… I love everything about this town! …

… Torquay is situated in what is called the “English Riviera” and could easily be one of those destination points that you keep returning to!… This is also known as “Agatha Christie country” for those intrigued
by her many books on crime and by the subsequent TV shows that followed … My walk to town  took me past the Torquay harbour (bottom left) and sight of the quaint charm of this seaside town emerged (bottom right) …

…This is a “picture perfect” town, with it’s  marina (below left) … and  backdrop of gleaming  white buildings (below right) … such a relaxing joy to walk the marina and the surrounding area…

… Shadowing the marina (below left) is the lovely Torquay Pavilion with its Victorian architecture … this unique shopping Pavilion was once the hub of “social” venues for music and concerts, and some time ago, Dame Agatha Christie regularly attended concerts here (lower right) …

… The interior of the Pavilion is every bit as interesting inside as out… The upper floor eating area (below left) offers a great artistic “ambience”… I thoroughly enjoyed my tea and scone with strawberries & clotted cream  in this setting … all the while taking in the detailed  pillars, mouldings and stained and frosted glass windows (lower right) …

… Through the glass doors (lower left) was a roof top patio to take in the fresh sea air, if one desired … and more Victorian details are repeated on the lower floor retail space … a great setting for artisans to display their work (lower right)…It’s rather interesting to me that this was all once Agatha Christie’s “playground”…. hmmm … much food for thought!..(if you’re an Agatha Christie fan!)

… The view of the pavillion (below left) from Princess Park (named after Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter Princess Louise), with a closer look at some of the pavillion details (below right)…

… This ornate fountain in Princess Park (lower left) was an absolute delight for me, as it’s base featured some extremely ornate and guilded ‘classical dolphins (lower right) … I’ve always been attracted to these and have incorporated them into a wall mural I did in a private residence back in Canada … These gardens were also a setting for a scene in “Hercule Poirot” as well as being a feature of both the Agatha Christie Mile and the Agatha Christie Literary Trail.

… During my  Exploration of Torquay I couldn’t help but capture a couple of quaint churches (one finds many, many churches and cathedrals in England) … Below left is St. Luke’s perched on its small hillside and below right is St. John the Apostles, which can be seen from many vantage points in Torquay … exploring  old churches would be a major part and passion of my “England” experience….

… Everywhere you looked … there were great architectural buildings …. This clock tower (below left) stands in the town square, and (below right) once housed the Devon and Exeter Savings Bank but is now known as Banx Coffee Bar, just a delightful old building …

…A visit into the heart of town was in order to find a few “special” bits to take home.  It is here I found a most marvellous drawing set with graphites and charcoals in a lovely wooden case. One of my most prized “finds” and a pleasure to use in my work…

… And of course I had to visit Torre Abby which is Torquay’s oldest building, dating back to 1196… unfortunately it was under reconstruction and I could not get inside (below left and right)…

… (below left) A delightful night view of Torquay overlooking the seawall walk … lit up with thousands of coloured lights… and alas, lower right, I await the train for the next leg of my journey …

… Even the platform (below left) at the train station in Torquay exudes that old Victorian charm, with its painted wrought iron gussets, hanging plants, and well preserved buildings … Here I sit, below right, putting in time … wondering what palette waits to greet me around the next corner to bring inspiration to my artists eye …

This thatch-roofed village…

… is a must see … just 1/2 mile from Torquay, Cockington village is a prim and proper picturesque Old English village, just beckoning to be put on canvas …
The site was founded some 2500 years ago during the Iron Age. It later became a fishing-farming village … and is also mentioned in the Doomsday Book … going forward …  It has also been said that Dame Agatha Christie use to ride horses through the country lanes of Cockington Village … but enough history for now … a few pics to confirm it’s beckoning nature …

… The cottage (below left) is nestled into a bit of a hillside, and blends the presence of man into nature … all the cottages in Cockington have thatched roofs and many or perhaps most (below right) are now some sort business catering to the tourism industry …a sign of the times… perhaps a bit of a shame for this little village …

… But I guess without the tourism, it would not be preserved for all to visit and enjoy … the Rose Garden Tea and Gift Shoppe (below left) … and the interesting curved roof of this small dwelling (below right) make unique looking shoppes today … one has to wonder who might have lived in these structures in years gone by …?

… Again (below left), the sculptured thatch peak and white stucco reminded me of  Anne Hatheway’s cottage  and (below right), the rough timbered  styling of this peculiar cottage really can set the imagination wandering … I could just picture the activities of a Hobbit family … (this one really beckons my paint brush!)….

… the Weavers Cottage Tea Shoppe is set up in this 18th century cottage … it’s entrance pictured (below left) invites you into an outdoor courtyard for a bit of privacy … and next to it an entrance way to the ‘Drum Inn’ (below right) …

… The view across the back lawn of the Drum Inn (below left) … everything prim and proper and trimmed to perfection … up those stairs to the terrace where I enjoyed a lovely lunch, and customary Guiness … the unique little bar (below right) was reserved for special gatherings but it’s quaintness was inviting …

… As one stroll’s around the 460 acres of Cockington Country Park there is so much to explore … everything from the Manor House (below left & right) …

… to the cricket field and Cockington Court Cricket Pavillion (lower left) … to the Cockington Court Craft Centre (below right) …

… and once inside, can browse the rows of craft shops …

…  It was once an actual court built over the remains of a medieval court … and it was here that Agatha Christie would participate in amateur dramatics, but is now filled with various arts and crafts studios, as indicated on the sign (below left) … A wooden statue stands to the side, an artistic creation inviting the curious to the points beyond (below right) …

… It is through the Cockington Court Craft Center that one enters the gardens … During my visit to the flower gardens, the roses (below left a& right) were in full bloom and the colour whetted ones creative palate …

… with all this colour, peace and tranquillity (below left & right), I had to sit amongst it all for a bit and take in the garden … smell the fragrance  … a visual delight for one who has spent years painting roses … Each time I view this picture it takes me back to this wonderful tranquillity.

