After leaving Deva we made a bee line to Bilbao. Jeanie and I were both excited about seeing the Guggenheim. We arrived about 2 in the afternoon, checked into our hotel right across the river and headed over. It’s much larger than I expected and make a dramatic impact on the skyline. Unlike EMP, the Guggenheim is beautiful. A sculpture outside along the river mirrors the grand scale of the museum and resembles a giant spider with an egg sack. Inside the museum is stunning, not only for the large scale, but the permanent exhibits. There are 3 red giant Venus’, and an exhibit room about the size of a football field holding 8 sculptures by Richard Serra (Wake @ Olympic Sculpture Park). We were not much interested in the Cy Trombly exhibit, but loved the History of Art.
The next day we changed our plans and decided to head toward Salamanca. We arrived about 7 in the evening and found a hotel. I had parked a couple of blocks away while Jeanie went in to see if they had a vacancy. When I went to park the car in the hotel’s garage I got completely lost. You can’t just go around the block in Europe like you can in America. I stopped 5 times to ask directions and got a fast stream if Spanish this I understood about 1/10 of. After an hour and a half, I finally found the hotel with Jeanie standing out front in the cold worried about me.
The next morning we headed out to the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca and found a sculpture exhibit. This was the one day that we left the camera in the hotel, and were really disappointed in ourselves for doing so. The sculpture was cast in bronze and consisted mostly of giant women’s heads with different hats and hairdos. There was also 5 Las Meninas sculptures in advancing height like Russian dolls.
On our way to Madrid we had to stop at Avila. After seeing the ancient town walls intact (from a distance) we had to stop and stroll through the ancient walls. More sculpture, but this time of a religious nature. There is a convent inside the old town and many, many shops for tourists. Go figure.
We reached Madrid in the afternoon in time to drop our car off at Atocha Station, grabbed a cab and headed for our hotel which was nearby. After checking in we went in search of a restaurant, but unfortunately for us it was siesta time and everything was closed. We had to wait till 7:00 or 7:30 for the restaurants to open. We were directed to a pizza place nearby and went there a couple of nights later. We were so happy to have pizza instead of tapas, we declared it the best pizza we had ever had.
The next day we checked out Plaza Mayor and found a restaurant that served pasta. Yum. The Spanish do pasta well. We did some shopping, took a siesta and then went to the Prado. The Prado was only about 4 blocks from our hotel and we walked over. Once inside, I found it overwhelming. There are 3000 paintings in the Prado’s collection and 1500 on display over 3 floors. The rooms are huge. I don’t think they did anything on a small scale there. The paintings were huge as well. We had to go back the next day with a game plan drawn out because we realized we would never be able to see everything. I got to see my beloved Goya paintings, but the Naked Maja was on loan to another museum. Still, it was the Prado and I was there.
Later we wandered over to the Museo de Raina Sofia where Gernika is on display. To experience that painting in life was a dream come true. It is a memorial to the 10 thousand people who lost their lives, and seems even more relevant today than it was when Picasso first painted it. Jeanie wept, I was in awe. Jeanie got too close and set off the alarm, which someone did about every 15 minutes.
Everyone asks what was my favorite part of the trip and I’d have to say all of it. Every last minute of our vacation was better than we could ever have expected. We both kept pinching ourselves the whole time we were in Spain. Jeanie and I make great travel partners. I was the driver and she the navigator. All the people, places, food, art, everything enchanted us. I could not have asked for a better vacation. We loved our day trip to San Juan de Luz in France and decided that France deserved our next visit. Perhaps a week in Paris and a week driving around. J Can’t wait.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
November 17, 2008 - Bilbao, Spain
Yesterday we woke up in a sleepy little cove on the Atlantic ocean in a small village called Deba or Deva, it´s spelled both ways, but pronounced Dava. We stayed at a little Pension and had the best tapas yet at the local taverna right on the beach.
From Deba we traveled along the coast to Amoribieta which is where friends of Jeanie´s are from and named after. In Amoribieta we stopped at a open air market and shopped. There was mostly fresh produce but lots of a cloths on display too. We did buy some artisan cheese and I was sorely tempted to buy some of the Iberian ham. I think I like it even better than the Italian version. After lunch in Amoribieta we set off again.
Next stop, Gernika, the place of the famous battle and the inspiration for the painting by the same name by Picasso. In Gernika we stopped at the (covered) town square and took in a mushroom competition. It´s fall and a little rainy here and there were hundreds of types of mushrooms on display. Mozart was playing over the loud speakers, children were dancing, truffle oil and mushroom pate were being sold, and there was a long queue waiting for fresh cooked mushrooms.
