Sampler I

 The most important blog post

It is on the most important blog.Yours.

Even if no one but you reads it. The blog you write each day is the blog you need the most. It’s a compass and a mirror, a chance to put a stake in the ground and refine your thoughts.

And the most important post? The one you’ll write tomorrow.   Seth Godin

When I think of the past year, I feel I have to divide it up. Some areas were very fruitful and others with dread, fear, apprehension, loneliness, lethargy, laziness, etc. I could probably come up with more adjectives but not going to waste too much energy. 

One big decision I made this past December was to go back to my oils and cold wax so I will put my acrylics aside for a while.. I really feel that I don't have the basics in this medium and haven't taken advantage of the special qualities that this medium offers. So I jumped into the Cold Wax Academy. A huge learning curve!

Sampler I

20 x 20"

Oils and Cold Wax

Crush Favini Organic Paper 350 gm

(those little black marks are from layer 3)

Beginning Layers with Texture

Topography Layer

Cool Layer

Warm Transparent Layer

Probably 2-3 more layers

Didn't like the Orange Blob

Simplify

Rotated

Extreme Composition Lesson 4 Variety Variety Variety

Lesson 4 is all about variety. The first exercise was to make as many marks on a paper with no background, using crayons, ink, paint, cutouts etc. Now I  have to go back and doodle more on some of the marks.
There were questions to ask oneself.

• How difficult was it not to repeat elements?
I found it quite difficult, I have to increase my library of mark making.

 • Do any of your collections look like interesting compositions in themselves? Or do they all look disjointed?
Very disjointed

• Are they fun to look at?
Yes in a way

• Did you discover any new ways of making marks?
Yes

• Did you use processes or materials that felt uncomfortable to you? 
No, not really. Tried pen and ink which was new for me.

• How difficult was it not to paint a background or connect the elements with some unifying principle?
Slightly uncomfortable.

Next part is to make three distinct marks and connect them in various ways!
I made 3 pages of marks!!! Click to enlarge!

 Bye for now!

Morocco 2015 Trip Day 2 Lost

Morocco 2015 Trip Day 2

Arrived at the  RM Menara hotel just in time for dinner last evening.
Wake up call 7 AM, Yoga 7:30... breakfast 8:30.. On the bus by 10:00..Hassan passing out our daily water for our tour of Marrakesh...  also counting the heads so no one is missing.

Yoga in the gorgeous lounge opposite the dining room

Composite plus Polaroid texture 

Our first stop was an artificial lake in the Menara Gardens..

Impressed with the wide plaza leading to the lake.... the local people including the venders that were everywhere.... Here is a composite of two views... one leading up to the lake and second of the lake.

Combined both photos and merged then  ran two filters in Topaz Simplicity, hard pencil and painting IV which I masked and blended in.

Lake Manara Marrakech, Morocco

Composite

 Koutoubia Mosque and Gardens  

I was impressed and a bit overwhelmed by all the patterns that where everywhere, sidewalks,buildings,gates etc. I made this composite of three photos. One of the entrances to the mosque a second of a prayer sitting at the entrance. I used one of the pattern detail images.  Experimented with filters from Topaz Simplicity 

Composite

Muslim prayer and gateway

Facade of the Mosque

Two filters from Topaz Simplicity

Our next stop was to the Medina, the old city in Marrakech....lots of alleys,shops, smells and textures.

Entrance to The Medina

Smartphone from bus window

Lost 

This is the where I got LOST.. Well really not lost..I knew I was in Marrakech but had lost sight of my group. Here is the last spot where when I lost the group.   On the top right I inserted a blowup of the people near a store where I thought I spotted my daughter with the new hat.  But when I got there... nada... no one from the group in site. Where to go left or right!!! Well I chose left as there seemed to be some attraction in that direction... a few twists and turns and I was in a sort of courtyard with people lined up to view a room. Thought I spotted the girl with the hat ...called out... no one answerd.  Went back to the store and looked to the right but didn't see any signs of any group... ( later I learned that they were in a cosmetic shop listening to a lecture about argam oil and cosmetics ) so back to the square.  One young Morracan boy asked me, in broken English if I was looking for something..answerd "I Lost my group" Well he seemed to know where MY group was among the many that were touring... so I started to follow him and another young man.

Last spot 

See girl with hat in insert.

Well then I thought that the group would be visiting the Mallah, Jewish Quarter so my new companions took me through the alleys to the Jewish Quarter to the Old Synagogue.  There I met a lovely lady from the Jewish Community that explained that there were no groups expected that day... which was the eve of Sukkot and also of Muslim feast Eid al-Fitr.  So off we went through the allies back to some main square. Took only 2 shots during my walk. Mind wasn't exactly on photography....composite showing the alley from the Synagogue and an interesting door with a Hamsa doorknob. I must have been some sight following two young Morocan boys.

My Morrocan guides 

Alley from Jewish Synagogue

Composite + Topaz Simplicity filters

Back to the main square there many tourist buses and we asked a driver about our group... Showed him a shot taken the day before of our bus and driver.... he didn't know him... Then I got the idea that I may have the the telephone number of our guide David... seaching through my phone found the number but alas it was his Tel-Aviv cell number... and the paper with his Moroccan number was back at the hotel...  my new guides helped me change money to make public calls... in the end got change from a local woman sitting and selling some odd items.... the boy saw that the change was not correct and spoke with her harshly demanding the correct amount.... why I didn't think to call the hotel was beyond me... had the hotel card....

Our GREAT driver

Well this is really turning into a long blog!!!! Long story short decided to taxi back to the hotel....David, our guide told us it would cost about 20 Dirhams but taxi driver charged me 50... one of my guides accompanied me in the taxi... saying he was to visit a friend in the Police station nearby...so off we went... let me tell you you are taking your life in your hands driving around Marrakech.... my guide got a generous tip... actually more than he asked for... wasn't that familiar with exchange rate ...the taxi driver also wanted another 20 dirhams to take my guide back to the square.... end of the line buddy... NADA...

Back at the hotel went immediately to the conseirge and told them that I was from David's group and they  told me that he has called about 1000 times looking to see if I returned..... I thought well I would spend the rest of the day relaxing by the pool... think I deserved that!!! It wasn't much more than 15-20 minutes that my daughter Yael  knocked on the door.... she also had a story to tell... remember the cosmetic shop... well the owner brought her back to the hotel on a moterbike... YIKES.   So back in a taxi ... back to the to the square... the group was on its own to wander ans shop....

.

Steet Scene

Marrakech

Also we got Henna drawings...

After bringing some refreshments she grabbed my hand and also made a drawing on my hand... which lasted the whole trip....

Henna Drawing

 In the early evening we went back to the Jemaa el-Fnaa square for more shopping and Marrakech experience... this time we rode there by horse and buggy!!! I was quite tired and overwhelmed by the crowds etc.  Yael said it reminded her of India only India MUCH more.... 

Horse and Buggy

A very popular way of transportation in 

Marrakech

Jemaa el-Fnaa Square

Early Evening

Jemaa el-Fnaa Square

Early Evening

Bazarre Jemaa el-Fnaa Square 

Composite plus filters from Topaz Simplify 

My Moroccan Album on flickr