… Delightful blooms (below)… the rose to the right is perhaps one of my favourites, … this rose has found its way into a painting or two …

… Even the sundial (lower left) is created with artistic flair, and in keeping with the rose garden theme has a stylish realism to its weather worn brass origin … and lower right, another overview of the rose garden …

… And a quick mention of the organic garden (entrance way pictured lower left) and me checking out the composting area (lower right) … I’ve grown an organic garden throughout my life, so this was of personal interest to me … behind me are rows of an assortment of herbs, and plastic covered cloches can be seen in the background … all the bedding plants are also started in this area … it is interesting to note that organic gardening is very big in England, perhaps due in large to its biggest proponent, Prince Charles…?

… Further along the stroll through the park, one comes upon the ‘Church of Saint George & Saint Mary’ (below left) … this church (circa 1069)  is picturesque in it’s setting atop a knoll … and the interior! …

… the interior is breathtaking, as are many of Englands small village churches …. with wonderfully ornate pillars and arches, lovely gothic windows with stained glass uppers (below left) … and (below right) the ultra finely carved wood finish of the knave … quite a sight to behold …

…Below left, the stained glass window behind the alter … and below right, the balancing left wing of the church …

… At lower left, my walk about continued to the hillside of the church and an exterior view of the ornate windows … I was intrigued by the effects of the shadows and light cast by the trees in the mid afternoon sun …  and lower right, the aged appearance of the rock wall and ancient door, combined with the sunlight and foliage shadow gave this an almost pastel appearance …

… At the rear of the church, a small courtyard and stairs that beckon one to “come forth … ascend … a new adventure awaits you” … and at the top of the stairs one turns to their left (lower right) and a pathway flanked by wild flowers and green foliage invites you to follow … enjoy …

… I leave you with my memories of Cockington, and hope you will join me in an upcoming post on my time in Torquay …

Always follow your dream….

Most artists have drawn influence and inspiration for their art from someone whose work has captivated them.  I am certainly no exception to this phenomenon.

Hanging, front and centre, on my living room wall, for almost 40 years, is a reproduction that I painted of Elizabeth Vigée-LeBrun and her daughter.  It is a fairly famous picture, but it has more significance to me than that. This accomplished female portrait painter would be a great inspiration and influence to my re-acquaintance with oil painting.

 

I was given my first oil paints on my thirteenth birthday as a gift from my mother.  I had already been drawing portraits for a number of years and this just seemed like a natural progression into the arts.

 

The oil paints came from a shop run by a local artist that my mother knew, who was very accomplished at painting landscapes.  He offered to give me some free lessons.  There was a problem with this though, as his speciality was landscape and my interests were portraits.

 

Needless to say the landscape painting waned, my fascination with portraits took front and centre and I left the oil paints behind to take up charcoal and pastels.

 

I worked with charcoal and pastels exclusively for a number of years, doing (and selling) pictures of portraits and flowers, until I happened to make the acquaintance of another rather well known artist who liked my work but thought that oil paints were much easier to use than pastels, and convinced me that I should give it another “go”.

 

And so I gave it another go, but I felt that if I was going to use oils, then I would use them in the style of the old “masters”, with their deep rich palette of colors, and it would be people, not landscapes, that I would paint.  So I researched art books at the UBC library, and this is where I came across Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun, best known for the paintings she did for the Royal Family of France (In particular her portraits of Marie Antoinette). Her works and her accomplished portraiture were my biggest inspiration. This was my return to oil painting and I’ve never looked back!  

 

I think if there is a moral to this story it would be to – ALWAYS go where your heart takes you. If a certain kind of art captivates you then that’s what you should be doing and don’t get caught up in someone else’s vision of what you should be doing.

 

… And Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun will continue to hang on my wall as a reminder and inspiration to me, of a great and accomplished female portrait artist, who did what she loved to do, at a time when being an artist was a male dominated profession …

 

…more on Paris and Versailles in “My Travels” blog….   

A Masterpiece in Creativity…

I want to live here! … or clear out all the people and leave me alone to peruse every nook and cranny, hidden hallway, winding staircase…

                                         … marble wall columns, (are they real or are some faux?)…

A city meant for artists!… 

… Anyone who knows me knows I love Paris!  I can totally understand why it has always attracted artists. It is simply such a visual delight! … I love the “old” part of the city …it’s architecture, uniformity, romanticism … and yes … it’s galleries! 

…For me, the city is really just one big gallery!

From the street layout ….

…. To the National Opera House …

…To the Place Vendome…

…To the Ritz…

… And then there is the Louvre…

…The Louvre and its main entrance through the Glass Pyramid…

…Carousel entrance to the Louvre…

… Chandeliers in the “conversation” room…

…conversation sofas…

… Mural on one of the apartment walls…

One of the paintings I remember the most and really stand in awe of is “The Coronation of Napoleon” by Jacques-Louis David.  The sheer size of the work (20 ft. 4 in. X 32 ft. 1 in.) and intricate details just captivated me. I could have stood there for hours admiring the artistry of this painting!