About 2 in the afternoon we arrived in Bilbao. After quickly checking into our hotel we crossed the river on a glass floored walking bridge (Jeanie clinging to me) and walked the short distance to the Guggenheim Museum. I have always wanted to see the Guggenheim in person and I couldn´t beleive I was now standing in front of it. Actually we entered from the back, but exited the front. It is beautiful, and no matter what you think of Geary or the EMP, this structure is breathtaking inside and out. There was a traveling exhibit of The History of Art with so much classical art we wanted to come back a second day. But they are closed on Mondays. Bummer.
We are not due in Madrid until tomorrow afternoon and since we can´t go to the museum again today we decided to take off for Madrid anyway. Again we will travel the back roads and stay off the toll roads. We love stopping in all the little towns along the way. We'll stay somewhere along the way.
I didn´t tell you about france. We drove up to St. Jean de Luz and the minute we crossed the border you could tell you were in a different country. The houses are different from Spain and they are all white with red trim. In the country side anyway. I see why people want to live in the south of France. The town of St Jean de Luz is on the Atlantic and at this time of year most of the touristas have left. Not much was open in town, but we found a wonderful little french restaurant and ate a fabulous meal. A kindly older gentleman diner offered his opinions of our culinary choices. Jeanie had fisherman´s stew and I had the duck and frites. The best duck and french fries I have ever had and the most expensive. Along the route to France we stopped in Irun, Spain at again another open air market and I bought artisan made chocolate and duck and goose pate. Yum.
Okay, that´s a lot for this morning and we haven´t even had breakfast yet, which in Spain is usually toast and coffee. I hope the hotel restaurant has eggs over easy.
Love to all,
Joy
Joy and Jeanie´s Grand Adventura
From Deba we traveled along the coast to Amoribieta which is where friends of Jeanie´s are from and named after. In Amoribieta we stopped at a open air market and shopped. There was mostly fresh produce but lots of a cloths on display too. We did buy some artisan cheese and I was sorely tempted to buy some of the Iberian ham. I think I like it even better than the Italian version. After lunch in Amoribieta we set off again.
Next stop, Gernika, the place of the famous battle and the inspiration for the painting by the same name by Picasso. In Gernika we stopped at the (covered) town square and took in a mushroom competition. It´s fall and a little rainy here and there were hundreds of types of mushrooms on display. Mozart was playing over the loud speakers, children were dancing, truffle oil and mushroom pate were being sold, and there was a long queue waiting for fresh cooked mushrooms.
About 2 in the afternoon we arrived in Bilbao. After quickly checking into our hotel we crossed the river on a glass floored walking bridge (Jeanie clinging to me) and walked the short distance to the Guggenheim Museum. I have always wanted to see the Guggenheim in person and I couldn´t beleive I was now standing in front of it. Actually we entered from the back, but exited the front. It is beautiful, and no matter what you think of Geary or the EMP, this structure is breathtaking inside and out. There was a traveling exhibit of The History of Art with so much classical art we wanted to come back a second day. But they are closed on Mondays. Bummer.
We are not due in Madrid until tomorrow afternoon and since we can´t go to the museum again today we decided to take off for Madrid anyway. Again we will travel the back roads and stay off the toll roads. We love stopping in all the little towns along the way. We'll stay somewhere along the way.
I didn´t tell you about france. We drove up to St. Jean de Luz and the minute we crossed the border you could tell you were in a different country. The houses are different from Spain and they are all white with red trim. In the country side anyway. I see why people want to live in the south of France. The town of St Jean de Luz is on the Atlantic and at this time of year most of the touristas have left. Not much was open in town, but we found a wonderful little french restaurant and ate a fabulous meal. A kindly older gentleman diner offered his opinions of our culinary choices. Jeanie had fisherman´s stew and I had the duck and frites. The best duck and french fries I have ever had and the most expensive. Along the route to France we stopped in Irun, Spain at again another open air market and I bought artisan made chocolate and duck and goose pate. Yum.
Okay, that´s a lot for this morning and we haven´t even had breakfast yet, which in Spain is usually toast and coffee. I hope the hotel restaurant has eggs over easy.
Love to all,
Joy
Joy and Jeanie´s Grand Adventura
Friday, November 14, 2008
November 14, 2008 - San Sebastian, Spain
Greetings,
Wow! What a trip! Spain is a beautiful country, and the people could not be nicer. Barcelona was great. We had a small B&B just a couple blocks off Las Ramblas. We saw La Segrada Famila, Park Guell, Casa Mila, tons of other stuff. We really packed in a lot of sight seeing in 3 days.
