julie avisar

2012

2012-01-02T15:10:00.000+02:00

2012 has begun with lots of rain, a blessing, which im hoping, is a sign for the year to come.

life at the moment is full to the brim with planning our house build, taking driving lessons, our girls and a few others things... its feels good to be busy and the weekends are well spent relaxing and spending time with friends and family.

i hope that 2012 passes a little less quickly than the past years. i hope it keeps everyone in good health and brings with it some much needed peace. happy new year to you all xx

menorah

2011-12-19T17:03:00.001+02:00

we bought this beautiful, old menorah in the flea market just in time to light the first candle tomorrow evening.

it can be used with both oil and candles and is hung on the wall. i love the handmade feel and simple, decorative design. it will look great on the wall all year round.

being treated

2011-10-31T12:55:00.000+02:00

when hubbie took the girls to visit family on saturday it finally gave me some time to paint!

i was so happy for some quiet time to make some ideas concrete. i know where im going now!

so happy.

we treated ourselves to a coffee machine. it is a life changer. unfortunately we did not meet george clooney when going to stock up on the gorgeous little capsules but i do enjoy choosing different flavours to suit my mood in the mornings.

have a great week.

weekend walk

2011-10-18T08:32:00.002+02:00

jumble love

2011-10-12T12:02:00.001+02:00

for me one of the best things about having my blog is the amazing friendships i have made. these connections with people are precious to me. lovely maditi is one of these people and we have kept in contact although she stopped blogging a while ago. i miss opening up her site to see her stunning photographs.

if you know maditi, you will agree with me when i say she has impeccable taste and a beautiful sense of style. and so modest too.

maditi and her sister eva opened an online shop selling vintage pieces. there are so many beauties to choose from! the styling is gorgeous and seems to accentuate the stories behind the objects. such a pleasure to wander round.

visit jumble.

health and happiness

2011-09-28T15:31:00.001+03:00

for a very happy new year.

we are looking forward to one full of adventures, creativity, good times with friends and family and planning and preparing to start anew.

shana tova! x

numbers on the wall

2011-09-15T08:33:00.001+03:00

this building in jerusalem - once a kurdish neighbourhood - was taken down and recently recontructed exactly how it was once built using the numbers marked on the stones. i love how this story is left on view and becomes a part of the building and its history.

the walls which remind me of a ledger book may also be seen as a type of street art. wonderful.

recent projects

2011-09-06T14:15:00.000+03:00

as part of our summer schedule with the girls we included a craft day every week - this went along with baking day, culture day and pool days! I think this made for quite a successful 'homemade' summer camp.

the above tree which stands in ella and hilis room is a tree trunk i found on the side of the road. we cut it down to make it just fit from floor to ceiling. the girls then sanded, primed and painted the colourful stripes. we stuck some ribbons on and tied on a few bits from my sewing box. at the top where there are a few short branches we hung all all sorts of pretty things.

i also had a couple of my own projects that i wanted to finish - we recieved a small wooden bed from our neighbours after their daughter had outgrown it. I decided to shorten the sides to make it into a plant stand. i painted over the lilac colour with a nice grey and my plants seem to be happy in their new home.

have i ever mentioned my obsession with mangoes..? well, along with my other interest of growing things i planted a mango seed. the idea is that we may have a tree to plant in our garden to be!

we are also making our own vanilla essence. i loved seeing how the vodka turned a dark brown from the pods inside.

end of summer

2011-08-27T20:25:00.003+03:00

we have been enjoying some fun family days out before the start of school this thursday. despite the killer heat we had a fabulous time together and i shall miss the holiday freedom.

i hope irene doesnt visit any of you out there. stay safe.

some exciting news

2011-08-21T21:42:00.002+03:00

i have some very exciting news to tell you. we are going to be building a house. I still cannot believe it as I type the words! it is something we have been kind of planning for about a year now but were not really sure it would actually happen.
we are so excited despite so many people warning us of the massive ontake it will be. so far we have chosen a plot out of around 110 new plots in an existing village.

i have started another blog to document the project plotnumbereleven

the holidays are nearly over... i need a holiday to get over them! i hope you are enjoying yours.

arctic portraits

2011-08-04T15:43:00.001+03:00

grizzly bear

musk ox

dall sheep

caribou

polar bear

i have always frowned upon watercolours thinking they were only used in 'pretty' landscapes. with my youngest running around, not yet 2 years old, and no extra room to spread out and paint with oils i decided to try watercolours. it took a while and a good few sheets of watercolour paper before i got into them. i still have a way to go but i love the idea of the layering. the patience part is still a little problematic as i want to dive in with the deeper colours..

i have really enjoyed the process and have moved from arctic portraits to human ones :)

happy thursday!

Lucian Freud

2011-07-27T16:40:00.000+03:00

December 1922 – July 2011

5 months.. ?

