

 to discover the way in which colors interact and influence each other on the canvas

 

 

though I did not think any good of the theme, I decided to give it a go,

for I had nothing to lose

 

 

I overpainted one of the abstracts I did a few years ago

 

 

and am happy with the results...

 

 

though the theme was Nothing...

 

Bye for now,

 

Regina

Half man...

Hi!

 

 

 

This time we were supposed to paint a male nude...

 Looking for inspiration on the web resulted in finding a drawing of a half man. Many of the other pictures of men were in the sex/porno field, so were off limits for me, but this one I liked!

 

I had a canvas laying around that fitted the man perfectly, so the decision was made.

 

Out came the paint and brushes and here it is. The canvas man is hanging at our club's expo since Thirsday last.

 

No real 'tool' visible, but yet it's a man: biceps, abs and all other kind of muscles...

 

 

Enjoy the weekend,

 

Regina

Easter sewing

Hallo there!

 

 

 

This  morning I wanted to start sewing some clothes,

 so I visited my favorite inspiration place on the web.

 

When I came upon this picture I knew it for sure, because how difficult could this be..?

Up to the cupboard I went, looking for one of the fabrics that I thought would be suitable.

 If I would have the picture's fabric it certainly would  have been  my choice, but alas...

 

I could not find the fabric I was looking for, I know it has to be somewhere, but my fabric storage place is a mess, I must confess. But I found another, black and white, which I also love very much.

 

The urge to start sewing was too big to look for a pattern, so I simply folded it twice (length and width), cut out the neck part and arm shapes, pinned everything together and went to the mirror...

Some repinning and reshaping and on it went to the sewing machine.

I am wearing it right now, an hour later...

 

Note to self: sometimes I have to kick myself in the a..!

 

Happy Easter

 

Regina

Spanish fiber art...

Soon after moving from the Antilles to Spain, I noticed that once again we had chosen to live in an area with little textile art.

 

So I was very happy to find an open air exhibition of textiles in the neighboring village of 'Gata de Gorgos' and got a chance to visit on the very last day. We talk about some years ago now...

 

 

 

The expo was held in one of the village's narrow streets.

The works were simply hanging from the Spanish balconies,

out in the open during the hot month of August (I think it was August, but it definitely was a whole month in summer)

The weather effect was clearly visible on many entries and I remember that I was very disappointed and upset about the way these textiles were being dealt with.

I think that was the moment for me to start exploring a different medium...

 

 

This week I browsed through the images of this event and maybe you can imagine my resentment if you take a closer look at the first picture...

 

 

for look at this painting (it seems to have been painted on a bed sheet)!

I really wonder why the artist has been willing to make so much

 effort while working on a 'throw away'

base 

 

Btw: the images seem to depict some Moorish scenes. The second one also is probably Moroccan or North African, but could as well be Caribbean, the women look very similar

 

Coming from a culture of 'quilt angels' on exhibitions and a long fight for recognition, I realise that there is a long way to go for this in Spain. I won't take part in this fight, just want to enjoy life and make art, so I am painting now.

 

Happy Easter!

 

Regina



Playful

 

Just some playing today:

 

 

I chose a picture of the Roman Theatre in Cartagena,

 

 

and laid over this picture a detail of a mural

...

 

 

then the playing started: filters and layers in my favorite editing program

and there it is: Cartagena digital collage

 

Enjoy the beautiful spring weather!

 

Regina



Cartagena day 1 continued

So, after the glorious Roman Theatre we were walking

 back to our motorhome

 

 

we had to get from the higher part of the city to the lower situated

port area and discovered this street art jewel

 

 

the staircase had been completely decorated

 with these sea-related paintings

 

 

and unlike most street art, its colors were just black and white

 

 

paintings of fantasy beings and objects, perfectly fitting the earth colored walls and the location near the sea

 

 

"Unika" did a remarkable job

 

 

The artist in me considered this a very special gift...

 

Thanks for reading today, bye

 

Regina

Cartagena day 1

 

Last week we visited Cartagena...

 

We went there for a special reason, but since there was some time left before our appointment, we visited the old town

 

 

and were surprised by the beautiful old buildings

this is the town hall

 

 

of course, this is the Mediteranean, so there was a lovely boulevard...

 

 

 A glimpse of the 'Calle Mayor', the city's main shopping street. It was very quiet, since it was siesta time...

 

 

detail of the town hall building

 

 

but our main goal was this: the Roman Theatre

 

situated behind and above the Plaza de Ayuntamiento, one can get there by steps (like we did) or by using the formal entrance via the museum

 

 

it was very special because of its juxtaposition to the present, old and new together making a shift between then and now

 

 

In the city of Cartagena archeologists are working and discovering remnants from the past until today.

We loved the atmosphere and the loving care being given to old buildings all over the city...

 

to be continued