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21 May 2018

Postcard from Madeira: The Botanical Garden

Anne and I first visited the Botanical Garden in Funchal on our honeymoon, nine years ago. It was March and very wet. I have photos, somewhere, of us: drenched, but still smiling.

Each time we return to Madeira, we make a point of taking the cable car and visiting either the Tropical Garden or, via a second cable car, the Botanical Garden.

This trip, in May, sunny and dry, it was the turn of the Botanical Garden again.

Travelling by cable car

You can take a taxi, or go by bus, but the best way to travel to the Botanical Garden is via the cable car.

The views from the cable car are spectacular, and I start taking photos straight away.

These are jacaranda mimosifolia trees – with the most beautiful purple flowers. They are to be seen a lot along the roadside in Funchal and elsewhere on the island.

In the Botanical Garden

Opened in 1960, the 20-acre site now known as Jardim Botânico da Madeira was previously part of an estate belonging to the family of William Reid, founder of the famous Reid’s hotel, where you can have afternoon tea in return for an arm and a leg!

Set on a steep hillside, the paths zigzag through various collections: Madeiran indigenous and endemic species, and arboretum, succulents, topiary, medicinal and aromatic plants, and palm trees of all shapes and sizes.

Arriving by cable car, we made our first port of call about half way down, at the cafe. Set alongside ornamental ponds boasting hundreds of lily pads, we enjoyed a romantic snack, looking out across Funchal beneath us to the sea beyond, accompanied by the mating calls of frogs.

Suitably refreshed, we then set off to explore the gardens beneath us, starting with the indigenous and endemic species: a mass of brightly coloured flowers.

Slowly, we made our way down to the very bottom, taking photos of everything and anything we saw.

Madeiran indigenous and endemic species

Below the ornamental garden (the featured image above), there are these stunning ornamental grasses, swaying gently in the breeze.

Behind them you can see the greenhouses.

The cacti

Clearly the Madeira climate suits cacti. They grow to an enormous height.

The topiary

Who has the time for this artistry? Answer: the team of gardeners at the Botanical Garden!

The palms

In Madeira, we are staying at Pestana Palms, one of the group of Pestana hotels. The gardens are naturally full of palms … but, in the Botanical Garden, they are huge.

This photo includes me, seated on a hot stone bench, simply to demonstrate the size of the palm beside me.

We then trekked all the way up to the top of the gardens again. Caught the first cable car for our journey back home, walked uphill to the next cable car station … Hard work, but worth it …

PS The gardens also include a bird park (the Louro Bird Park) and a three-room Natural History Museum – neither of which we managed to visit this time.

Back at our apartment: painting

I’ve never painted a frog before, and probably never will again. but, it was fun to try!

Now, if you compare my sketch with the photo above, you’ll see that I’ve used artistic licence in my choice of greens. Indeed, one of the lily pads is more yellow than green.

Also, where there was shade, I’ve used violet. Why? Violet is the appropriate colour to use opposite yellow, according to the colour wheel.

And, I’ve used both yellow and violet on the frog’s back.

This post is one of my POSTCARD series, sharing all things ART with you when I go travelling.

14 May 2018

Postcard from Funchal, Madeira: Orchids and chocolates

Orchids and chocolates?

Most of my paintings include the sea, the sky, and boats and are based on photographs taken close to my home town of Salcombe.

When I’m on holiday, I have different subjects at my disposal.

Anne and I are staying near Funchal in Madeira and were persuaded to join an excursion which boasted Chocolates and Orchids. How could we resist?

First stop: Orchids at Quinta da Boa Vista

Q orchids uinta da Boa Vista boasts the best orchid collection on show all year round and we were given a guided tour by our host, owner, Patrick through a greenhouse packed with hundreds of colourful varieties.

While he explained how to care for them (do not overwater!), we took photos. The featured image above is just one of many.

Here are some more.

The variety of colours and sizes was a feast for our eyes.

There were huge blooms, with no fragrance …

And tiny blooms with an intense scent …

Both, tactics to attract insects for pollination purposes.

Some has a single magnificent flower – others were grouped on a single stem.

All of them were beautiful.

And then we enjoyed tea and cake in the delightful garden overlooking the town of Funchal.

Next stop: handcrafted colourful flavourful chocolates

The next stop on our excursion was into the centre of Funchal, to Rua da Queimada de Baixo, nº 11 where the chocolatier UauCacau have a coffee shop and display their colourful chocolate selection.

We sat outside in the sunshine and were presented with a tasting tray of six exquisite chocolates, together with a glass of Madeira wine.

Our tour guide explained the methods used in the factory below the shop, and the origins of the delicious fillings: mango, banana, passion fruit, madeira rum, …

We were then invited into the chocolate coloured (dark!) interior to choose what we wanted to purchase.

A work of art! We were hard pressed to choose 20 to take back to our apartment.

Back at the apartment: painting!

Of all the orchids I’d captured on my camera, I chose this one to paint first.

Why?

I chose a pink orchid because so much of the background was green and green is the complementary colour to pink.

This would, in theory, make the petals stand out better than for any other colour of orchid.

Here is another sketch.

The orchid is orange and note that I have used a blue wash in the background, blue being the complementary colour of orange on the colour wheel.

It’s unlikely I’ll take the subject of orchids any further, although we are tempted to fill the house with these wonderful blooms once we are back home.

My ‘market’ back in Salcombe is the usual diet of sea and sailing – but it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon … playing with my watercolour kit.

This post is one of my POSTCARD series, sharing all things ART with you when I go travelling.

7 May 2018

Postcard from Funchal, Madeira

We are on holiday in Madeira!

Anne and I arrived last week at one of our favourite destinations: Pestana Palms hotel on the island of Madeira. We first came here together for our honeymoon in 2009 and have returned several times since then. One of the main attractions is the ‘Cheers’ bar with its longstanding team of bar staff who always greet us with a smile as in the featured image above.

What do we do, while holidaying in Madeira?

We usually arrive tired and in need of a rest, so sleep is an essential ingredient of any holiday for us. But then, away from our usual routine, we make time for exercise.

In Madeira, there are many lavada walks. These are paths that run alongside the network of waterways – narrow channels – that carry water from the mountains down to the coast.

On our honeymoon, we embraced these walks with a vengeance. Older and wiser, we now opt for the more gentle excursions.

Last Friday, for example, we visited the pretty village of Gaulo and, with the aid of excellent guide, enjoyed views of the countryside during a 60-minute stroll along the Lavada dos Tornos. I took lots of photos, and Anne took this shot of me.

Our guide explained the history of the region, their dependence on water (hence the lavadas) and how they created the many terraces to make the most of the steep terrain.

It reminded us of the work we’ve had done at home, with 23 piles needed to stabilise our sloping rear garden, and a huge retaining wall of concrete to hold back a neighbour’s garden. For us, a small team of builders, with diggers, completed the work in a matter of months.

In Madeira, the construction of the terracing was painstaking work, done by hand, stone by stone, as the slopes were too steep for horses or donkeys, and the ground not accessible for machinery. All the men worked on the terracing and it took them years …

And then we had tea and cake – all traditional recipes – at the home of the guide. A wonderful half day excursion …

My holiday studio in Madeira

It’s not all relaxation. We have ‘work’ to do as well.

I’ve set up a ‘studio’ on the balcony already, and the sun is so bright, I’m in relief. I promise you, I am smiling.

Here is a close up of the table, set out with my essentials.

Holidaying in Madeira: a time to sketch

The image above is of a particularly elegant craft that made its way out of Funchal, the capital of Madeira, past our balcony. I took many photos of its passage across a magnificent sky. Plus I have the sketch. When I return home, I may create a larger image of this scene.

I have two sketch books with me but, so far, I’ve only used the smaller of the two. The image below is of the hotel itself with the pool in the foreground.

It’s wonderful to paint in the open air … for the temperatures to be high enough to be comfortable without having to apply sun screen every five minutes.

And to have, in the background, the sound of waves breaking on the seashore. Bliss!

This post is one of my POSTCARD series, sharing all things ART with you when I go travelling.