New Year Shopping at Pera

Pera is the old name of today's Beyoglu district in Istanbul.It is a very lively shopping,art,entertainment and nightlife center.The Istiklal (independence) Avenue is a pedestrian street except the historic tram which is a very common subject matter for wc artists with its red color for many years.On gessoed Arches rough (pre used naturally!) 36x26cm,around 1/4 sheet size with Schmincke colors.

Variations on a Favourite Subject!

First is on Hahnemuehle Britannia 300gm half sheet,second is on same paper 1/4 sheet size,third is on gessoed rough wc paper.With usual Schmincke colors.

Hiker

Another small study on gessoed pre used rough wc paper.It is 1/4 sheet size.

Recent Works

Two interiors are based on Jane Minter's photo painted with some artistic licence.Both around 1/4 sheet size.The vertical one is on regular cardboard (ivory board?) painted on the glossy side.I like the different effects on this.

The boat scene is on gessoed pre used wc paper ,1/2 sheet size-56x38cm.

End of a Long Hiatus of Painting &Posting

Hopefully!

As the title is self explanatory I'll not add anything else.I'm only posting couple of paintings done in recent weeks.

Chim Chim

No paintings today.This is about my long haired yellow cat Chim Chim.He was sitting on the table next to my monitor yesterday and I remembered how I took him home from street three years ago.He was in a terrible shape.The vet found a small chicken bone stuck in his mouth preventing him to eat and clean himself properly.

After three years of love and care he is still a spoilt big baby!

So this is my Chim Chim from the day before I brought him home ,three weeks later and three years later.

Big Sister

My exhibition is officialy over but my paintings are still hanging at the gallery.As always during and after an exhibition I've stopped painting and it is a bad thing I know.When I see a photograph My friend Esra took in Peru I decided to do paintings based on it(with her approval of course),it was beatiful.I painted two.

Here is the picture and my paintings which are both 35x50cm in size.The neck of the girl at the LHS may look thick in the small image.Hopefully you can see it properly when you enlarge it that there is a pencil line which make it look as it should be.

Pics from my Exhibition

Last night there was opening reception of my fifth solo show three of them being in this same venue.I had a problem with my camera so I'm posting only photos I managed to take before the reception,which are not very sharp. Not so great turnout but still 2 paintings were sold so I'm happy that my outlay has already been covered, more expected later as before.

Some of the paintings are from my last exhibition six months ago,as it was in Ankara I included them here too.

The lady in photo manages the gallery.

An Invitation!

All invited to the wine&cheese party at the opening reception of my new exhibition!

This will be my third solo exhibition at the same venue and will be fifth in total .

My Upcoming Exhibition

It's embarrasing that I haven't updated my blog for so long.My excuse has been that I've been preparing my show.

Here are some of my works I did recently.Some of them will be included in the exhibition.Sorry that I've no time to add details of each painting.Soon after the opening!

Bodrum

I 've just returned from a 7 days Bodrum trip.Our small summer house needed some repair and paint job done.The weather was not very favourable but at times when sun comes out it was beatiful.

I shot this photo from on the floating pier recently constructed.

Three Recent Works

I did these this week.All are 1/2 sheet size Hahnemuehle paper with Schmincke colors.

Another Lone Fisherman

This is a closer look:

I did this one yesterday.It is a combination of my own reference photos .The paper is 1/2 sheet (50x35cm)Hahnemuehle Torchon 275 gms.I used Schmincke UMB,Turquoise Blue,Burnt Sienna,Cad Red,Neutral Tint and a few colors from White Nights.

Link List

I finally have started adding links.A very belated act!
I'm hoping to add more and organize them properly soon.
Thanks to those friends who have already had my link on their blogs.

Rescuing A ship? Well Nearly...

The first shot I took recently through my window with a hope that a painting might come out of it.

The second one is the photo of the same coaster the day before yesterday .There was a very strong southernwest storm coming from the sea that day.I later read in the news that over open sea the storm had reached a speed of 100km/h,it was probably around 70km/h here. When I was watching the storm from my window I noticed that ship's prows detached from the dock and while she was tied up at the stern the prows was getting dangerously closer to rocky shore.Either the prows hawser was broke off or she was dragging the anchor.She was about to crash on to the rocks.I wanted to see the event and I was there in five minutes by the car.There was no one else around-no fools wandering around in that weather naturally.The man on board asked for help and tried to throw me a guide rope.Voice communication was impossible because of the noise of the wawes and wind.After repeated attempts failed ,I managed to grab the rope while I was soaking wet with rain,heavy spray and wawes coming over the pier.I pulled the guide rope with difficulty which was tied to a very heavy hawser and finally able to get the hawser over the mooring post at the end of the pier.I can say this wasn't an easy work with the risk of slipping and falling down into the sea. Then they tried to draw the prows towards the pier by means of a capstan.This was again not an easy work against terrible wawes and wind.I couldn't stay there any longer because I was getting very cold.I returned home,peeled my wet clothes off (even my underwear was soaking wet) and took a shower.I took this photo on my return.Many hours later they managed to secure the ship mooring at the prows.Today the ship looks safely moored in the quiet sea.

It was a very wet adventure,something definitely expected from a wet on wet artist!

When I asked my wife if she saw me doing this through the window she said she wasn't looking ,she was busy in the kitchen from where she could see me in the distance.She said that I was a funny man!

I am still waiting for an inspiration from this event!

Recent Work

It's been a while since I last posted.I've been preety inactive recently and done only a couple of small paintings,nothing serious really.

First one is a very quick,spontaneous piece I did on the back of a scrap paper,no prelim drawing while playing around with colours..It shows stains already on the paper but they somehow fit the scene.I kind of like its simplicity.35x30cm paper unknown!



This is a redo of an older piece sold in the last show.Size around 1/4 sheet.

This I did for a challenge in a forum elsewhere.Again 1/4 sheet size.Ref photo by Stephie Butler