Skopelos foundation for the arts, Greece

 I have just arrived home after an artists residency on the island of Skopelos in Greece. I did lots of small gouache studies, but didn’t do my best work. I had terribly swollen feet from the flight for the whole 2 weeks making it hard to get around to work plein air. As well as that there was a catastrophic storm with livestock drowned and a lot of damage so it was not the time nor place to ask the island people to sit for portraits as they had other things on their minds.  And it was the portraits that I was interested in more than the beautiful scenery. Never mind. The island of Skopelos is beautiful, a green on blue paradise in the Sporades.   Someone told me that four S words describe the Greek people.  Soul, smile, sun and song!  It is true!  There is a wonderful animal welfare group working there helping the stray dogs and cats.  So good to see!  Selling one of my little gouache studies to a nice artist couple from America was a nice thing.   Also visited Athens and Santorini.  I fell in love with the Greek Islands.  Will I go back one day.  No!  There are other amazing places to explore that I have yet to see.  Would I do another artists residency. No!  As nice as everyone was, I learned a valuable lesson.  I like to work alone.  I like the solitude and I feel a closer connection to my subject when I am alone. Artists residencies just aren’t my thing.  I don’t need to be with other artists to find inspiration, in fact I think I loose it.  Next trip…… a little place on my own with my paints and brushes.

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