2011-07-25T16:54:00.001+03:00

if anyone out there is still visiting this space... it has been too long. way too long. life has just taken over. but i do miss it so. above is a small glimpse of what we have been up to.
i really miss my lovely friends out there who i have neglected along with this blog but i am returning.
the summer over here is way too hot for me but i am really enjoying being with my girls while they are on holiday.
and many plans are being made...

saturdays

2011-02-13T13:06:00.003+02:00

since winter really began a couple of months ago we have preferred to spend our weekends at home.

after the tiring week, saturdays have become a welcome day of rest. a true family day.

we enjoy a late breakfast which sometimes merges into lunch.

we like to bake together (a little problematic with the fitness program we have set ourselves but we keep it only on the weekends..)

yesterday we made focaccia with mozarella and rosemary and homemade pesto.

i have been painting with the girls drawing or painting around the table.

we like to watch a film together or play a family game.

i think its important to end the weekend calmly before beginning another week.

happy weekend to you all. our week has already begun.

new inspiration

2011-01-18T14:21:00.002+02:00

i recently found these two new artists - stanford kay - i love his stacks of books - using bold strokes and colours to create almost abstract paintings.

and this painting by anthony cudahy grabbed me straight away. i love how there are large flat areas without details and there are also areas with more detail - like the hands..

new year, new paints

2011-01-04T11:10:00.002+02:00

wishing you all a very happy, healthy and creative 2011!

i wish for this year to be one of peace, optimism, laughter and good health.

in my head i have a fairly long list of resolutions for this year. among them - a return to making art regularly and more contact with my very missed blog friends.

new paints (i have never worked with watercolours before) and new projects and lots of plans to put into action.

im looking forward to unwrapping each individual colour and getting out my watercolour paper. watercolours seem to be a relaxing medium as opposed to energetic oil paint.

A little amateur painting in water-color shows the innocent and quiet mind. Robert Louis Stevenson

i love to see louises delicate watercolour beauties, anna emilias stunning work and geninnes gorgeous artworks. i usually crave the heavier and more forgiving acrylics or oils so we will see what comes of this venture.

the knitting lesson

2010-12-28T10:49:00.004+02:00

i have always wanted to learn to knit. i seem to remember an aunt and and other peoples aunts showing me but i never quite got it. yesterday, my eight year old daughter taught me how to knit. just the basics but all the same she taught me.

this experience of being taught something by my child is a fairly new one. one day we are teaching them how to walk, how to eat with a spoon, how to count.. and then suddenly the tables are turned. in my case, there is also the language thing. as hebrew is not my mother tongue, we have reached that stage where the girls are teaching me words and correcting my stammered reading. this changing of roles shakes things up a bit and sometimes leaves me feeling a little inadequate.

yesterdays knitting lesson did not feel like this. shelly was proud and happy to share her new found skill and i felt proud and happy to be able to share this experience with her. so although its a little early to expect a new scarf, i am looking forward to more of these times with my girls.

i hope you are all enjoying the holidays - wishing you all very happy and healthy ones. x

love of interiors

2010-12-10T17:52:00.001+02:00

wishing you a lovely weekend x

urban scene, tel aviv

2010-12-05T11:47:00.003+02:00

urban scene, tel aviv

40

2010-11-26T11:46:00.002+02:00

yesterday we made a trip to tel aviv. outside one of the cinemas (an old haunt) i saw this movie poster. the new mike leigh film, 'another year'. it seems so fitting. mike leigh is one of my favourite film directors. the tree... and the title.. i am coming to the end of my 39th year..

after much thought (and a little depression) i have decided that its going to be the beginning of something wonderful. i had big dreams when i was 20. some of them have come true and some have changed into new dreams :). and ~~hopefully~~ there will be some more action over here in the coming year/s.

i am so thankful (happy thianksgiving to you in the us!!) for everything that i have - my beautiful girls and husband, health and happiness.

to fellow Sagittarians - heres to another year! x

columbarium

2010-11-02T11:39:00.003+02:00

means dovecote in greek. we recently visited another one of these caves.

'Dozens of small niches of various sizes, ranging in depth from 15 to 25cm, were carved into the walls of the columbarium. Scholars believed that doves were raised in these niches for food and to use their dung as fertilizer.
The raising of doves was apparently a significant part of the economy of the Judean lowlands during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.'

i just love them and their sculptural quality. the beautiful carvings create amazingly accurate patterns.

i am really craving creating some sculptural work right now. i miss clay.

so long...

2010-10-25T21:50:00.001+02:00

no, im not saying farewell... i mean - its been so long. you know how it is. life just takes over. there were the summer holidays, then new year, then, well it goes on and im shocked when i realise how things are happening so fast.

hili trying out her new shoes

hili turned one on october 13th! ONE! what a crazy fast year. She has grown into an adorable little energy ball. she never stops. she has been walking since she was nine months old. she beat the ten month record of her sisters. and she keeps on going. i had forgotten what its like having to move the whole apartment up high.. until theres nowhere higher to go. oh, and she has started dancing!

so thats where ive been.

i hope you are all well.

feathered friends

2010-08-06T14:40:00.002+03:00

we took a visit to a bird park last week with ellas kindergarten group. so many pretty colours and sounds. the heat was cruel but the kids had fun.

i loved looking up and finding these giant nests. a wonderful piece of architecture!

new website!

2010-07-22T19:46:00.003+03:00

today im very excited to announce the unveiling of my new website. i have been putting it together for a while now and i think its as ready as it will ever be.. www.julieavisar.com . i would love to hear what you think.
my next goal is to fill it with lots of new work and re-open my shop...

happy thursday to you x

new project

2010-07-13T13:42:00.002+03:00

i have started working on some preliminary drawings for a new project. i am really interested in the bedouin citizens and their housing structures. the simple way they live, the way these structures relate to the landscape - form and colour and their simplicity. these are also connected to my obsession with urban structures/buildings..i cant wait to further explore these subjects and start painting.

this image is from my archive folder - taken a few months ago - its a structure built by the scouts near where we live. I just love the form created by the simple logs and fabric.

lately..

