Sorry folks – I didn’t mean to be silent for so long…but then I never intended to fall flat on my face (twice!) either – and knock my 5th vertebrae out of alignment in the process!. Yes, I’ve been in … Continue reading
Well, I know we officially passed mid-summer a while back but, as we’re about half-way through the summer season here, I thought it was time for a quick update! As usual, it’s been a hectic time. Painting guests have come … Continue reading
I decided to put the paints away today and see if there was life beyond the garden wall, human life that is.
I know there’s plenty of wildlife; I was up at the crack of dawn again, rudely awoken this time by the deafening frogs ‘mating chorus’, down in Paraskevi valley. Judging by the almighty din, there must be hundreds of them!. Plato * wrote this about the humble frog:
“Modelled in bronze, this servant of the Nymphs, this damp songster, this friend of rain, this frog who delights in bubbling water-springs, is the votive offering of the wayfarer.
For on a day of torrid heat it saved him from the thirst tormenting him. The timely singing of its amphibious mouth led him to a moist hollow where he found water.
Following carefully that guiding voice, he came upon the well he sought for”
Blinded by the strong sunlight that streamed in as I opened the shutters first thing….
and greeted by a blue cloudless sky which held the promise of a lovely day, I decided to set off for Skiathos town. At this time of year the local bus service is reduced to a bare minimum (3 times a day if we’re lucky!). I was prepared for a long wait but within moments a girlfriend drove by and I gratefully accepted a lift into town.
The first thing I noticed was the eerie emptiness of the cobbled streets. The whole town was SO quiet – virtually deserted apart from the occasional curious alley cat.
but eventually I did find signs of human life when I met up with some friends at a favourite haunt: ‘O Batis’; a lovely restaurant with a fabulous view (perched as it is on the steps above the harbour) run by Christos and wife Lena.
I enjoyed a typically Greek meal of Horiatiki (Greek salad) and fried calamares (squid) – though I probably wouldn’t have chosen that particular dish had I met this chap BEFORE I sat down!
proud fisherman returning with his catch
....a huge octopus!
The following few hours were idled away in typical Greek island fashion; sipping coffee at a port-side cafe, listening to fishermens sea stories and watching the antics of the sea-gulls as they circled a solitary fishing trawler in the harbour .
Later on I was taken to meet a very interesting character called Giorgos. He’s the local resident ‘rag and bone ‘ man and his old store and yard is an amazing Aladdin’s cave stacked to the ceiling with old wooden dressers, chairs, carved doors, ancient pots and baskets. I was in seventh heaven till I discovered he was not actually in the business of selling anything; restoring all his ‘found’ treasures is simply his passion.
But eventually, after a lot of persuasion (and the promise of a painting or two from me!), he agreed, reluctantly, I could buy a couple of things which he insists on restoring and delivering to me before taking any payment. He then invited us into his home nearby which is filled with beautiful, old, traditional Skiathos furniture that he’s rescued and lovingly restored over the years; fine examples of a bygone era that, sadly, has all but disappeared now.
His charming wife plied us with a typical island ‘welcome’ treat; home-made quince preserve and a lethal almond liqueur! All the while I was trying to remember where I’d seen Giorgos before, his face seemed so familiar. Then it came to me; it was he who had transported the donkey to my olive grove last summer (remember the post ‘Greek Wedding, ‘Mamma Mia!’ style’?). Since then her owner had died and after finding her in a sorry, neglected state, he rescued her too and restored her to such a state of good health that he now affectionately calls her ‘Luxandra’ (the name, he told me, of a legendary literary (and particularly ‘large’) character from Constantinople who was famous for her exceptional culinary skills.
It was 8.30 at night before I made my way to the taxi rank on the deserted port where , unusually, only one cab was in service and (to give you some idea of just how quiet Skiathos is right now) the driver appeared rather surprised, then clearly delighted, to have a customer and drove me home. It transpired I was only his second fare of the day!
* This epigram is attributed to Plato (VI – 45) and is taken from ‘Poems from the Greek Anthology’, translated by Forrest Reid and published by Faber & Faber
Talk about things coming out of the blue! If there’s one word to describe life on a Greek island, ‘dull’ would not be it!
There I was, happily painting away, totally absorbed, in my studio with only a cd player and some classical music for company when my mobile rang, and a frantic voice at the other end informed me ’We’ve got a donkey on a truck, can we bring it to your olive grove and will you help us decorate it for a wedding? The bride wants to arrive at the church (near your house) on him – Oh, and did I mention we’ve only got about 20 minutes till the ceremony starts?” !!
Well you don’t get requests like that every day, so of course I said
“Yes!”
