The Best of Dingle (So Far)

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Paul

Here are some of my favorite photos of Dingle so far.

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You may have noticed that I also have completed two paintings. The fences and mountain picture is a watercolor. Smerwick Harbor is done with acrylics.

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The Best of London’s Art and Other Musings

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Jean

This will be my last London post until we return there in October.

………….

I’d hidden these away in a folder, then after my last post remembered them and went looking and found them. These are my favorites from those we saw in London, paintings that touched me deeply.

It was such a joy to see these . . . all new to me, even if the artist wasn’t . . . Each of these is from the artist at the peak of their talent . . . Each is special, whether in the story it tells, the exploration of color and form, or the explosion of light against the darkness . . . Each offers a glimpse of what is possible when you give your life to the pursuit of art, as of these artists did.

For those of us who come to this pursuit late in life, such perfection is beyond reach. You might ask, isn’t seeing these then a discouragement. If such perfection isn’t possible, then why try at all?

The answer for me is that the pursuit is a pleasure and while I will never reach these heights, what I do accomplish is still very satisfying. I love the process and I often love the outcome of my efforts. It isn’t a matter of creating masterpieces, but rather of exploring the medium and surprising myself with what I discover each time I do.

Seeing the masterpieces is that much more of a pleasure for me now that I have some understanding of what it took to create them and the pleasure it had to have given each of the artists as they did it.

Here they are . . . not nearly as good as seeing them face-to-face, but still a glimpse of greatness . . . and one small glimpse of effort to give you a smile . . .

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London Sights

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Jean

These are some of the sights of London that caught my eye, There are a lot of the Barcalona fans. It was fun seeing them. London, well it was brilliant.

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Catching Up With The News

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Paul

Our friends Norman and Janet arrived on Tuesday so we have been on the go since then and haven’t been to the pub to check messages and blog. Tuesday was settling in, Wednesday we toured the historic sites and scenic wonders of the Dingle Peninsula. The first one is just a couple of hundred yards from our house – the Gallarus Oratory. It was a cloudy and drizzly day, but we kept dry most of the time as we made our way around. It was too windy to take a ferry out to the Blasket Islands. I will post some pictures in a couple of days.

Today we drove the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Skellig. This is the peninsula south of Dingle. There was one major historic site – a fairly well preserved ring fort from about 100 AD. However, the Kerry peninsula has outstanding scenery, particularly if you take the Ring of Skellig road out at the end. That part does not allow tour buses, so it is much more remote. Again, photos to follow.

Unfortunately, on the way home a warning light came on in our car indicating that the bonnet is open. However, the bonnet is not open. We will have to call Avis tomorrow to ask what to do about it. This weekend we will post some pictures and more detailed comments.

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Catching Up

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Jean

Yes, we are in Ireland and it is grand . . . smiling.

It’s good to be settled for a few weeks, to have a home where the suitcases are unpacked and we are not in unremitting tourist mode, where we can make sense of all we’ve seen and have time for some art.

But a part of my heart is still in London. I’ve finally shaken the cold I had and have more energy, so will finish the postings I wanted to make there but didn’t have the energy for. Then I’ll feel completely committed to Ireland.

Today I’m posting a slide show of a few of my favorite paintings from London. They are in chronological order. The art has been so magnificent it’s not possible to say ‘this is my favorite painting.’ We’ve seen old favorite and discovered amazing unknown (to us) artists. I often walked into a room and glanced around and found myself drawn to a particular painting only to discover that it was a Rembrandt or a Singer-Sargent that I had never seen before. The Picasso’s and Degas’ and Renoir’s and Manet’s and Monet’s were mostly familiar images, but not all. And the newly discovered artists amazed me.

Below is a slim selection. There isn’t time to post them all.

Enjoy . . .

