ART EXHIBITION January 2023

Since returning from Spain and in order to ignore the short dull days which are many,  I have made great efforts to kept myself busy.

I met up with a few artist friends and together we made plans for our Art Exhibition in the lovely bright Cork School of Music  starting on 11th January and will run until 9th February, 2023.  

      Above Photo from Cork School of Music website.

I selected eight paintings which were hanging around my studio, the spare bedroom! It's a bit cramped but it's bright when the sun shines.  I sent two off to the framers and I sat myself down at the easel and began a new work in mid November.

Progress was slow as I waited for the oil paint to dry so I started another painting from my imagination.  I love the autumn colours and the sunlight as it filters through the trees and casts dappled light along the pathways. This time I used acrylics which while not as vibrant as oil, they do dry quickly.  I worked on the other painting which was a seascape and just before Christmas I completed both and sent to the framers.

I was almost ready.  The next job was to measure every painting, write a description and set a price before submitting for our catalogue.

After collecting from the framers,  it was then time to wrap the ten paintings to make ready for transportation to the CSM.

Wednesday 11th Arrived.  To put it mildly, the heavens opened.  It rained all day long!  Luckily I packed the car the day before.

On Wednesday, I drove around the school twice but there were no parking spaces to be found anywhere.  Our only option was to double park outside the main door with the flashing car lights on.  Mr. D and I started to unload the paintings.  Within a few minutes I was met by Caroline one of the other artists who then helped up to get them all indoors.  We then drove to the City Hall which has a pay by the hour car park and found a space on the fifth floor.  We then made our way back on foot as quickly as we could in the driving rain.  Thanks to waterproof raincoats we were not too wet when we arrived back in to the next stage which was hanging the paintings.

In all it took us about four and a half hours. We only had one tall ladder and really we could have done with two but we were pleased with the end result.

VALENCIA

Valencia has many botanical gardens and museums of art and ceramics. The City of Arts and Sciences is a large complex that features a planetarium, science museum, and arboretum.

 The day was cloudy but warm so we decided it would be a good day to walk from the city centre towards to the science museum. On the map, it didn't look too far along by the Turia river.   But having walked in 31c heat for nearly 90 minutes, we were both very relieved when we eventually say the glass dome building in the distance. I stood at the Valencia sign for a quick photo before we both flopped down on a nearby seat. 

On a very warm sunny day we went to the Turia botanical gardens.  Again we took cover from the sun in the shade of the giant cacti plants while we sat by a beautiful pond with huge koy fish.

We got to know the city centre quite well by just wandering through streets and finding interesting shops and plazas. 

Up, up and away!! To Spain

 Our last flight was in March 2020 just days before the lockdown.  It has been such a long wait and we thought at times 'will we ever go abroad again?'  But hey ho, the time has come.  We have been vaccinated and boosted.  The virus while it's still here, is thankfully more manageable now and cases have decreased significantly world wide.  The airports are busy again.

Off we go over the Atlantic flying from Cork to Valencia.

We rented apartments through Airbnb. The first one in Valencia was very central. The entry method was a little daunting to begin with.  I had to use an app on my smartphone to enter the main door of the building and again for the door of the apartment.  Mr. D does not have much tolerance for Smartphones and apps.  He still uses a flip phone and often refuses to answer my phone when it rings!!  After three attempts at clicking the different boxes while Mr D ground his teeth and cursed  I did manage to figure it out and now I have declared myself an expert! 

 This apartment while basic was clean and had air-conditioning.  It was within walking distance of the old town where many of the historical sites are located.

We did a lot of walking and relaxing in the shade.  Thankfully the buildings are tall so there was plenty of shade to protect us from the midday sun. It was nice to sample the paella which is very popular in Valencia. 

The next apartment was near the seafront just 15 minute bus ride from the city. It was located in Port Saplaya, a popular resort where everyone seemed to have a boat!

                                         Above:  Evening on the balcony.

Below:  Sunrise at the beach and the morning light on the apartments.

 We loved the beach. There were plenty of seats on the promenade and we would sit in the late afternoons reading our books intermittently while watching the cruise liners and yachts on the horizon. 

The water was quite shallow so very safe for children.  I swam most days and there were people on the beach and swimming until 7 or later in the evening which was wonderful in the month of October.  Hard to believe it was lashing down with rain back home in Ireland.  

Some days we would take the bus to the city centre and visit a museum or art gallery.  

Some days we would just relax on our favourite seat on the promenade.