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July 31, 2005
Final Day in Cyprus
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I am off home to Oxford tomorrow night and have been winding down art activities in the last few days. Above are most of the pictures I have produced in Cyprus. (There are three more which I have not got round to getting pics of yet). On the whole I am pleased with what i have produced, but even more pleased with where i think I can take the work when I get back.
The most dominent part of my last week here is simple spedning my afternoons down on the rock by the old pier. It has become the place where the group go late in the afternoon to swim and bath. It is also where fisherman dock their small boats. In recent weeks we have befriended a group of Egptian fisherman. They have been great company and twice now they have given us a large fresh tuna to take home and cook.You have never tasted anything like a tuna straight out of the sea. I fried it with a little flour, lemon and flat leaf parsley ans served with cyprus potatoes and tomatos. Lovely!
Many people have already gone home and more are today. Spending a month in such intense proximity with new people has been great. I have not got on with all but it is a very stimulating enviroment.
There has been a big loud beer festival over the last few days down near the pier. Loud power ballad english rock bands and various euro beers, arcades and lot of people. One particularly ‘fine’ singer belted out; Lets make a commune and build it up together.. Inspirinf stuff.
Well next blog will be back in blighty. I will try to update my gallery pages before I get off to Edinburgh for the summer school there.
Bye Bye Cyprus, I will be back!
Posted by robbie at 10:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 27, 2005
breakthroughs
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Limassol is in many ways a lot like Hastings. It is an old forgotten town with many parts run down and peopled with an eccletic mix of types. It has a seafront and a pier where locals and visitors hang out. Fisherman fish and people come to find solace in the sea. This week Limassol is hosting a contemporary dance festival. Much of the dance is taking place in public spaces and is free. A couple of nights ago, we all went down at midnight to the pier to wathc 6 dancers inhabit the space while kids did wheelies on their bikes, cypriots strutted around and the there was a smattering of artisan locals and tourists. It was fantastic and even a wee cat got in on the act.
My painting is now becoming a lot more honest and real to me this my last week here. The two images posted above are based on my doodles and thoughts spending time on the rocks at the old harbour and the dance festival event. I am allowing the space to breath a lot more and have moved away from my tradional horizon lines. I think I have been trying to emulate so many other painters in recent years that I had forgotten what it is I can do for myself. These tow are not finished, but they offer me many clues on how to proceed with my work when I get home. I might now even be able to tackle Oxford!
Only 4 days left and I might hire a car this weekend to finish it off. I have a few days in Oxford before I head up to Edinburgh to teach on the summer school for a week.
Posted by robbie at 10:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 23, 2005
Pictures Update 2
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Finally found a reliable internet cafe here in Limassol in Cyprus. Not much to report these last days. My day is: wake up 6am, cyprus coffee, studio 7am - 12noon, market 12 - 1pm, hammock 1 - 2pm, swim in harbour 2 - 5pm, dinner 8pm, cards and wine till late…
Above are two images of lastest work. The Trodos mountain picure is nearly finished and I am quite pleased with the start I have made to the new one which hold more unconventional space for me. Really geting into my stride now. The third picture is me in the studio this morning. I took it to send to my nephew Harper in Hastings who has just broken his arm, poor fellow.
Posted by robbie at 11:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 20, 2005
week 3 in Cyprus
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This is the slowest internet cafe connection ever!! Bloody thing!!
I have many pictures I want to post but the connect just want to it. Will put them on later I promise.(Pictures added 21st July)
Well my service taxi in Pafos never turned up and I was stranded there with only 20 pounds to my name. So, I had to go back to Joe and Fiona’s Hotel and they were kind enough to let me crash on thier sofa. It did let me catch the last rounds of the Open golf at Saint Andrews. Which was nice. Joe and Fiona took me out for a posh dinner before spending the night to get up early to catch the only bus from Pafos to Limassol at 7.30am.
I was meant to do a talk on colour on Monday morning at Limassol, but I cancelled it as I had arrived back tired and under prepared. So I just got on with my paintings and started also to do some small watercolours in the afternoon on the balcony where there is a little shade.
Money is getting a wee bit tight now so it Tom, Colm, Nick and myself are sharing dinners. I made a pork stew which only cost us about 1 quid each. Wine and cards followed. Pat is getting too good at cards and it is all getting very competitive. More painting and chilling on Tuesday followed by my slide talk on my work. Gordon, the oldest memeber of the group by far (77) had invited myself, Tom, Colm and Nick out for a ‘gentlemens’ dinner. So we had a merry night eating amazing Meze over wine and a whistling guitar player.
I finally did my talk on colour mixing this morning and there was only one heckler - so that so cool. Life drawing, a swim and now down to the internet cafe. Life is good.
People are now starting to get itchy feet and are starting to rent cars and go off and see the island a bit. Some went off to Aya Napa and more are going soon. Some hate it here and cant wait to leave and some are going on diving courses. But there is a hard core of people wanting to make art and have a good time.
