Author: @Lillybochic

I am a professional artist, textile designer, and blogger. I live in Canada with my husband and daughter. I have a passion for meeting people and creating new things. Share my adventures by following my blog at anieksteph.com

Madeira and its Landmarks

Part Three: FAVOURITE VIEWS OF DA PONTA DE SÃO LOURENÇO

Our visit to Ponta de Sao Lourenco was an inspiring one. There were many sights to see that photographs cannot pay justice to them all.

This North West mountain peak resembled a human face. One with a thick brow and ancient features. I am ambivalent toward inanimate objects that resemble human faces.

Favourite views of pointe da Sao Lourenco

There is a odd feeling that I get from seeing something with relatable features, because I instinctually assign emotions and a made up back story from my imagination.

Favourite views of pointe da Sao Lourenco

Perhaps this face formed in the mountainside upon the first landing of humans to the Isle of Madeira. The Mother Earth was aghast to discover that her secret virgin paradise was now seen for the first time by humans at the point da Sao Lourenco, and the secret would no longer be kept. The storyteller within me continues on with the allegory that I will spare you from for now.

Favourite views of pointe da Sao Lourenco

A land formation resembling a pirate’s cove is another image that I captured on our trip. My imagination is further titillated to think about who may have first been there, and what other stories may have taken place as a result of this inlet from the ocean.

Favourite views of pointe da Sao Lourenco

Favourite views of pointe da Sao LourencoFavourite views of pointe da Sao LourencoFavourite views of pointe da Sao Lourenco

Next: Part Four Final shots of da ponta

by @Lillybochic

Madeira and its Landmarks

Part Two: A Visit to DA PONTA DE SÃO LOURENÇO

A brief visit to the area of Machico on the East end of Madeira led us to da Ponta de Sao Lourenco, a vista filled trek with soul stirring views of the ocean.

The volcanic rock is rumoured to contain various fossils of ancient plant life that has now been extinct for thousands of years. As we explored, we tried to discover some fossils of our own, but breaking rocks apart proved to be too tedious.

DA PONTA DE SÃO LOURENÇOVolcanic rock in Madeira

Some of the paths were challenging, and best left to the more experienced hikers and thrill seekers. We climbed what we could, and were happy for the views.

Next: FAVOURITE VIEWS OF DA PONTA DE SÃO LOURENÇO.

by @Lillybochic

Madeira and its Landmarks

Part one

This December holiday, we decided to leave the country to a sunny destination. My Partner is Portuguese, so among the list of possible destinations was the beautiful island of Madeira, a territory of Portugal.Skyline: Funchal Madeira- Sao Joao Neighbourhood

While examining what specific areas and towns to visit in this exuberant country, we had considered two places: Funchal and Machico. These locations are very popular for tourists, as well as being locations where my Partner has family living. When possible, it is enjoyable to see a foreign country as the locals do. I know that this is not always possible, but it offers a nice change of pace, scenery, and general attitude toward life for Western born people.

Skyline: Funchal Madeira- Sao Joao Neighbourhood2

We decided to chose our top option and stayed in Funchal, Madeira. This capital city is home to a comfortable condominium apartment in the neighbourhood of Sao Joao, which served us well as our accommodation for our trip.

Our rental car from Madeira Rentals was a sporty car equipped with GPS.

We wisely chose to spend a little extra money on a European Roaming Package for my mobile phone. It cost an extra 90$ on top of my monthly fee, but the amount of headaches that were alleviated by having access to Google Maps was well worth the cost.

NEXT: OUR VISIT TO DA PONTA DE SÃO LOURENÇO

by @Lillybochic

My attempt at imitating Monet in acrylic

Acrylic on wood panel yellow, green, brown
Acrylic on wood panel

Spring is on its way!

I have been back to my experimental roots, and came up with this latest work while working on wood panels. This is a 14″ x 14″ wood panel. I still use canvas, but the wood can be so much more compact and full of texture than stretched art canvas.

Working with wood has been a nice change. Right now, I am working on a very exuberant acrylic on canvas piece that incorporates bright red and yellow. It’s different, and I can’t wait to post it as soon as I feel that it is complete.

Thanks for reading, and visit again soon!

-S

Behind the scenes: Eden Grove hanging
Behind the scenes: Eden Grove hanging
by @Lillybochic

Jaune Tide: Acrylic on canvas 

Spring is nearly here: however in Southern Ontario, that does not always mean it will be warm outside or without snow.

The weather has been trite with gloomy over cast and threats of blizzards this week; so I decided to create a piece that would be an antithesis to current moods.

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I call my latest piece: Jaune (yellow) Tide.

I integrated bright yellows, cerulean blues, aqua, and green hues in vibrant splashes on a gallery wrapped canvas. My favourite parts of this piece are the bright expanses of Yellow that bring warmth and happiness to the eye. The aqua is a nice offset against the blue as well.

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As with many of my paintings, it can be hanged in any orientation; although it is difficult for me to decide where to sign each piece. I may adopt a symbol for signing my work in the future, so as to reduce the impact of a signature.

Thanks for reading,

-S

by @Lillybochic

Red and gold in acrylic on wood

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My latest work is an experimental use of gold against red on wood board. Similar to my last two posts (See below) the use of wood enables a level of texture and complexity that is not easily achieved with canvas. The size is also comparably smaller.

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The orientation is more flexible, as seen above.  When viewing this piece it is really up to the observer to decide whether they prefer the gold on the bottom, top, or sides. But to be decisive, I created the piece to be hung as it looks in the first photo.

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The dimensions are 14 inches x 10 inches. I finished this (and the other wood board pieces) by adding a strip of decorative trim along its edges; however, I would like to try my hand at encasing these pieces in decorative wood frames. The millwork wood that is used for this purpose is usually available at Home Depot in 8 ft lengths. The cost is usually between $5 and $15 CDN so it would be very inexpensive to make my own.

The big question for me is: can I cut the angles right to make a perfectly fitting frame?

Thanks for reading,

S

Save

by @Lillybochic

RED: The Heart Beats

Inspiration comes in many forms; and for this piece I was inspired by love and the heart.

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St Valentine’s Day was last week, and as usual we become inundated with images of cutesy cartoon hearts, and cherubs with messages telling us to show love to our friends and family by spending money.

Most of what we purchase are useless trinkets that do very little to further any true affect for our loved ones, but fills the empty space of an average cosmopolitan existence. I suppose that is a topic for another day.

My latest piece is a reflection of the heart, without the fake imagined sentiment. The heart beats. It supplies blood to organs, and for most  of us we can only pray that it does not stop beating too soon.

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Thanks for stopping by,

S

by @Lillybochic

Floating, blending, and a swirl in acrylic on canvas

I love the colour blue.

In paint, in the sky, in eyes…

…and on rare occasions when I’ve seen the blue azure sea in the Caribbean where (half of) my people are from.

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My latest work is a blending of greens, blues, and yellows.  I used “swirling” techniques to bleed colours into each other and make the colours lead endlessly into each other.

The first photo is a bit dark, so I have included this one which adds detail:
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Note how vivid the yellows came out. I was super pleased with that.

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Green is quickly becoming my go-to. I suppose it has something to do with my desire for spring to return to Southern Ontario, and for my garden to bloom in the sunshine.

Thanks for reading,

S

by @Lillybochic