Savannah's Buildings Close-Up

This will be another day in which I will posts photographs with little description as the pictures are the best descriptions.  These were taken on Monday which was the first full day of our tour.  We had an informative meeting in the morning and then a leisurely stroll, lunch, and a continuation of our walk through the picturesque area of Savannah.

First however, during a break in the morning's meeting which was held on the 15th floor of the hotel, we were mesmerized by the sight of a HUGE container ship making its way up the Savannah River.  Remember, we were very high up and quite a distance from the river (also, the picture were taken with my phone through a glass window).  What you can see are the containers on the deck of the ship and the white structure which houses - well, the bridge, probably the crew quarters, mess, etc.

Here is one picture that might help you realize the sheer enormity of this ship.  Again you can see the containers on the deck and the white "tower" structure.  Behind it is a large building on the other side of the river (it's almost on the river front); notice the size of the windows in that building and how many floors you can see (the ground floor of this building is not visible).  Because this ship is on the river whose surface is lower than the first floor, that gives you another reference as to how big the ship is.  Then check the buildings and cars that are on this side of the river.  Whew!

Now from here on, you will be seeing primarily fountains, ornamental ironwork, bas reliefs, interior designs, and the like.  It was not a pretty day, and I took only my phone as a camera due to the drizzle.  Later in the week my photographs focused on other things.  Remember that I use these pictures as inspiration, and see if you can figure out why I took certain pictures.  Admittedly, some merely tickle my fancy!

Don't you love the reflection in the window?

How can you pass up a restaurant that features books as very large part of their decor?

The stained glass and chandelier was over our lunch table.

The wall across from my seat.

This is actually one of Savannah College of Art and Design's major buildings, and I show it here for ME (even though I took it because of the ironwork and architectural beauty).  The restaurant in which we ate our very tasty lunch was just across the street.

A cotton exchange - cotton was King, remember.

Here's a break from all the architectural details I've shown you today.  I did take a few pictures of this type that day, too.  It's just so exactly what I have in my mind's eye when I think of Savannah.

Savannah's Train Museum

Back to photographs from our trips in March.  I'm going to focus on Savannah today, but I may return to San Diego to share some of the last pictures and to revel in the sunshine that was generally missing while in Savannah.  That was a big disappointment, but the city is so beautiful that aside from the facts that we were unprepared for the cooler temperatures and taking pictures with my phone on the rainy days resulted in less attractive photos, it was a great trip.

One of the first places we visited was the train museum which was wonderful.  We wound up spending much longer than I initially thought we would, and we all enjoyed it a lot.  I'm going to try to use very few captions/descriptions tonight because I don't think I can accurately explain what is in the picture, or because I think the picture speaks for itself - just interesting or good.  So here goes:

And that, in brief, is our visit to Georgia State Railroad Museum.  

Sunset on the Caribbean

No, we didn't travel to the Caribbean last month.  It is the title for my new, completed painting,  Yes, it is finished!  

Sharon did have suggestions for improving what I had done, and I agreed with her.  By this morning, I had revised my emphatic, "It's finished!" stand of last night.  In the cool light of morning, I knew the left-hand side of the painting needed help but wasn't sure of the best way to approach the problem.  Basically, the dark clouds on that side dragged the weight of the painting to that side alone.  By intensifying some of the other colors and pulling the dark purple through the red and orange and even into the right, the painting found its balance.

Now I'll have to figure out what to work on next!

Watercolor Painting with Vivid Colors

Taking a break from travel photos for a little while seems like a good idea.  There are a lot from Savannah, and unfortunately the weather was such that I don't think many of them will be worth viewing.  However, they will still make for some wonderful painting ideas.

Today I spent part of the afternoon "finishing" my latest painting.  The word finished is in quotation marks because what I think is done and what Sharon, my teacher, thinks may and frequently is different.  