Posted by robbie at 5:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 17, 2005
serendipity
(Pictures added on the 21st July)
I am sitting an internet cafe in Paphos. The same one I used all the time when I was here in 2002. I am a bit of a nostalgia fiend so it is nice to be here again. Had a great weekend here and it has got me thinking how much serendipity there has been for me on my trip so far…
First there was Nick turing up in Limassol; Nick had been in Lemba with me 2002. Great bloke who cut my hair the other day as he is also a good barber; best cut I have had in years! Then there are three people from Chichester in Limassol; Tom, Lucy and Kate. None of them actually trained in Chichester, but they were all brought up there and know all my old haunts. Most suprising is that Kate’s mother is studying fine art at UCC in Chichester and I taught her in my last year teaching there. Then, there is Annabelle and Elliot, who are from Oxford Brookes. Annabelle has just finished fine art and Elliot is still study architecture. Annabelle did not enjoy Brookes and she is certainly not enjoying Limassol. I don’t think the life of an artist is for her.
The Great Wall of Lemba at Cyprus College of Art
And now this weekend in Lemba, there were two students that I taught in Aberdeen at Grays School of Art. Nicola, I taught way back in 1994 and Chris was in his first year in my last year there in 1999. It was great to see them both and it was particularly nice to see Nicola’s work which I have always admired. Nicola is now also teaching at my old school in Aberdeen working alongside my old art teacher!! My talk there went down well and we all went out for food and drinks after.
Painting by Nicola Galloway in Lemba
Joe Fan came along to my slide talk. I met up with Joe, Fiona and their daughter Maisy who are on holiday here near Lemba. I swam in their hotel pool both days which was the same pool I swam in with my ex Suzie when she visited me here in 2002. Joe was in great form and it was weirdly nice to meet him in a place he knows so well. His own paintings are full of cyprus images without being documentary.
Joe Fan enjoying a refreshment
Will post some pics tomorrow, but now I must go and find out where my taxi back to Limassol will pick me up. Bye.
Posted by robbie at 1:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 14, 2005
Picture update
Just finished a morning’s session painting my Trodos walk picture. I think I am getting into my stride now and at think there is a development in this picture. At least I am surprised how it is going as it looks unfamiliar to me, which is good.
Posted by robbie at 11:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 13, 2005
The sunrise and the Trodos Mountains
It is now near the end of my second week in Cyprus and things are now settling down into a routine. People’s personalities have now become clearer to each other in the group, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. There are at least half a dozen really nice people who I am enjoying spending time with immensely and we have developed a late night card school over a few Keo beers.
On Sunday night there was a cafuffle after a girls night out at 3 in the morning and caused a rumpus which kept me awake all night. But actually they did me a favour as Tom suggested we make the best of it a walk doen to the pier and watch the sunrise. It was amazing! And so cliched that no one would ever to attempt to paint it. Except me, after a sleeples night. Here is the result. A Czech girl Lanka has been trying to capture the sunrise in her paintings, so I thought I would give a go too..
Spent the rest of Monday in a hammock trying to catch up on my sleepless night.
Tuesday brought a group bus journey up to the Trodos mountains. This is what I have been waiting for; another look at the distinctive lansdcape within Cyprus. I am now in full flow scribbling in my book, whish is great. I went on a 6K walk over the hills and did three little watercolours in my book.
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Anyway, the trip in the mountains gave me a few ideas for pictures and today I started one which I think might be quite fun.
Still a fair way to go and as usual (at least when I am in Cyprus) I am starting at lot of pictures and not quite finishing them. Well it makes my studio look full.
It has got increasingly hotter as the trip has gone on and until yesterday i was coping with it well. Today it reached 44 degrees and there was no escape except here in the internet cafe.
Looking forward to my trip to Paphos on Saturday, where I will meet Joe, Fiona and their daughter Maisy who are just over from Aberdeen. And I am giving a talk about my work at the Lemba site where I was in 2002. So, I expect my next blog will be on my return after the weekend.
Posted by robbie at 5:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 10, 2005
Cyprus Pictures
Things are now going very well in Limassol in Cyprus and the group is gelling nicely. I am painting everyday, as well as swimming in the sea, eating good food, drinking a few beers and playing and losing games of contract whist (card game). On Friday, most of us went to Nicosia on the bus. I was dying to get out Limassol to see a bit of the landsape and I got a good amount of drawing done, which is already feeding into my new paintings. Interestingly, my work looks quite similar to the work I did here in 2002 in terms of colour and a sense of mythology. Here are a few images from my studio today. I am uploading them straight from my camera from a dodgy internet cafe in Limassol so no time to tidy them up…
(Got a Squid to have for my tea tonight!)
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Posted by robbie at 3:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 6, 2005
Cyprus!
I have now been in Cyprus for five days. I am a member of Staff at the Limassol Studios in Limassol, which is part of the Cyprus College of Art. It is not exactly a real teaching job as I am just there to provide support to a group of student, while we all make art and have a holiday. I was at the Lemba site back in 2002 as a punter, and it provided a wonderful spur to my art when I was bogged down working in Chichester (see Cyprus 2002 in Picture Galleries).
Well so far I have got to know the group, drank a lot of Keo beer, done a bit of drawing and painting, enjoyed the 30 plus degree temperatures and eaten a lot of pork! It was never going to be the fantastic experience of 2002 as I had built that up in my mind as once of my most recent happy experiences. The group are cool,if now hugely dynamic and it is nice just to amongst a group of working artists. It was nice to see Graham, Lisa and Andreos who run the studios, but I am dying to get up into the hills again and back over the Pafos at some point. I will try and see if I can connect my camera in the internet cafe so I can put up some pictures of what the place is like and some of my new pictures. It is very nice to be making some new pictures after 6 months of constipation in Oxford. Why is it so easy to work here and in Hastings?? Is it the sea?, the people? the food? Who knows!
Posted by robbie at 5:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack