No Oeuf's, No Oeuf's

This year I went to tutour a week in Corsica with John and Maria of Bella Sardinia...and what a magical place.

We stayed in a small and friendly hotel right on the waterside with a small raised terrace overlooking the beach where we would have breakfast and evening drinks. The view from here was very paintable and that was exactly what we did on the first day.

Setting off up into the mountains we spent a day painting in the super littlevillage of Pigna with far reaching views over the coastline. Then we went to the seaside town of L'lle Rousse with its white columned marketplace and large tree lined square which was a joy to paint.

Back into the mountains, this time to the charming old hilltop village of San Antonino with its maze of interlocking pathways and alleys that lead you to some breathtaking viewpoints overlooking the mountains. We set up in the small shady square and I painted this view of the chapel and the steps. Lunch was in 'I Scalini' a tiny restuarant perched right on the top of the village with 360 degree views.

My other painting was done one night after dinner outside the hotel looking down the road to the archway that was all lit up. There was not much light to work by so it was almost 'paint by instinct' but the result turned out quite well I think !!

Florences' Big Adventure

Sadly, two weeks ago Flo, our little tortoiseshell ( pictured here with Woody ) was put to sleep but she was 19 years old ! And not before she went on her big adventure !
All the years we have had her she has never wandered away from home but a few months ago she went missing. In latter months she had become blind and almost deaf and she became painfully thin so we were thinking that the end was in sight, then she dissapeared. We searched for her high and low but no Flo.
On the fourth day of her dissapearance we decided to walk down into the village about a quarter mile away and caught sight of a 'FOUND CAT' poster stuck on a telegraph pole which looked just like our little cat...and it was !
Some really kind people at Trecilla Barn had seen her in a field behind their property and taken her in. Not knowing where she was from and seeing she was blind and rather thin they took her to their vet for a check over and put up the posters in the village.
We really had resigned ourselves to the fact that we wouldn't see her again and here she was.
When they found her she was soaking wet and had obviously fallen in the brook on the opposite side of the road. How she had ever negotiated the road, got across the brook and walked all the way down into the village I will never know...but she did and we had her for another month after that.
So for our little deaf and blind 19 year old cat who had never before left home it really was her last 'Big Adventure '

No troubles with Tunisia...!

What an eye opener this trip was. I think we were all in agreement that this was a really friendly place to be and there was no sign of trouble or any animosity towards us . Our hotel really did look after us and even though it was only about a third full the staff did not skimp on service or FOOD ! I have never seen such an array of different and exciting fare served up by a hotel before, it was amazing.

I wont say too much about the freshly made pancakes...suffice to say they went well with the breakfasts, lunches and dinners ( slight addiction here i fear !)

Seeing this was N Africa , when the wind blew it was a bit chilly and on one occasion we did some sketching in the vast hotel lobby which was a picture in itself.

Our trip to Tunis and the Souq was another eyeopener. Everyone seemed happy to see us and many came up to us to thank us for coming to their country.

All in all a very pleasant experience especially after all the turmoil that went on earlier in the year.

My New Book out in Sept

Exciting News !! My new book has just gone off to the publishers ready for a Sept print date ! The book is published by Halsgrove and is 144 full colour pages, hardbound and you will be able to order your signed copy direct from me when it is available.

Please check on my web page for info on ordering later on in the year. I will also be doing a 'tour' to art clubs and societies with a Book Signing and Demo so if your group would be interested please contact me for details.

Great week in SARDINIA

After a three hour delay at the airport I at last arrived at Alghero airport and was greeted by Maria who whisked me off to the lovely little Hotel Funtanerana fourty minutes drive away.

After meeting everyone we got to grips with some painting and sketching interspersed with the odd 'Ichnusa', the local beer. My first sketch , which i have included here, is of the fountain that gave the Hotel it's name. The weather was getting rather WARM to say the least.

Our first trip was to the small riverside town of Bosa about an hour's drive from the hotel. I couldn't get over how UNDER populated Sardinia was as we hardly saw any development on our trip...what a refreshing change ! We spent a very enjoyable day in Bosa with packed lunches by the river.

Another day out took us to Maria's parents vineyard 'Badu Oschiri' where we were greeted with Sardinian hospitality , food and of course WINE !! The temp was well into the 30's so it was rather warm and the paint was drying as fast as you put it on the paper.

Our trip to the old town of Alghero was very interesting with it's wealth of old buildings , then it was off to the beach for lunch and a dip in the sea. Sadly some bad weather had washed a lot of the sand away and there were too many rocks about. The landlord of the taverna plied us with the local Grappa which nearly blew our heads off.

This was the first holiday I had done with Maria and John who were great hosts and made sure everyone's needs were well catered for. I am looking foward to tutouring for them again next year so watch this space !

check out all my holidays on barryherniman.com

Taking a trip...

This Spring's trip to the Finca proved to be extra exciting ! After a few days to get to grips with a few techniques we set off to the coast for a few days, travelling westwards towards Gibralta and beyond.

Lunchtime and we stopped off for a drink and a bite to eat at the Hurricane Hotel and boy was it well named. There was a really fierce wind blowing but that didn't stop me dashing off a quick sketch of the beach area even though I had to tie my sketchbook down to stop it flying away !

We had now left the warm waters of the Med and were now on the Atlantic Coast.

Travelling further up the west coast of Spain towards Cadiz we stopped off at the small resort of Zahara de los Atunes where we stayed the night.

Doing a sketch atop a large sand dune I was almost sandblasted by the time I had finished.

Next morning we set off inland to Medina Sidonia, a small viilage named after the Admiral of the Armada. After a very pleasant mornings painting we headed back to the Finca through some really stunning scenery. Must get to paint some of these scenes one day !!

All Columned Out ...!

This year our first overseas Painting Holiday was to Greece. We stayed on the coast on the mainland due east from Athens on Vravrona Bay. Our hotel was in a very quiet position overlooking the water and a pretty headland which we painted a few times perched on the bar balcony ( with the odd Methos or two for good measure !)

Our first trip out took us south to the temple of Posidon on Cape Sunio which gave us our first taste of a real Greek temple. The main attraction was a day out to Athens and the Parthenon which I have always wanted to see. After climbing the many steep and slippery marble steps we passed through the entry arch of the Propylaea and got our first glimpse of the Parthenon. What a structure, quite exhilarating. After picking a spot right next to the guard rail I sketched this pic looking up at the temple. For the purists among you I have only included 7 columns in the front

portico instead of 8 as I was running out of steam but I'm sure my secret is safe with you!

Managed to get another 2 pics done before it was time for lunch and by that time we were all ' Columned out' as Ann said . After lunch there was a mass migration to the Ice Cream parlour for some great flavours and some even went on to the bakery for a Baclava ( I mention no names !)

Next day we visited the small temple of Artemis which we could almost see from the hotel. When we got there it was closed to the public which was a real nuisance but did manage to get this other sketch done from the boundary fence so all was not lost .

The weather on the whole was very warm and sunny but there was the odd cold wind which brought out the jumpers and fleeces !