Yesterday we drove from Barcelona to Tudela and spent the night downtown in a hotel. We wandered around a bit and asked for a recommendation for a restaurant. We saw none while we were walking which was unusual because Barcelona had one every other shop. A young man not only told us where the best place in town was he also walked us there to make sure we would not get lost. The restaurants don´t open till 9:00 pm. We waited till 9 and were not dissapointed. The dinner was faboulous.
Today we drove to San Sebastian and found a wonderful little Casa Rurales on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It´s way up a long winding narrow road with steep drop offs. This place could not be more charming. Fortunately the drivers in Spain are very curteous. I made a few wrong turns, but Jeanie managed to get us back on the right track. She is a great navigator.
We got off the freeway in Tudela and traveled via country roads through small towns a villages. We stopped at one and had lunch. Again, we got there at 11:00 and lunch wasn´t till Noon. We had potatoe quiche which is typical for this Spain. Driving through the mountains was amazing in its beauty. The roads are really well kept and clean, as are the towns.
Tonight we are taking it easy and having left overs from last night and doing laundry. Jeanie nearly strangled me today when I drove past the llavandria. I promised her one when we got to the casa and boy was I releived when the owner showed us 2 washing machines and dryers. I´ve been redeamed for now.
Tomorrow we travel north to St. Jean de Luz, France. We are pinching ourselves, with the beauty of the country, the grace of the people, and our amazing luck in finding the best of it all.
Sorry no pictures. I can´t figure out how to upload them on this computer. But we do have some great ones.
Tell S-man I love him. Jeanie loves Mr. Wonderful.
Take care.
Joy
Wow! What a trip! Spain is a beautiful country, and the people could not be nicer. Barcelona was great. We had a small B&B just a couple blocks off Las Ramblas. We saw La Segrada Famila, Park Guell, Casa Mila, tons of other stuff. We really packed in a lot of sight seeing in 3 days.
Yesterday we drove from Barcelona to Tudela and spent the night downtown in a hotel. We wandered around a bit and asked for a recommendation for a restaurant. We saw none while we were walking which was unusual because Barcelona had one every other shop. A young man not only told us where the best place in town was he also walked us there to make sure we would not get lost. The restaurants don´t open till 9:00 pm. We waited till 9 and were not dissapointed. The dinner was faboulous.
Today we drove to San Sebastian and found a wonderful little Casa Rurales on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It´s way up a long winding narrow road with steep drop offs. This place could not be more charming. Fortunately the drivers in Spain are very curteous. I made a few wrong turns, but Jeanie managed to get us back on the right track. She is a great navigator.
We got off the freeway in Tudela and traveled via country roads through small towns a villages. We stopped at one and had lunch. Again, we got there at 11:00 and lunch wasn´t till Noon. We had potatoe quiche which is typical for this Spain. Driving through the mountains was amazing in its beauty. The roads are really well kept and clean, as are the towns.
Tonight we are taking it easy and having left overs from last night and doing laundry. Jeanie nearly strangled me today when I drove past the llavandria. I promised her one when we got to the casa and boy was I releived when the owner showed us 2 washing machines and dryers. I´ve been redeamed for now.
Tomorrow we travel north to St. Jean de Luz, France. We are pinching ourselves, with the beauty of the country, the grace of the people, and our amazing luck in finding the best of it all.
Sorry no pictures. I can´t figure out how to upload them on this computer. But we do have some great ones.
Tell S-man I love him. Jeanie loves Mr. Wonderful.
Take care.
Joy
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Greetings from Amsterdam November 9, 2008
Well here I am sitting at the Amsterdam airport with a couple of hours to pass before heading to Barcelona. It's 9:30 a.m. here, but Seattle time it's probably more like midnight. So we've been up since early this morning and just finished a 10 hour flight. It's like we skipped night altogether and went strait to morning. Our biological clocks are off to say the least. It will be 2:30 roughly when we reach Barcelona. Add an hour to reach the B&B and we'll be ready for a long winger's nap. Well at least a few hours before we head out to see the night life in the Gothic Quarter.
I felt really bad leaving Sparkie this morning. He must have known I was leaving because he's been real clingy for the past 2 weeks. It must be my body language that he is reading. Or a change in my normal routine that he picks up on. He does this every time I go on vacation. I think he will be okay when Joe gets there. Sparkie likes men better than women so he should be fairly well placated till I get home. I've promised Sparkie a girlfriend for Christmas too. I feel guilty leaving him alone every day while I go off to work. Maybe a little Yorkie girlfriend. I want to name her Lucy or Bella.