2010-07-06T13:48:00.004+03:00

above:: i have really been enjoying my pilot g-tec pen. 10 minutes every day fulfils my drawing fix... well part of it.
below:: a walk around tel aviv enjoying the shop windows.

wishing i could visit exhibitions over the seas like this one.

new discovery

2010-06-25T16:22:00.002+03:00

Oracle at Delphi - Tai-Shan Schierenberg

yesterday, i came across an image of an artwork which i was convinced was by lucian freud. after following the link, i discovered that it was by another british painter - Tai-Shan Schierenberg.
like freud, i just love his figurative style. his portraits are beautiful and i noticed he also enjoys trees ;).

five

2010-06-22T10:49:00.002+03:00

she loves...

to dress up and put on make-up

to sleep in the afternoons

to create colourful and abstract artworks

wearing tights (even in the heat)

to laugh

to play with both of her sisters

the water

to hug

Ellali, i love you so much my darling. happy birthday. xxxxxx

making me smile

2010-06-03T12:21:00.004+03:00

left: a lovely gift from a friend - thank you d!! now the pressure is on - 3 blank moleskines to fill..

right: a guitar to be. shellys latest creation. she is very excited to sand down the wood and make it into something beautiful.

back to the drawing board

2010-06-01T10:04:00.003+03:00

i think its about time i stopped making excuses and return to the drawing board. i was tidying up lately and came across this painting. at the time i considered it unfinished and more of a sketch. i want to do more of these. i want to do a lot. a couple more hours in the day would be so useful. i read an article recently about creating art and that no matter what full days we have, we should make the effort every day to go into the studio, spare room, corner, whatever - and do something creative. even if its for half an hour. so this is my new resolution.

the heat is already with us. but of course, it is june today!!

a sad goodbye to the wonderful artist louise bourgeois who passed away yesterday at the age of 98. what an amazing artistic career she had.

hello there

2010-05-18T12:54:00.003+03:00

it has been so long since i have been here. i have missed this space. the past couple of months have whizzed by and we are nearly at the end of another school year. unbelievable!

we have been spending spare time together on day trips or hanging out at home baking. we have been looking for a house. hili is now 7 months old! she is sitting and crawling - a feisty little thing. yesterday was our 9th wedding anniversary and we are looking forward to celebrating on a joint day off from work in a couple of weeks time. it seems summer is already with us. it seems like yesterday when we were organising our winter wardrobe.

i am looking forward to catching up with you. x

zadok ben-david

2010-02-26T18:15:00.084+02:00

last weekend we visited the tel aviv museum of art to make the last day of the much talked about exhibition of zadok ben-david - 'human nature'. the queues were unbelieveably long but as we went with little hili, we were allowed to jump the queue :). i was so upset when i realised i'd forgotten my sd card and had to take photos using my cellphone (hence the poor quality).

the exhibition was quite wonderful. it began with the 'blackfield' installation. 20,000 laser-cut steel floral silhouettes standing in a bed of sand. they are black on one side. as you walk down the side they seem to disappear and on their reverse side, rainbow colours appear. magical!!!

the larger sculptures were no less amazing. large cut-out figures whose bodies are filled in with tree foliage. after the initial viewing, you realise there is more than first meets the eye. beautiful!

love day

2010-02-14T16:03:00.006+02:00

we spent the day in tel aviv on friday. how i love this city. the sun was shining and all five of us enjoyed our walk through from shops to shuk. each of us with our own stop along the way to look forward to. parks and bookshops. coffee and friends.

and quite fitting for valentines day... i watched this film the other day. telling the amazing story of herb and dorothy, who since they have been together have been devoted to both each other and to art. the former postal worker and librarian managed to build a large collection of comporary art.

i hope you are enjoying your weekend ~

jerusalem/tel aviv

2010-02-02T12:49:00.003+02:00

last thursday we took a family day and went to jerusalem. we are tel aviv-ians by heart and dont know jerusalem too well even though we live half an hour from each city.

both cities are worlds apart from each other.

we began with a visit to the science museum. the girls loved it with lots of buttons to press and levers to pull. its funny how us grown-ups cant resist those red buttons as well.

after an enjoyable morning, we went to mahaneh yehuda market - another first for us. it was crowded with people shopping for the weekend. we found an amazing little shop full of wonderful cheeses. and like the little red buttons, we couldnt resist. we made a note to return to this gem of a shop.

a major difference between tel aviv and jerusalem is the architecture. all the buildings in jerusalem are faced with jerusalem stone. the facades have such a different feel to them.

after a wonderful day out, we have decided to make 'family day' a new tradition for us. every couple of months we will take a day off work and school just for us.

and with a connection to tel aviv architecture.. a few weeks ago i was asked to create an illustration for a booklet for large library in tel aviv.

happy tuesday x

back to work

2010-01-25T16:49:00.007+02:00

oh my gosh, i cannot believe how the time has flown by. my maternity leave has come to an end and i start back at work next week. hili is 3 months old already! the nights lately have been a little hard but what can you do after exhausted from little sleep and then she smiles her beautiful smile at 3.00am. my heart melts every time :).

i have also been busy painting these last weeks and will really miss my routine of coffee and acrylics. i hope to show you what i have been doing soon.

i hope that 2010 has got off to a good start for you all. i am looking forward to some new adventures.

the end of a decade

2009-12-31T17:03:00.007+02:00

i took this photo last weekend. i see snow all around the world while over here, winter seems to reluctant in arriving.

i cannot believe how quickly this last decade has flown by. it was only yesterday when we were celebrating the millenium. 10 years.. i have spent a lot of time thinking about the past lately.

and i wonder what the next decade has in store for us.

i would like to wish you a very happy new year full of many wonderful adventures!!!

happy chanukah!