There is another, and to my mind, more basic problem.  Is it any good?  You see, with this watercolor I have tried (and to some extent succeeded) to paint in a looser style.  The subject, a sunset, allowed for that.  Up until this painting, one quality of watercolor was elusive.  I did not like the diluted colors I got while other artists paint with very vivid, striking color. How did they do that, I asked myself.  The answer is easy - use the best paints (I do) and less water.  The latter was the problem with which I struggled.  In this current painting, I have come closer to using the paint with less water and therefore the sunset is vivid.  I have yet to be able to avoid the "sealing of the paper" to which I have come close and maybe even, by now, tipped over into.  Sharon will be sure to let me know tomorrow!  Then I have to ask her to sit down with me and explain how to recognize that one is in danger of sealing the paper and how to avoid it!

The successful vividness of the sunset and the ocean on which it is reflected is the other issue. I used a photograph as usual, but my fear is that the painting is so colorful as to be unbelievable.  Since there is no boat, no shore, human figures to give a clue, this may simply be an abstract painting to the viewer.

Does that matter?  It depends on my intention for this work, doesn't it.  Tomorrow, I will have Sharon's verdict, and I will let you know what that is while I also post a photo of the painting (unless Sharon tells me to burn it!).

San Diego - Land of Amazing Skies

It was about the middle of our week in San Diego and probably the hottest day there when we decided to hike the northern section of Torrey Pines.  It was a beautiful day that started with some excellent reference opportunities like this photo (one of many of pics I took as this boat tacked back and forth).

Which leads me to ask, "Can a boat of this type (using a motor) 'tack'?"  Anyway, this picture was taken from the balcony of BD and E's condo.  Then we went on our walk.

At first I thought I would concentrate on the flora we could see beside the trail.  Yellow and red is one of my favorite color combinations; throw in white and it's a ballet.

These two plants were all over this section.

Prickly pear again, and the blossoms were coming along at the rate of at least one a day.  Okay, that's a guess.  I looked at the spent blooms and extrapolated from there (I've always wanted an excuse to use that word!).

Pine cones; I love the shadows in these.  

Then there were these formations.  Again, absolutely wonderful shadows.  Both of these are interesting photographs and worth a lot when the right painting walks into my head.

But the next one is like the pictures I took at the beach.  

The beauty of rocks catches me every time - especially, as with these, when they have "arranged" themselves into a lovely still life.

So why "Land of Amazing Skies"?    Look at what we saw that afternoon:

Keep an eye on the clouds . . . 

Shooting off the trees . . . 

If I painted this one, no one would believe a cloud really seemed to curl around a tree like this.

And now, clouds like geese women in flight . . .

Here the vertical rays of the sun and the horizontal swoop of the geese clouds  . . . wow!

Do you believe this?  Stationary beetle-browed rock formation and fluttery clouds dancing above it and complete with the sun itself!

Finally, the sunset.  What a day!

Trip to Los Angeles - Quilt Inspirations

Tonight was Quilt Guild night so the entry will be short.  Fortunately, this is the day the four of us went to Los Angeles to visit the LA County Museum.  That being the case, and also because I opted to use my phone rather than carry the heavier camera, there aren't as many pictures as usual.

We traveled to LA by train which was a pleasure and then used a taxi (Uber car)  instead of using public transportation which saved us time.  A lot of time!

Quilts are where you find them.

Once at the LA train station while waiting for our Uber car, I found the ceiling fascinating and took some pictures of it.  Wouldn't this make an amazing quilt?  Ultra modern with the colors and angles as shown, it's a winner. 

Here's a close up for those of you who want to draft it immediately.  Challenging?  Yes, but worth trying?  Yes, again.

For those of you who prefer a more traditional approach, here's the tile floor of the station. Because of kiosks and crowds I was unable to get a complete picture, but there's enough here to work with.  I can't wait to try it - first with the obvious Stonehenge fabrics, and then something less predictable.  Someday.

Can you figure out what this is (besides another idea for a quilt)?  It is more stunning than this photo conveys, and yes, it is a reflective surface.  Okay, you may read the museum card below.

Were you right?  Have you ever seen anything like this before?  I hadn't!  

Believe me, there are many photographs from our day at this museum complex, but I am tired so I will leave it at these few.