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Jean’s Art (http://www.flickr.com/photos/17938656@N00/collections/72157617310924235/)

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Dingle Internet Connection

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Paul

Dingle is a rather remote part of Ireland. The guidebooks list only two internet sources – both pay as you go internet cafes. However, we found that the pub closest to our house (about a mile) has free wifi! Therefore, our posts for the next 3 weeks will be dependent upon our being in the pub. In two days I’ve already had my fill of ale. Today I’m drinking Bulmar’s hard cider (4%) instead of ale.

Last night we were here for music. It was the latest we’ve been out for a long time…midnight. We met a young couple and had a great time. They are an Irish lad from Dublin and a Danish lass studying in Dublin. They are staying at the campground across the road from our house. We shared a table and much good cheer throughout the evening. That accounts for my abbreviated posts. We came over today for lunch and found that they don’t do food until 4 PM. However, since we’re here we will do some posts anyway. Jean should be posting with some of her photos.

Today the weather has turned foggy and misty. There is not an iota of sunshine to be seen. We slept late and spent some time organizing photos from yesterday. I sketched outlines for two paintings – one acrylic and one watercolor – that I will begin later. The area is so filled with beautiful scenery that there is no end to subjects to paint.

Tomorrow our friends Norman and Janet should arrive. Hopefully the weather will clear for good sightseeing while they are here.

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Dingle

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Paul

Yesterday we drove from Glendalough to Dingle. It took a while to get settled. Our landlord is less than organized, didn’t have our bill sorted out, didn’t have the house ready, didn’t have someone to guide us to the house, and made us wait an hour before we got there. When we did we found acccomodations less than we had hoped for. The house is larger than ours, so the space is great. However, we have found many items not in working order. Ce’st la vie!

Today we started with a long walk to and on the beach. It was grand! The wind was blowing 30 knots from the north, the sun shone on the mountains, and the ocean was emerald blue green. After lunch in a nearby pub we walked the cliffs to the north. That was even more grand. Then we retired to our house for some rest. After a light dinner at home we drove to the pub for some evening refreshment and the free wifi.

Here are a few pics from the day. We have lots of images to paint now.

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Ireland Travels

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Paul

On Friday we picked up our car at the airport and drove to Glendlough, a very popular national park. This was the beginning of a bank holiday weekend, the first weekend in June, and a popular time for weddings…the perfect storm. We got the last room at Glendalough Hotel – two twin beds. This hotel is sort of like the Old Faithful Lodge of this part of Ireland. It was quite nice.

We arrived in time to take a hike up the valley to see the forest, the lakes, and the site of an ancient monestary. It was a wonderful afternoon and evening. The wedding went on without us. They partied until 4:00 am and then were at breakfast with us at 9 in the morning. Aah, to be young again!

Here are a few photos from Glendalough.

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Art Old and New

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Paul

Today we had two stops on our art education tour. The first was Trinity College, reputed to be one of the best universities in the world. Its old library is the home of the Book of Kells and several other medieval manuscripts as part of the collection of over 200,000 old and rare books. The artwork on the old manuscripts is exquisite and when you see how it was done with quill pens and little brushes of martin fur you are more impressed. There is a good deal of information along the way to distract you from the fact that you are part of a large herd moving slowly through a tight space to the ultimate goal: The Book of Kells. My favorite distraction were some personal poems written by an Irish monk in 9th century Switzerland.

Pangur Ban

I and Pangur Ban my cat

‘Tis like task we are at:

Hunting mice is his delight,

Hunting words I sit all night.

Better far than prise of men

‘Tis to sit with book and pen;

Pangur bears me no ill will

He too plies his simple skill

Oftentimes a mouse will stray

In the hero Pangur’s way

Oftentimes my keen thought set

Takes a meaning in its net.

‘Gainst the wall he sets his eye

Full and fierce and sharp and sly;

‘Gainst the wall of knowledge I

All my little wisdom try.

Practice every day has made

Pangur perfect in his trade;

I get wisdom day and night

Turning darkness into light.

 

The Scribe

A hedge of trees surrounds me

A blackbird sings sweetly;

Above my well-ruled book

The birds sing far and wide.