2009-12-15T12:53:00.012+02:00

glimpes of our week.

thank you with a smile

2009-11-26T10:57:00.011+02:00

its time to say thank you for some gorgeous gifts received in the post.

sweet kelly send hili this beautiful handmade quilt. as you can see, it suits hili perfectly. i love all the patterns and colours used in the quilt. thank you so much kelly for such a special gift.

last week i received a box from germany. my dear friend uschi send everyone in the family a thoughtful gift... including these beautiful handmade felt shoes for hili. i cant wait for her tiny feet to fit into them (a little like cinderella). also among the presents, a wonderful cigar box to add to my collection! thank you very much uschi for thinking of us.

p.s. happy thanksgiving to all of you in the us! xxx

exploring

2009-11-18T12:48:00.013+02:00

while taking a break from the urban scenes which i will return to soon here is a glimpse into my mind at the moment.

exploring with my camera, wire, paper.

thinking of line drawings, natural forms, still lifes.

happy thursday! the weekend is just around the corner.

a month on and time to return to this space

2009-11-15T19:08:00.007+02:00

just over a month has gone by since hili was born. in a way it seems like yesterday when she was born but it also seems like she has been with us forever :). she fills me with joy!! she began smiling yesterday!!!

being on maternity leave is a little like being in the twilight zone. days go by, mornings become evenings, the skies outside change dramatically from day to day, all of this while hili and i are in our own little world.

and there are of course my other two babies, each with their own agenda. i am enjoying it all!

and then there is this space which i have somewhat neglected. but a month on, and i am ready to return to the creative world. actually im dying to get back into it.

i have been thinking of the ideas i was working on at the beginning of my pregnancy and want to pick up where i left off but i also have many other ideas buzzing around in my head. my usual problem of finding it so hard to focus on one thing.

and with my obsession of the urban landscape still very much alive, i have also been missing my love of the natural surroundings and natures little treasures.

so i think i am going to just relax and spend some time drawing from life, getting back to the basics and playing around with some doodles.

i have missed you! xxx

hili

2009-10-19T09:37:00.001+02:00

born 13th october
3.86kg

green love

2009-10-05T15:36:00.014+02:00

its seems in our small suburban corner of this world we have a small place of beauty. an ecological farm. i find it quite hard to see its connection with the city where little notice or care is taken when it comes to environmental issues. a big dream of mine is to build or convert a 'green' home in a place of nature. i really hope to fulfil this dream one day. in the meantime, we do our small bit and recycle as much as possible. we teach the girls how important it is to look after our surroundings and care for nature and try and take it into the classroom and nursery as much as possible.

rami is starting to work as a leader in the farm with groups of children. it is part-time work but how wonderful to be part of this special place. yesterday he gave me a private tour... i came out of there also wanting to be a part of it.

meetings and discussions take place under the shade of this beautiful tree

young people live in this pod-like constructions as part of a project called eco-israel

also.. while waiting for our little one to arrive, our big one celebrated her 7th birthday!!

belated birthday wishes to you my darling shelly xxxxxx (two libran babes??)

happy tuesday xxx

happy new year

2009-09-17T09:15:00.006+03:00

i have noticed how the light in the mornings has changed. the warm morning sun rises slowly and washes over the city creating a calm beginning to the day. i love this. there is a feel of autumn on the way.

today a new year begins. the harsh summer has ended and we begin anew. i love this time of year. full of optimism. the change is so obvious. on my way home from taking the girls to school the smell of chicken soup in the air was so strong :) ... everyone busy like bees preparing for another year.

~i wish everyone a very happy and healthy new year. full of happy surprises and making dreams come true!~

thank you for your lovely messages in the last post.. xxxx

30 days and counting...

2009-09-06T19:46:00.007+03:00

september brings with it a break in the heat (well.. so the weather man says), a brand new year next week and preparations for the much awaited arrival of a new member to our family :)

we have another little girl on the way!

and i am not alone... many congratulations to lovely kelly!
this may explain the lack of 'work' in the last few months.. :)
happy september to you all xx

faces: inside and out

2009-08-23T12:03:00.009+03:00

stephan goldrajch - masks

the summer holidays are almost at an end, and this weekend took us to another exhibition - faces: inside and out at the eretz israel museum in tel aviv.

"What does a face tell us about the character of its owner? Why is one person considered handsome and another ugly, one funny and one frightening? This is a fascinating, colorful and surprising exhibit dealing with the enigma of the human face through masks, art, mysticism, Kabbalah, identikits, objects and studies of the human face."

shir hanna - ali babot

ruth schloss - old age

it was a fun and interesting experience - learning more about the thoughts and meanings behind the face through different mediums.

august adventures

2009-08-02T21:05:00.016+03:00

this past friday morning we met up with visiting friends in tel aviv for breakfast. after catching up and comparing life in new york with here we took off for a walk (in the scorching heat)..

we went down bialik street to take some photos.. bialik is considered israels national poet. his house has been turned into a museum and we went to take a peek inside.