I downed my brushes, rushed to the tool shed , grabbed the pliers and set-about snipping off olive branches. The truck (plus donkey!) arrived, stopping the traffic and causing quite a commotion on the road, much to the amusement of the tourists returning from their day at the beach.
The donkey arrives
Within minutes he was transformed with bunches of white oleander, fronds of olive, pearls and cream silk ribbon.
ready to go
A white hand-crocheted lace coverlet was thrown over his saddle and, before he had time to complain, and he was whisked off again, to the rear of the church where the bride was waiting.
She made her entrance in good time and looked so beautiful she brought gasps of admiration and cheers from the gathering crowd of on-lookers. It was a truly memorable sight and the simple wedding was small, intimate and elegant.
the tiny church
Where has the year gone? Last time I looked it was the beginning of June or something…..Well, that’s what comes of keeping your head down and keeping busy, busy, busy, I guess!
UP-DATE
I returned to the island at the end of August to find the summer circus in full swing; crowds, noise and, with virtually no rain all year, everything was dusty, brown and dry. Heaving with tourists, crowded beaches, full tavernas and bars and even fabulous yachts of the rich and famous (rumor has it these shores have been graced with the likes of Madonna, Bruce Willis, Mr Abramovitch et al) Skiathos, once again, has played host to them all. Even a couple of ‘princely’ brothers, who (apparently) booked the whole local cinema for an evening’s private viewing of ’Mamma Mia’ the movie, which has been showing to packed houses, non-stop throught the season.
Here we are at the start of September and with plane-loads and full-to-capacity ferries leaving every day, gradually the island is returning to it’s leisurely pace….the evenings are cooler and the crowds are thinning out. Phase 1 of the build is complete, the builders have left the site, ‘normality’ has for the moment returned and peace reigns once again - Lovely!
That said, I woke up a couple of mornings ago to the mother of all electrical storms. It circled the island for hours. Gale-force winds, ominously dark skies then huge claps of thunder, quickly followed by sheets of lightning galloping across and dramatically illuminating the valley below. Then followed a 2-day torrential down pour! Despite the resultant flooding (roads blocked, stream beds bursting their banks) it couldn’t have been more welcome for Skiathos had become seriously short of water with many springs and bore-holes and wells, all but drying up. In an instant the island turned fresh, lush and green once more. I did feel for the holiday-makers though, who were expecting to stretch out on a sun-bed on arrival. Unless you’re adventurous and can make the best of the opportunity to don walking shoes and a kagoul and explore the island, it must be pretty miserable cooped up in a studio apartment, praying for some sun. I have to say, I didn’t mind it one bit. I even took all the newly sprung leaks in my stride until the final straw – when I entered the art studio; everything, canvasses, paintings, sketchpads etc, was floating about in half a meter of brown muddy water! I’d forseen the likelihood of this happening, when I noticed the newly-laid path to the front door was sloping down towards it and I had expressly asked that a storm drain be installed in my absence. Was it done? NO! And the builder, who has his mobile phone permanently attached to his ear, mysteriously couldn’t be reached – he’d ’conveniently’ disappeared off the planet! I spent several hours baling-out but thankfully there wasn’t too much permanent damage….
ART EXHIBITION 2008
The end of August brought the Annual Skiathos Art Exhibition to a close. It really has been a great success; not just in terms of over-all sales but, more importantly, by the sheer volume of visitors (a record 15,000 this year!!) and, judging by the many glowing and wonderful comments written in the guest book, it was much enjoyed and well-received by all.
Reading the guest book
Skiathos, and the rest of the Sporades, is fast becoming recognised for its vibrant art community which is clearly growing from strength to strength every year.
NEXT ART EXHIBITION – AT EVANGELISTRIA MONASTERY, SEPTEMBER 13TH & 14TH
Another of Skiathos’ claim to fame is the birth (and the raising) of the National flag for the very first time, following Greece’s War of Independence. It took place at the Evangelistria Monastery on Skiathos and every year, in September, celebrations are held there to commemorate this special event.
This year, to mark the occasion, seven UNESCO ARTISTS (yours truly among them) have been invited to exhibit art work relevant to the occasion. It promises to be a memorable event and a Unesco delegation from Athens will be joining us for the first time. All sorts of religious services and festivities are planned and I’m really excited about it - I only hope I can finish my paintings in time!