In a green cloak of leafy branches

The cuckoo sings her lovely chant;

Protect me, Lord, on Judgement Day

Happily I write beneath the trees.

 

Our second stop was the Irish National Gallery where we discovered a wonderful artist, new to us. Jack B. Yeats was the younger brother of W.B. Yeats. Jack was a novelist, playwright, sculptor, comic satirist, and accomplished fine artist. We saw a three room exhibiton of his work, a sample of which is shown below. This man began painting before World War I and painted into the 1950’s. During that time his style changed from realistic to very expressionistic. What a find! I particularly draw your attention to Grief, a painting lamenting war.

We also saw many fine masterworks at the gallery. They house a recently discovered Cqaravaggio, The Taking of Christ. It was known through references long ago, but was assumed lost. It was found hanging on a monastery wall in Ireland! The monks loaned it to the National Gallery. We also saw a beautiful Monet that had been cleaned recently. The colors were so bright and clear it looked like he just painted it. There were many others too numerous to mention.

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Dublin Art – What A Day!

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Paul

Today was another intensive art day. However, I first should begin with breakfast. Our “traditional” Irish breakfast consisted of an egg over easy, pork and beans, Canadian bacon, some kind of link sausage (little flavor), some kind of patty sausage (tasted a bit like Spam), white bread toast (whole wheat was not an option), and lots of tea. That was sufficient protein to keep me going until 6:00 p.m. Unfortunately, we haven’t found any breakfast alternatives other than pastry shops, so we will have the same tomorrow. On to the art.

The Chester Bailey Library on the campus of Trinity College is hosting an exhibit of Henri Matisse publications. This fabulous exhibition featured four different mediums used by Matisse: lino cut block prints, etchings, etchings with watercolor, and stencils of his cut paper works. All were works used to illustrate or accompany works of literature in limited edition publications. The block prints were for Pasiphae, Song of Minos (The Cretans) as reinterpreted by Henry de Montherlant. Etchings accompanied the poetry of Stephane Mallarme. Some soft-ground etchings and pencil studies illustrated an edition of Ulysses (James Joyce). Poems of Charles d’Orleans were illustrated by colour lithographs. And the last section featured Matisse’s famous series called Jazz, which the artist accompanied with his own written musings.

This exhibit spoke to my interest in block printing. Matisse’s use of simple lines to show a gesture and mood are exquisite. His bold use of color is exciting. On the way out they had a creative table to encourage viewers to try their hand and demonstrate their reaction to the exhibit. I sat down and produced Matisse at Dublin Castle, which I will attempt to use to create a block print next winter. While I was working on it two women came by and one remarked about how wonderful it was that they set up this area for children to make art. I looked up and with a smile said, “I’m young at heart.” You’ll have to wait until next winter to see my finished print.

The second wonderful art show in town is at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. It is Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. This is an exhibit of works in the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection held by the Mexican National Institute of Fine Arts. It was first shown in Istanbul and will go to London after here. I can’t begin to describe the stunning display of art, the wonderful descriptions and histories that accompany the pieces, and an additional collection of photographs by Guillermo Kahlo (Frida’s father), and photos of Frida and Diego by Martin Mankacsi, Bernard Siberstein, and Nickolas Muray. Wow! It was the most comprehensive Kahlo and Rivera exhibit I’ve ever seen and the details of their lives and work made it all the more alive. My favorite quote in the show was from Frida when someone labeled her a surrealist. She said she was definitely not a surrealist because she didn’t paint dreams and visions, she painted her life.

We took a stroll through an old graveyard behind the museum, which is housed in what used to be a military hospital. The sad graves that have fallen into ruin were a somber end to a very good day. Our day ended with dinner at a the same neighborhood pub we dined at last night, The Celtic. I had Irish Stew (Guiness in the gravy) and Jean had salmon cakes. We finished up with white chocolate cheesecake and Bailey’s. This was by far our most extravagent meal since we arrived in Europe, but it felt good after such a great art day.

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