*****

on saturday we went to an exhibition. the exhibition 'natural history museum' "borrows visual patterns and images from the natural history museum, "shifting" them into the world of art." I found it wonderfully interesting and intriguing!! ella is still a little young but it was interesting to see shellys reaction to the installations.

i particularly liked the work of deganit stern schocken (which made me think a little of lisa) and talya tokatly.

this skeleton created using plastic chairs by uriel miron is just beautiful.

happy august! xx

a day off

2009-07-21T15:46:00.013+03:00

rami and i took a day off this week for ourselves. it was wonderful to spend some quiet time together away from the daily schedule. we must do it more often. maybe when the weather has cooled a little.

we had breakfast at one of our favourite haunts in the flea market. a place for neverending special discoveries.

i hope you are enjoying your summer.

waiting..

2009-07-03T13:08:00.008+03:00

finally the park downstairs is being completed and with many small shrubs waiting in turn to be planted in the dry earth, i could not resist going down to take some shots of the colourful pots standing in line.

i hope youre having a wonderful weekend. we have just been relaxing at home.

to the safari

2009-07-02T09:29:00.007+03:00

a few weeks ago we went on a morning trip to the safari with ellas kindergarten. we spent a wonderful few hours observing the animals. the children were eager to answer the guides questions. how many months is an elephant pregnant? (the answer is 22 ;)). and they enjoyed spying out the smaller animals hiding in the shade.

we got to feed the giraffes - such gentle creatures. and take a train ride. see the hippos cooling down in the water. we thoroughly enjoyed it.

finished painting

2009-07-01T07:06:00.002+03:00

the summer holidays have begun and the heat is near unbearable already.
hope yours is a little cooler.

lessons 21 & 22

2009-06-23T18:03:00.006+03:00

i have really enjoyed this one. being bolder than i am used too.

next week is our last class. i shall miss the structure of the course. but i have plans for next year :)

4

2009-06-21T21:43:00.005+03:00

oh i am so behind in this space - with the end of the school year coming up things are a little busy... but i have to say happy birthday to my little one, ella, who is 4 today!!!

my beautiful baby.. where on earth does the time fly.. i love you xxx

new

2009-06-10T14:52:00.002+03:00

a wip

lesson 20

2009-06-09T15:20:00.003+03:00

i havent painted from a model for such a long time and i do love it. i began this painting this morning and hope to finish next week. theres something about getting into the rhythm of a painting. i really could have sat there all day.

happy tuesday friends.

lesson 19

2009-06-02T15:11:00.002+03:00

finished!!

down south

2009-05-31T18:21:00.015+03:00

this past weekend we took a trip down south to the desert with some friends.

we hiked in the ein ovdat national park and made some new friends..

we stayed overnight nearby on a kibbutz - sleeping in mud huts. a wonderful place with animals to visit and some time to relax. the children enjoyed making pitta bread on the taboon for breakfast and running around barefoot. looking forward to the next trip :)

lesson 18

2009-05-26T20:25:00.003+03:00

nearly there - i am not going to 'fill in' the whole painting - i like the idea of keeping it alive.

i think the face looks rather raw but i am so proud of myself that i didnt go into all the little details. definitely a learning process. looking at it now, i realise that i have cut out half of the forehead.. to be fixed.

lesson 17

2009-05-19T20:08:00.007+03:00

in this lesson i continued with my painting ... enjoying the bold shapes in the background..

we looked at some wonderful works of matisse and discussed how he used so much pattern in his work.

so full of life and such a major part of the paintings.

lessons 14 - 16

2009-05-15T08:57:00.005+03:00

my first real oil painting attempt and i am in my element with this medium. i chose this photograph of my neighbour in london from quite a few years ago. i really wanted to try a portrait and i do love the details in this shot.

feeling quite hesitant in the beginning.. getting a feel for the oils and the idea of layers

this week we talked about pattern in art and how we can use it. once you start looking around you notice just how much pattern is used everywhere. and referring back to the image i am painting, its obvious that more than 50% of the picture is made up of pattern.

a visit to the studio

2009-03-31T17:45:00.006+03:00

urban details

2009-03-19T08:29:00.006+02:00

i enjoy discovering these urban details.

lesson 13

2009-03-17T16:25:00.006+02:00

oils! this is what i have waiting for. i think i have only used oil paint once in my life. never having learnt about oils, i feel very intimidated by it and have always stuck to acrylics.
today i moved out of my safe-zone and what joy!

the exercise was to tear or/and cut up pieces of coloured paper and arrange them on a piece of white paper. and then we had to paint the composition.

i know my painting doesnt look much, but just getting used to the oils is wonderful. im really looking forward to continuing..

end of winter

2009-03-13T10:07:00.009+02:00

oh dear, we have spend the last couple of weeks passing on flu from one family member to another. the weekends have been grey, wet and miserable - drinking lots of tea (and hot chocolate). we are all now fit and well and signs of spring are definitely appearing. my favourite time of year.

while we spent time tucked under the covers, a new friend arrived to live with us. Jöran - a beautifully crocheted jackdaw created by the very talented cecilia whose work i have loved since i 'met' her on flickr quite a while ago. thank you so much cecilia. i hope i dont trouble him too much with my worries.. you can purchase your own swedish worry bird right here..

i hope you are all well and feeling spring in the air..

have a lovely weekend - i have a backlog of work to catch up on xx

my girls

2009-02-12T11:21:00.007+02:00

my girls are doing so well this year. both are so very diferent and have both managed to find their place in nursery and class.

in the last couple of months ella has been drawing more and more. this week she drew the whole family. i love these works of art :)

ella - a self portrait

shelly

mummy

daddy

she usually works intensely to cover sheets of paper in colourful areas. it facinates me to watch her.

shelly had a musical instrument making workshop in school using recycled things from around the home and this is what we came up with. we had such fun with it.

planting trees for tu bishvat.

a gift of sunshine..

