Windows with a View

A home pleases me when it has a view! It is important that a house or apartment looks appealing from outside. First impression is important. So is the entrance. But I realized, what I like most, is the view from inside out of a home. It doesn't have to be Manhattan's skyline, or the Tour Eiffel. It could be the neighbour's lush green gardens and some old tree. And of course, sea view is one of the best views!

When inside, the window is our connection to the outside world.

Henri Matisse, the impressionist, painted lots of interiors. Very often there is a window with a view in his paintings. Recently, I came across Pierre Bonnard, a post-impressionist painter. When I researched his paintings (thanks to google images) I realized he must have known Matisse. He painted similar windows with a view! And indeed they were friends, they were even part of the same group (Les Nabis) and inspired each other.

Artists have always been inspired by windows with a view:



Pierre Bonnard 1919



Henri Matisse 1918
  



Henri Matisse 1919



Raoul Dufy 1928



Pablo Picasso 1957

  

Pierre Bonnard 1921



David Hockney 1970
"Window, Grand Hotel, Vittel", lithograph



David Hockney 2010


And last but not least:


Palazzo Pizzo with new shades, summer 2012


Inspiration

This blog exists because I love to be creative.

However, lately, I have not been so creative in writing blog posts. My apologies. And thank you to all of you for still sticking with me.

For those who want to know - and maybe the new reader, I will explain, the reason(s) why I was reluctant to blog:
Lack of idea
  • After having finished 99% of our renovation and decoration project, there is not much left to report about the palazzo.
  • Also not living in Italy permanently, does not provide me with many new stories from the village life in the beautyful South.
  • There are so many blogs around these days, that good new stuff that hasn't been explored inside out by others is difficult to find.
  • When I write I want to deliver quality, well researched things. I try not to just briefly touch a fashionable topic.
  • When I press the publish button, it's because I have to tell something. Something that worth to be printed. Something that is entertaining and keeps readers coming back.
Lack of time
  • As I said above, I aim for quality. And that needs time. But nowadays, you need to be faster and faster if you don't want to be the last writing about a subject.
Lack of motivation
  • I started this blog in December 2006, so I am in my 7th year of blogging!! Mmmhhh, is it the seven-year-itch !!??
  • People seem to follow more and more other (faster) social networks, like facebook, like twitter, pinterest, tmblr .... than blogs. Maybe.

I was even tempted to sign up for a blog e-course with Holly Becker at Decor8.

As I said, this blog exists, because I love to be creative. Actually, I need to be crative! It enriches my life. Although, for a couple of weeks I have not been writing, I have been creative elsewhere:

I am into photography since some months. I know now how to use my digital camera in the manual mode. I learned that prime lenses are giving better results than standard zoom lenses, and that the body is less important than the lens. Over the past days I played around with the free trial version of Adobe Lightroom. I learned how to improve photos in the post process. And, very important, how to insert a copyright into the metadata of a photo - or even better, into a whole batch of photos.

On top of photography, I did some weekly painting. First with a maestro artist who helped us students when stuck. After a year or so, I gave up to paint with him since I was not able to paint without him anymore. Slowly, I started to paint again, just by myself, and with a group of ladies who use different media and techniques.

Over the time I realized, how photography and painting are inspiring and complementing each other. I grew with both. I also came across many artists. Some I heard before, but most were new to me, especially the photographers. Very Inspiring!

I am always curious about an artist's life and where famous artists got their inspiration from! Often from each other!

The other night, I looked up my favorite post-impressionists on my iphone... for hours...The next morning I woke up, sleepy though,  I finally knew what to paint on my pink canvas.

In one session I almost finished the painting. Now, just some glazing (shadows) is missing. I posted it on FB and my friends liked it. I got compliments from art connoisseurs, form art buyers and even a successful artist friend. If I continue to be productive like this, I will be able to participate in the exhibition of my art group at the end of this year. - The only problem is, that the exhibition's target is to sell paintings. - Ha ha, I am not sure, if I can separate from that bird?!


oil on canvas (40 x 50 cm) by me


For future inspiration, I always collect photos and art work in files on my personal computer, ipad and iphone. But today I had an idea. Why not share my inspiration on my blog? I will have a new label "inspiring art" and feature painters and photographers I like. Here we go, same purpose of blogging as before, filing my inspiration online (and finding them in cyberspace always)!

And so, after photography and painting for many months, I am happily back to writing again.
What a connection!