The Husband and I got engaged in Morocco. Yes, very romantic... I got incredibly sick while there, both with something truly unspeakable (intestinal--your imagination will suffice) as well as bronchitis. One of our most vivid shared memories is of literally shaking with cold all night long, and another is of using the pages of our travel journal in the wee hours amongst the sand dunes during an emergency moment of said unspeakable intestinal disturbance. Oh, and musn't forget about when the Berber tribesman offered to buy me from The Soon-to-be-Husband.
There were also some good memories--like the town of Chefchaouen, where the bees are literally stoned on kif pollen and buzz straight down into your teeth-rottingly sweet mint tea. The town was almost all blue-washed, with these amazing hand-hacked stairs and funky angles everywhere. This pastel is based on a photo The Husband took while there.
You may detect a Mark Leach (I just got his book--wow!) influence in this pastel, and in several others which I will post soon. I've been having a lot of fun exploring this sort of almost whimsical style, which I feel is a natural match for pastel. I figure, it looks like he had a hell of a lot of fun doing his pastels (I read that he died recently); I'll continue on the tradition, plus I really love and admire his semi-abstract style.
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6 comments:
I love the dream like quality of this work. It is so different from your other work. Waiting for more pastels,
"A-ha!", I exclaimed. "Beautiful blues and ballsy windows." Well done!
Lucky the Berbers didn't get you; I don't think you'd look good in stripes.
cool story, Jala! Love it! The pastel is dreamy, as is the cute kitty, as always!:)
Great how you switch back and forth from oil to pastel and back again.
Not knowing what this was when the page uploaded, it already reminded me of a Moorish scene in abstraction.
I like the contrast of fine line to building mass.
It's good to get those ahem, intestinal embarrassments out of the way early in the courtship.
He knew then and there exactly what you were made of.
I see Lynx's feets as your next abstract.
Wonderful photo.
PS- how do you hold a paintbrush with the camera in your hands 24/7?
PPS- don't ever stop those Lynx links.
Beautiful colour and form Jala. Great how you feel comfortable switching styles - so I'm not by myself, LOL !
Love the color and shapes here, Jala. I turn to Mark Leach's book often for inspiration and it never fails me.
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