2009-02-05T12:05:00.000+02:00

for some friends out there..

i have never experienced such a mild winter... if you can even call it that. i was a little surprised when i stepped onto the balcony this morning and saw our first poppy blooming... so pretty.

happy thursday to you xx

lesson 12

2009-02-03T17:39:00.007+02:00

this week we took a break from painting and returned to drawing. it was a welcomed return for me. my mood called for something more relaxing.. altho it did turn into quite an intense drawing session. we began with the 2 minute drawings of each other.

then for the drawing on the left, we had to feel our face and draw (blind contour) what we were feeling. i like this idea of emphasising other senses when drawing.

our teacher posed the question: what would it be like to draw with a piece of lemon in our mouth? or our feet in a bucket of ice? how would it affect our work?
the drawing on the right was a blind contour drawing of the teacher as we used the pencil to travel across is face with the pencil.

we then had to draw a close-up of someones ear and continue to finish the head..

and on another note... this weekend we rented a wonderful film called 'once'. the music is so beautiful and the simplicity of the story set in dublin is just perfect. highly recommended!

lesson 11

2009-01-27T14:37:00.004+02:00

a pleasant lesson painting more peppers today. i liked i liked most that my teacher said is that my painting is not so obvious.

i think we may have to give up on winter arriving here. we so need rain.

and talking of winter, many, many congratulations to sweet shari. and to another lovely friend ;). lots of love to you both.

happy tuesday friends xx

lessons 9 & 10

2009-01-19T16:31:00.009+02:00

this is the stage i reached with my pink lady. there are quite a few problems with it. too much white paint for one thing. also i tend to lack in patience sometimes and dive in with a final colour instead of using more layers - therefore not allowing the light of the background through and not allowing the painting to 'breath'.

i didnt want to continue with it and so today continued with the next lesson.

first, a drawing of the still life - two peppers. to work out composition on the paper.

then a tonal study using only black and white paint.

and finally colour - but each time we took some paint from the pallette we only painted one stroke before taking more paint - building up the paiting in this way. it felt good to finish all three works in one session - the energy flowed from one to the other (with a short coffee break in the middle of course!)

here is the finished painting from the previous post.. i showed it to my teacher and he pointed out the amount of detail which i am aware of and would really like to avoid more. there are more problems with it but i have learnt a lot from doing it.

new work

2009-01-16T14:29:00.008+02:00

hello friends,

the last year has not been too fruitful on the creative side but i am so excited and happy to begin 2009 with some new personal projects, a colaboration and several new ideas that have been brewing for a while. its time to bring them alive and the creatives energies are high up there on the scale.

i have begun this painting which will be part of a series but this is more of a 'draft' as i am putting into practise some of the points my teacher made. i am not sure of mediums to use - acrylic or gouache? i would love to hear your thoughts on different mediums.

i would also like to say a big thank you for emails and comments from friends.

have a lovely weekend. ours will include some quiet family time. xx

new obsession

2009-01-09T18:13:00.007+02:00

a rotring pen 0.2 mm and an a4 sketchbook

have a peaceful weekend xx

lesson 7 & 8

2009-01-06T19:43:00.009+02:00

in last weeks lesson we worked on a still life - beginning with a layer of white and after it was dry added layers of colour. i was having a bad morning and it took me a while ot get into it but did enjoy the boldness and painting with a large brush - a way i dont usually work.

for yesterdays lesson we were told to bring in a photo to work with. i wasnt sure what to bring in so i bought a selection and chose the lady in pink.

we started off with some sketches to determine the the size of the painting, the format and the composition. i liked how the subject comes up quite small within the frame. i started drawing her ready for painting next week.

we also looked at the work of belgian artist luc tuymans - another new to me artist whose work i really like. he uses a lot of photography techniques in his work (cropping, close-ups and framing). i love the plains of colour and the minimalistic look his paintings have.

2009

2009-01-01T08:43:00.014+02:00

so what images should illustrate a post beginning a brand new year?

happy new year to you all - may it be one of peace, health and many good changes all around xx

happy holidays to all

2008-12-18T16:37:00.004+02:00

chanukah is a lovely holiday to celebrate as a family. parties and cheer and too many donuts.

happy chanukah!

and this is also the time to wish my friends out there happy holidays.

for me, this year has been a bit of a hard one on many accounts and i look forward to changing the 8 to a 9.

just before you all disappear to get ready for a lovely holiday i wish you a very merry one and a healthy and wonderful new year xxx

lesson 6

2008-12-16T15:13:00.016+02:00

tuesday morning. i have been asking myself lately why on earth i didnt take this course years ago. i am enjoying the coffee breaks too.

