Madeira Archives - Salcombe Art

28 January 2019 In Art, Postcard from ...

Postcard from MV Ventura: Sketching at sea

Whenever we go travelling, I pack my watercolour kit and various sketchbooks of various sizes and make time for sketching.

Our ritual, as soon as we arrive at a new place, somewhere we will be staying long enough for Anne to write and me to paint, is to set up the space to suit us both. Our cabin aboard MV Ventura was perfect for our needs. And what a view!

Our cabin | Postcard from MV Ventura: Sketching at sea

Anne bagged the ‘dressing table’ as her office space, and I took over the ‘lounge’ area. Some shelving beneath the TV held all my equipment and I used the small coffee table for my palette and to rest my sketchbook.

We were aboard MV Ventura for fourteen days and seven of those were at sea. This gave me plenty of time for sketching.

Water, water, all around …

For the first two days, crossing from Southampton to Lisbon. all we saw from our balcony was the sea. And ships. And even more ships and drilling rigs whenever we went into port. With my marine insurance background, I found this fascinating and took many photos. So much resource material, so much inspiration for my sketching, but never enough hours to paint everything!

Drilling rig | Postcard from MV Ventura: Sketching at sea

However, I did sketch a few cruise ships and captured the landscape when we were in port.

Sketching Queen Victoria

One of Anne’s friends cruises regularly. We met her and her husband for lunch in Madeira a few years ago. We were staying in Funchal over Christmas and New Year; they were due to arrive on New Year’s Eve, in time to see the fireworks that night. This time, they were aboard Queen Victoria and – because our itineraries had us both in Madeira on 31 December, we planned to meet up at the same restaurant for a catch-up. Imagine our surprise to wake up the day before, to see their ship just across from ours.

Cunard moored | Postcard from MV Ventura: Sketching at sea

As it turned out, we should have made the effort to meet that day. Once we got to Madeira, they were moored off and the sea was too rough for them to be allowed ashore on the tenders.

This sketch is of Queen Victoria sailing off into the sunset.

Cunard sailing away | Postcard from MV Ventura: Sketching at sea

Sketching in Tenerife

We’ve visited Tenerife before and we were not inclined to go ashore that day. The sky above the mountains was black, and we’d not been attracted by the various tours on offer. Instead, we enjoyed relative peace and quiet aboard ship. Anne did lots of writing and when I wasn’t taking photos, I was sketching . Bliss!

Tenerife | Postcard from MV Ventura: Sketching at sea

Sketching in Madeira

We’ve also visited Madeira many times but never aboard a cruise ship. The day we arrived (31 December), it was a full house.

Madeira | Postcard from MV Ventura: Sketching at sea

We walked ashore in the morning and returned to the ship in time to avoid a downpour. As you will have seen from a previous post, the rain abated, almost, and the New Year’s Eve fireworks were spectacular.

This post is one of my POSTCARD series, sharing all things ART with you when I go travelling. My previous postcard focused on edible art.

Next week’s blog shares more of the art we discovered ashore. If cruising appeals to you, visit the P&O website.

7 January 2019 In Art, Postcard from ...

Postcard from MV Ventura: Whitewall Galleries

Anne and I spent two weeks aboard the P&O cruise liner SS Ventura, enjoying Christmas and the New Year celebrations, and some art, courtesy of Whitewall Galleries.

Whitewall Galleries

Whitewall Galleries offer beautiful and innovative original paintings, collectible editions and sculptures from internationally acclaimed artists, alongside the most exciting emerging talents through a nationwide network of galleries.Whitewall Galleries can be found in 36 locations on land, with several on ships, including SS Ventura.

Whitewall Gallery aboard SS Ventura

P&O’s SS Ventura provides space on Deck 5 for Whitewall Galleries to display their wide range of works.

As part of the entertainment programme, Jada, the Whitewall Gallery manager, gave several talks and presentations. I attended three:

A talk on Jack Vettriano in the Gallery itself
A presentation on LS Lowry in one of the theatres, attracting a much larger audience
A talk on the Impressionists – back in the Gallery

Jack Vettriano at the Whitehall Gallery

I was aware of Jack Vettriano’s work and his images which have proved ideal for greetings cards. This one is called The Picnic Party. (Apologies for the poor lighting and reflections!)

The Picnic Party | Postcard from SS Ventura: Whitewall Galleries

One favourite of mine is The Singing Butler. I love his use of umbrellas.

The Singing butler | Postcard from SS Ventura: Whitewall Galleries

On the cruise, we had to resort to an umbrella now and again and most especially on New Year’s Eve, while watching the fireworks in Madeira.

Fireworks in Funchal | Postcard from SS Ventura: Whitewall Galleries

Like Vettriano’s dancing pair, we were not deterred by the weather.

Umbrella time | Postcard from SS Ventura: Whitewall Galleries

Born John Hoggan, this talented artist never had any success with that name, so Madonna-style, in 1989, he reinvented himself and took an Italian surname. Makes me wonder if I would sell more paintings if I were to follow suit?!