Hope everyone stateside is doing well. Stay tuned for more about Jeanie y Joy's Grand Aventura. I'll have pictures soon as well.
A shout out to Susan with a great big thank you for the beautiful necklace. I decided to wear it afterall. What's the point of having beautiful jewels if you don't wear them?
Love to all.
Joy
I felt really bad leaving Sparkie this morning. He must have known I was leaving because he's been real clingy for the past 2 weeks. It must be my body language that he is reading. Or a change in my normal routine that he picks up on. He does this every time I go on vacation. I think he will be okay when Joe gets there. Sparkie likes men better than women so he should be fairly well placated till I get home. I've promised Sparkie a girlfriend for Christmas too. I feel guilty leaving him alone every day while I go off to work. Maybe a little Yorkie girlfriend. I want to name her Lucy or Bella.
Hope everyone stateside is doing well. Stay tuned for more about Jeanie y Joy's Grand Aventura. I'll have pictures soon as well.
A shout out to Susan with a great big thank you for the beautiful necklace. I decided to wear it afterall. What's the point of having beautiful jewels if you don't wear them?
Love to all.
Joy
Monday, September 22, 2008
Arts Together
Thank you for stopping by my booth during the Arts Together festival last weekend at the Snohomish County Campus. These festivals are a lot of fun for the artists as we get to meet so many people and get lots of feedback on our work.
Several of the people that I met asked me to show my work in their businesses, and I was invited to join both the Kla Ha Ya Day festival in Snohomish and the Edmonds Arts Festival next year. Looks like I better start planning my calendar for next year right away. That also means creating lots of new paintings.
Several of the people that I met asked me to show my work in their businesses, and I was invited to join both the Kla Ha Ya Day festival in Snohomish and the Edmonds Arts Festival next year. Looks like I better start planning my calendar for next year right away. That also means creating lots of new paintings.
Normally I would be at the Everett Farmers Market at the marina this Sunday, but I just got invited to show my paintings at a coffee shop in Seattle called Uncle Elizabeth’s. The show hangs on Friday and will run through October and November. Uncle Elizabeth’s is also part of the Capitol Hill art walk on the Second Tuesday of each month. It is located at 1123 Pike Street, Seattle right across from the Utrecht art supply store. Sunday is also the last day of the market so go and get your farm fresh eggs, flowers, and those absolutely delicious cookies from the bread lady. Yum! I am really going to miss the market. Even on the days that I am not showing my artwork, I am at the farmers market shopping for the weeks fresh veggies.
Congratulations to Roger and Marsha Neumaier who won the drawing for a small original painting.
That’s all for now. Thanks again for stopping by my booth, taking a look, and chatting.
Cheers,Joy
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Paintings
I love this blogging stuff. So much fun. But what is a blog named Art-Joy without any art? Here are some pics of current paintings. I call them my sushi series. They are small paintings 5" x 7", 6" x 8", and 8" x 8" and prices at $85, $100, and $115 respectively.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Primero Blog
Hi folks. My good friend Karon Leigh just helped me set up this blog. My goal is to write about my adventures in the art world. Currently I have paintings scattered about in several places. There's one at Tully's on Colby Avenue in Everett of a forest of trees. At Gabriels Fire in Ballard (the best BBQ on the planet) I have 2 paintings. One is of Rosebud, a BIG red pig standing in the mud and the other is of 2 cows. Actually, just their heads poking through the side of a barn and eating hay. One of the things I enjoy doing is driving around the countryside and taking pictures of farm animals. The cows are from Sylvania and Rosebud is from Snohomish.
At the Arts Council of Snohimish County there is a show called the Art of the Siren. I entered a patio table with a koi pond painted on it.
Upcoming shows are:
Arts Together sponsored by the Snohomish County Arts Commission, September 19 & 20 at the courthouse in downtown Everett,
Everett Sunday Farmers Market on September 28 at the Everett marina,
Harper's Salon downtown Seattle December and January, and
Studio 229 on Capitol Hill in Seattle January and February of 20o9. Studio 229 is owned by the best hair stylest in the WORLD. Okay, so she's my sister, but she's still the best.
At the Arts Council of Snohimish County there is a show called the Art of the Siren. I entered a patio table with a koi pond painted on it.
Upcoming shows are:
Arts Together sponsored by the Snohomish County Arts Commission, September 19 & 20 at the courthouse in downtown Everett,
Everett Sunday Farmers Market on September 28 at the Everett marina,
Harper's Salon downtown Seattle December and January, and
Studio 229 on Capitol Hill in Seattle January and February of 20o9. Studio 229 is owned by the best hair stylest in the WORLD. Okay, so she's my sister, but she's still the best.
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