this lesson we continued with colour and more specifically, complementary colours. the exercise was to paint the 3 primary colours and 3 secondary colours on the page so that they are all of the same value. when you look at the paper all colours are equal and no one colours stands out more than any other. harmony.

we then took a five minute walk to the tel aviv museum of art.

our teacher showed us some of his favourites in the permanent collection. we talked about a pierre bonnard painting, a monet and a picasso but his favourite in the whole museum is a beautiful painting by morandi and i could see why (similar to this one but each one is unique).

i was so excited so hear him talk about these works. i was also introduced to two new (for me) artists. one of them is avigdor arikha whose work i just love - reminding me of lucian freud.

the other artist ori reisman. wonderful contrasts in work.

another fantastic morning.

friday morning

2008-12-12T16:03:00.006+02:00

this morning i was alone at home.

a mug of coffee. radio. some drawing.

just lovely.

this morning the sky was beautiful blue and the sun was shining. is it really december?

the happy treetops make me smile on the walk to nursery.

i think i like the simple line drawing better than the finished inked drawing.

i wish you all a wonderful weekend xx

lesson 5

2008-12-09T15:14:00.007+02:00

i was excited to get to class today after missing last weeks lesson due to sickness :(
this morning we warmed up with some more quick two minute drawings. this week i put just a few lines down zooming into the figure.

and then we began with paint and 'colour'! this is what ive been waiting for.

among other things, we were told about the book 'the art of color' by johannes itten - apparently the bible on the theory of colour.

we then discussed 'saturation' and had to paint this still life grouping with only one colour - using water to dilute the acrylic paint to create the lightest and darkest shades. an interesting exercise!

past & present

2008-12-05T10:08:00.003+02:00

'untitled' - appearing in the new issue of the blanket magazine - past & present

have a lovely weekend friends.

frames

2008-12-03T10:03:00.014+02:00

i really like the simplicity of greenhouse frames.

frame : line : house : grid : triangle : roof

*more*

Quiet days

untitled

Greenhouses - NW Corner

lesson 4

2008-11-25T13:45:00.009+02:00

this is how my morning began.. on my way to my art class. the sun is still shining over here while i see snow has already arrived in other parts.

these views make me smile.

today was all about 'greys'. until now we have been looking at black and white - light and shadow. today we worked on the greys inbetween starting off with a scale of 10 going from the lightest to the darkest.

the teacher set up this thrilling set with the fabric draped over the easels and a light fixed underneath. these exercises are not the most exciting but they certainly get the message across.

i love the atmosphere in the room. there are trees at all the windows and the light filters in.

these were my finds on the way home :) .

wonderful and sculptural!!

lesson 3

2008-11-18T15:21:00.008+02:00

i dont have anything too exciting to show from todays lesson which we began with a reminder from last week - a quick drawing looking only at the shadows in a still life. a series of exercises which are familiar to me but still i am happy to go over the drawing basics.

the teacher then built a new set up using the easels piled on top of one another and we had to draw only the negative spaces.

he then asked us to take 4 different sizes of paper from A1 down to A4 and gave us 2 minutes to for each piece of paper to draw a still life. i got a little frustrated with the changes in size and it was so interesting to see how everyone else changed sizes with the different sizes of paper. 2 minutes isnt long enough to think through what you are doing and you draw intuitively. some people drew on each page half the scale of the paper and some drew different scales on each page...

i think the biggest thing i took from this lesson is thinking about composition more - something i need to learn about. i naturally put everything in the center of the paper, all nice and neat. also with photographs, i usually center whatever im looking at. the teacher keeps emphasising the use of the edge of the paper and moving the subject to the edge. it creates a more dynamic picture and i get it!

a funny coincidence - last week while on the train i drew this woman. i only had a pencil on me so the image is quite faint. this morning on the train, in a different carriage, the same woman sat in the same place in relation to me as last time so i drew her again!!

i hope your tuesday is going well.

sarona

2008-11-13T08:42:00.011+02:00

to save on the traffic, i took the train to tel aviv on tuesday to get to my class on time. i arrived early and took the walk up to the art center slowly. kaplan street, one of the busiest in the city, links the city center to the highway. just recently the street was wided which meant that the old templer neighborhood of sarona had to be moved. wow!

image credit: en.wikipedia.org

although i have passed down this street many times, i have never taken a walk around this neighbourhood.

the skies were a perfect blue and with time on my hands and camera in my bag, i took a stroll into this surprisingly quiet corner. it is made up of a series of buildings, old and simple in style -surrounded by large green areas and mature trees. after reading up on this neighbourhood i understand that it was the first modern agricultural settlement in the country.

a protected tree - as most are in this area

this peaceful place gave me a wonderful lift in the morning and the surprise of such nature in the middle of the city was quite magical!

lesson 2

2008-11-11T15:21:00.009+02:00

todays lesson began with a still life - draw what you see - paying attention to the negative spaces and the composition. it seems i find it hard to draw small enough to get it all on the paper.

we then did a few quick 2 minute drawings.

and then we began the subject of light and shade. first having to draw only the shaded areas using charcoal...