This post is one of my POSTCARD series, sharing all things ART with you when I go travelling. My previous postcard was from Stratford-upon-Avon.

Next week’s blog shares more of the art we discovered aboard SS Ventura, and ashore too.

21 May 2018 In Art

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.

Frog 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. Grasses

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.

Palms

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 In Art

Postcard from Funchal, Madeira: Orchids and chocolates

orchids 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 …

orchids 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

T chocolates he 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.

chocolates 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.

orchids

Why?

colour wheel 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. orchids

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 In Art

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.

Madeira Gaulo 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.

Madeira balcony

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

Madeira studio kit

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.

Madeira sketch books

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.

20 November 2017 In Art

Work-in-Progress: November 2017

An artist’s work is never done – and here is an update on my work-in-progress.

What do artist’s do when the ‘season’ is over?

House portrait: preliminary sketch of Anne’s daughter’s home in Melbourne, Australia

Once the SHAF Arts Trail is over – that’s at the end of October – you might think artists put down their brushes and take a holiday.

Most years, that’s precisely what I do!

Every three years, Anne and I visit her daughter in Melbourne. We aim to spend at least seven weeks travelling and, although I take a minimal watercolour kit with me, the time is mostly spent with family, and relaxing. We enjoy a well-earned rest. However, this is something I painted during our most recent visit: a house portrait of their home. This is just the sketch; the finished painting is on their living room wall.

Every three years, we also spend the Christmas holiday somewhere else by ourselves: Malta or Madeira, anywhere warm … and again I take an art kit with me. I tend to spend more time painting on these holidays but only because Anne is usually busy with a writing project. In our apartment, we set up our separate corners – a studio area for me, a writing desk for Anne – and only meet up for walks and meals! It’s a complete break from our usual routine and, even if we are only away for a few weeks, we need that change of scenery to recharge our batteries.

Every three years, and it’s this year, we stay at home – to play host to friends and family at this special time. This is also my chance to catch up on my painting. The real stuff. The paintings I need in stock ready for the start of the next season.

And Anne is very busy, writing her latest NaNoWriMo novel, so I’m grateful she’s made time to type up my blog for me.

Studio update

My new studio space

While we were away last Christmas, we had a lift installed so that our home is wheelchair friendly. This was very much appreciated by at least one visitor to our home during the SHAF Arts Trail fortnight in October.

In the redesigned part of our house, I now also have a new studio. It’s larger and lighter than the previous one, and it’s already full of my ‘stuff’. It may look a bit of a mess to you, but I know where everything is.

Work-in-progress

You’ll notice, on the far wall, the gallery-style strip at ceiling level. There is almost invisible plastic ‘wires’ hanging down on which, in other areas of the house, I hang pictures that are available for sale. In my studio, I’ve devised a system of bulldog clips to hold my work-in-progress paintings. You can see three of them on the right, and there’s another on the easel.

Yes, there are quite a few! And there are more – mostly oil paintings – drying in the airing cupboard.

At the moment, only one of these paintings is signed. I sign my paintings when I feel that I should do no more to them. A signed painting is, therefore ‘finished’ and ready for the next stage.

Are any finished yet?

A finished, signed, painting ready for the next stage

Only the one so far … as you can see, it’s an oil, on board.

My handwritten notes to myself are still visible, as well as the guidelines for the photographer.

It is square in shape and therefore ideal as a fine arts greetings card. No cropping necessary …

What happens next?

Good question! Before any of my paintings are varnished or framed and made ready for sale, I have them professionally photographed.

Rather than taking paintings one at a time, I batch them. So, two or three times a year, we book a session with the photographer and trek into Plymouth for the day.

Ahead of that appointment, Anne and I sit down together and confirm the sequential number of each painting – this one will probably be number 136 – and its title. This data is added to the computer records of my art, and also written on the back of the painting for identification purposes.

Because I paint a limited number of scenes, coming up with an original title can be a challenge. It can’t just be the place name. I need more. Low tide at … Dawn at …

Sometimes, especially when I have decided to paint one scene in different media, or in different sizes, we resort to Roman numbering: Salcombe Dawn I, Salcombe Dawn II, Salcombe Dawn III, …

Having decided on the number and the name for each painting, and recorded it, we forward that information by email to the photographer so he knows how many paintings to expect and can name his electronic files in such a way as to avoid confusion. This is especially important when I have a series of very similar paintings.

And then what?

I leave the original paintings with the photographer for a few hours, and Anne and I make good use of that time, shopping in Plymouth.

Then, I return to the photographer to see the results of his work. The images he has taken are printed onto good quality paper, so that I can check the colour match against the original. And, at a later date, I can arrange to have giclée prints made – knowing the print will be as close in tone and hue to the original as possible.

And then we put all the originals back in the boot of the car and head for home.

Job done … except then, I need to make time for varnishing the acrylics and oils and book the framer.