ARCHIPELAGOS GALLERY
I’ve been completely inspired by a new artist/illustrator/set & costume designer from the mainland, DIMITRA LAMBRETSA, whose lastest collection is currently on show at the Archipelagos Gallery. Not only does her work, depicting glimpses of life ‘back stage’ at the theatre, resonate with my own backgound (enough for me to have purchased a painting myself!) but I came to know what a lovely person she is when she came and spent the day at my studio. You can see her work HERE
Dimitra Labretsa
Dimitra by her work
Dimitra’s talents are manyfold. Above she is standing next to her pencil drawing of a prehistoric Mastodon (mammut Borsoni), commissioned for a archaeological & paleantology project by the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki (in collaboration with a research team from the Rotterdam Museum), who made history when they unearthed its skeleton at Milia, Greece. You can read more about their exciting find and the whole project, HERE
Getting to meet so many fellow artists who are so generous with their time and talents is proving to be one of the best things about this whole venture!
DESPINA MITSELOU
Regular readers of this blog will have heard me mention my dear friend and fellow-artist Despina. She is the king-pin without whom, with her tireless, selfless dedication, none of the events I write about would ever have taken place. I along with many others have much to thank her for – not least, in being such a good supportive friend so I want to thank her and feature her here. I doubt there is a single shop, restaurant or hotel on the island that hasn’t been touched my Despina’s magic paintbrush. Her work is everywhere! On facades, signs, billboards if anyone needs to find her, she’s generally to be found teetering at the top of a ladder somewhere - even in the heat of the midday sun! This year, as well as organising the art exhibitions, and countless local events, she also completed countless private commissions for murals and the one that delighted tourists the most (especially the children) was her work in Maria’s Pizza. You can see some of her work, the flowers that fill the stairwell, in this illustration I painted for Maria earlier in the year:
My illustration of Maria in her kitchen
Every wall, window and balcony is filled with her magical creations; fairies, elves, scenes from every nursery rhyme and folk tale you can think of! Thank you Despina! For brightening up our lives and for your dedication to promoting the arts and Culture of Skiathos, you are a real jewel in Skiathos’ crown.
Here is a photo, taken this morning, showing Despina outside her latest creation at the new book store in Papadiamantis street:
Despina on the steps outside the new book store
Detail, of fairy
Detail, of pixie on shop sign
THEATRE WORKSHOP
Day’s are full at the moment. I’ve been organising a theatre workshop for the youngsters of Skiathos. I was contacted through this site by teacher of theatre and performing arts in Germany, who was keen to offer his expertise in a one-day workshop. The high-school principle Mr Leonidas, along with the president of the Municipal Culture Committee, Mr Sakis Zlatoudis and the Mayor, Mr Nikos Plomaritis, are all in favour, thrilled with this wonderful opportunity and have given us the green light. It will take place this Saturday, in the local high school and I’ll be going along to see the fun. I’ll take some photos too and post them on here. Hopefully this is the first of many such events.
PAINTING SKIATHOS HAS RESUMED…
… and I’ll be delighted to welcome back Irish artist Mary Dillon once again, in a couple of weeks. This time she’ll be bringing an artist friend too so exciting times, with lots of painting, lie ahead.
Sunny days have returned without the scorching heat of July and August and life on this enchanting little island is beginning to slow down….so if you’re tempted to join me here for an inspirational painting holiday and a little bit of sun, there’s still time but do contact me soon. Places are filling up and before you know it mid-October will be upon us and I’ll be packing up my brushes and paints, closing up the villa and heading for London………… till ‘Painting Skiathos’ resumes once again, next Spring.
If you’d prefer to wait till then, be sure to book well in advance as I’m already taking bookings for 2009, and if there is anything you’d like to see offered in the ‘workshops’, or If you are a tutor, in any creative discipline and would like to run a workshop yourself (or perhaps incorporate a day or two into your regular family holiday) just drop me a line – I’d love to hear from you.
I’ve just returned from a buzzing Skiathos town where the movie everyone has been waiting for, had its world premier tonight. Filmed on location in Skiathos and the neighbouring island of Skopelos, last summer, local townsfolk were anxious to see not only how their island has been portrayed but were also hoping to catch a glimpse of themselves on the big screen,as many had taken part in the filming, as ‘extras’.
They weren’t disappointed and they have every right to feel immensely proud of their island – Skiathos looked absolutely BEAUTIFUL! The tiny open-air cinema (complete with red carpet for the occasion!) was filled to capacity and looking around, seeing the beaming smiles from start to finish, the general consensus was clearly one of huge approval. It’s such a fun-filled, fast-paced, ‘feel good’ movie; there wasn’t a still pair of feet in the house (Abba’s music throughout provided plenty of opportunity for toe-tapping!). Side-splitting funny scenes were interspersed with moments filled with pure joy and even pathos. This movie has it all. Meryl Streep, along with all her co-stars; Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth et al, gave superb performances. They were brilliantly cast and clearly had great fun throughout the shooting. Mamma Mia’s sure to enjoy global success and put Skiathos firmly on the map!
I, for one, can’t wait to see it again!