..then drawing only the light with chalk. i found this quite tricky both concentrating on an accurate drawing and only shading a certain area.

and to finish off - a blind contour drawing.

drawing and painting for beginners

2008-11-04T14:20:00.014+02:00

today i began my course at the tel aviv museum. 'drawing and painting for beginners'. i wasnt sure if i am a beginner but i am not 'without any experience' and im not 'advanced' so i think i fit nicely in this category. also you can never draw too much.

we started off with a still life drawing using pencil. it was supposed to be a quick drawing and we had to draw what we saw. it took me a few minutes to relax but i soon started enjoying it. the teacher is wonderful. full of life and enthusiastic.

we then moved onto quick 2 minute charcoal drawings of one of us as model. (lisa, i thought of you;))

a point was made to not add details and to not draw in the center of the page. i enjoyed the freeness of these drawings.
the teacher talked to us about the drawings of matisse. we looked in a book showing these wonderful drawings and how they developed over time and with much work.

i can see that tuesday is going to be my favourite day of the week!

hope your tuesday is a nice one.

p.s. congratulations to you all in the us!!!

bean soup and paper boats

2008-10-30T10:10:00.019+02:00

this week we were paid an early visit by winter. a lot of much needed rain fell.

bean soup. flannel pyjamas. dramatic skies. lego spaceships and paper boats.

the perfect setting for new ink drawings

another cave

2008-10-21T12:23:00.008+02:00

it seems to be our week for caves with a visit to another cave yesterday. this time to the 'the stalactite cave nature reserve'.

to reach the cave we had to follow the path down (shari for you).

this was the view to the left on the way down - you can see another cave just to the left of the center.

this amazing cave was discovered by accident in 1968 while quarrying in the area. the age of some of the stalactites and stalagmites in this cave are at least 300 thousand years old. quite mindboggling.

people were talking about the different forms they could see. witches, ice cream cones, a monkey. all i could see were forests and tree forms :) !!

caverns & caves

2008-10-19T15:17:00.017+02:00

this weekend we took a trip 40 minutes from where we live to the 'beit govrin national park' in the judean hills.

most of the ground in this area is chalky - an ideal stone for caves. caves were in the beit govrin area, which were used as quarries and burial grounds, storerooms and workshops, hiding places and spaces for raising doves.

some of the most beautiful caves in this area are the bell caves - they are called this because of their shape. i was in awe of the gorgeous undulating lines forming the caves. stunning.

crosses and arabic inscriptions may be found on the cave walls which suggests the caves were dug during the early arabian period.

another extraordinary cave was the sidonian burial cave - it has restored wall paintings of animals, real and mythic, above the niches where the corpses were once laid.

i couldn't help but think of gracia's work when looking at these old frescoes.

another amazing cave is the columbarium cave - it is built with hundreds of small alcoves in the walls used for raising pigeons.

i found the alcoved forms beautiful.

we had a wonderful day exploring and learning tales of days long ago.

i hope your weekend was lovely too.

paths

2008-10-16T15:38:00.010+02:00

one of my obsessions are roots. its their connection to trees and im sure theres more to it!

i was thinking about sharis paths this week and thought that roots can also be seen as a series of paths - each leading off from another.

it reminds me of the obvious - the constant questioning of which paths to follow in life.

follow some more paths...

{while on the subject of trees, thank you so much to uschi for this xx}

lucian freud

2008-10-13T12:44:00.011+02:00

i have posted about lucian freud before but being one of my absolute favourite artists, a couple of posts is just not enough. his work is so inspiring to me! i find his paintings so honest and full of energy. the confident, thick paint strokes and colours are bold and literal. his work makes me want to do portraits. to paint people. this is something i struggle with - a kind of fear of failing to be true to the subject - both in terms of their personality and their biological form. freud does this so well. both his oil paintings and stunning etchings are so intense in their candour.

freud paints people who he is close to in life but was also once asked to paint the queen. its interesting how he chose to paint such a grand figure on such a small canvas (23.5cm x 15.2cm)!

freud is also known as part of the 'london School of artists' along with michael andrews, frank auerbach (portrait by freud above), francis bacon, r. b. kitaj and leon kossoff - a group of artists who each in their own way took great interest in the human figure. wonderful.

i recently bought this book on freud and since reading through it a couple of days ago i am so excited about starting to work on people!

introduction

2008-10-06T10:08:00.024+02:00

i purchased this rather big book 'history of art' a good few months ago - enthusiastic to teach myself just that. of course it ended up on the top shelf of our modest 'library' looking impressive in its size with its long gold ribbon... but it remained unopened.

this week i opened the book to the introduction feeling a little overwhelmed. so much text in relation to images! do people really read these books? are they used only for the odd reference?

i have never studied art out of high school and my knowledge of the subject is limited to personal enthusiasm. i have been drawing and painting since i was 4 feeling a deep passion for creative expression. when i was doing the weekly art enrichment class with seven year old yuval, i learnt so much and enjoyed doing the research each week.

so coming back to my opening of the book and feeling intimidated with my ignorance... i realised that i know a lot more than i thought i did.

"the fact that art is a complex and in many ways mysterious human activity about which even the experts can hope to offer only tentative and partial conclusions can be taken as confirming the belief that "i dont know anything about art." but are there really people who know nothing about art?"

learning more about the history of art will help me feel more a part of this world, will inspire and will give me more confidence and focus in my own work.

one

2008-09-30T15:40:00.005+03:00

a new start for me over here in this space. i look forward to focusing more on my art this year.

i am enjoying playing around with ideas and planning projects.

i have also signed up for a course in 'drawing and painting' at the tel aviv museum of art. it begins in november and I cant wait!

welcome to my new space!