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Seville - I don't know what it is that makes this city in southern Spain so magical.  It may be the shining sun, lively city streets, flamenco, maginificent architecture, friendly people, a legacy of historical events in the past.  Perhaps all of the above plus more.  I must also add very high temperature in the summertime as I know it first-hand and remember it as almost unreal.

 

While I was walking on a narrow alley in a quaint old Jewish quarter of white-washed houses, a trio of musicians appeared from nowhere.  Playing the guitar and singing, they walked past me quickly and turned around the corner.   I was intrigued by the sight and sound, and kind of walked behind them to follow.  I turned around the same corner but they were nowhere to be seen and no sound to be heard as if they had disappeared.  Too much sun led me to hallucinate?  Or have they gone back to the medieval time?  Another magical moment in Seville.

 

 

Street Musicians, Seville, Spain I

 

Click for an enlarged view.

Media: Original watercolor on paper

Image Size: 11.5 x 15.5 inches (29 x 39 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

 

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I am honored to announce that I've been invited to exhibit my watercolors in the Printemps d'Aquarelle 2013 to be held in Saint Cyr sur Mer (Var), France next month.  The third edition of the exhibition showcases works of 18 watercolor artists from France and other countries.  Multiple pieces of original watercolors that I'm planning to display will include new landscape and cityscape paintings of various parts of Provence.

 

I am also pleased that I will do a 3-day workshop "Capturing Light and Atmosphere of Provence," May 20-22, and a demo on May 23.  For more information and enrollment, please visit this page.

 

 

Le Vieux-Nice, France VI

 

Click for an enlarged view.

Media: Original watercolor on paper

Image Size: 15.5 x 11.5 inches (39 x 29 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

 

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If I were to make a video of my travel bloopers, I should definitely include footage of my visit to Tai-O.  Tai-O, a small fishing village in Hong Kong, will be one that I will never forget because of what happened there.

 

I was already excited to see the village even before I arrived there, so imagine how I was when I got there.  In short, I lost myself in the sights and fell in a canal.  I wanted to get a perfect viewpoint and walked down the steps to get close to the water surface.  When I noticed the last few steps covered with moss, it was already too late.  I slipped and started going down in water, which was not too deep but mucky.  There was nothing for me to hold on to, so I kept slipping while desperately trying to keep my camera above the water, and by doing so cut my wrist on the stone step.  I still don't know what stopped me from sinking further but miraculously only my pant legs were soaking wet.

 

A friend of mine who traveled there together was horrified and ran to a nearby cafe to fetch a first-aid kit for my wound.  I truly felt sorry for her because my carelessness scared her.  To a small circle of my close friends, I am known for doing pretty daring things to find a better view or get to a perfect spot for a painting.  I think now she is one of those friends (but, dear friend, if you're reading this, I am really sorry..).

 

 

Tai-O, Hong Kong II

 

Click for an enlarged view.

Media: Original watercolor on paper

Image Size: 15.5 x 11.5 inches (39 x 29 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

 

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You don't have to spend a long time to understand why scooters are everywhere in Macau.  In addition to being the most densely-populated area in the world, Macau has many narrow streets between buildings, hills, and limited space for parking.  It seems to be just the most convenient mode of transportation for local people.

Every day scores of tourists flock this small peninsula city.  The lure of world-class casinos, shopping and dining is undeniably strong.  I have no idea how many of them actually rent a scooter to get out of a casino, but even a fraction of them could be a big number to crowd city streets even more.

 

 

Street, Macau I

 

A larger digital file available on request

Media: Original watercolor on paper

Image Size: 11.5 x 15.5 inches (29 x 39 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

 

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Chocolate, waffles, coffee, beer, mussels, fries... Belgium has a lot to offer to satisfy a hungry traveler's appetite.  But one also finds a lot there that is simply a feast for the eyes - the Grand Place in Brussels, for example.  This is not as big as some of the other world's famous squares but what a beautiful square it is.

 

To feel the grandeur of La Grand-Place, one has to be standing in the middle of it.  To really understand the historical importance and power of merchants who thrived in this commercial center, one has to see and marvel at exquisite guildhalls.  Although each building may be different in size, style and appearance, it is amazing that all the buildings surrounding the square create harmony together on a very sophisticated level.

 

Once our eyes get enough satisfaction, it's time to satisfy our stomach.  Here or near the square, all kind of restaurants and cafes await.

 

 

La Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium I

 

A large digital file available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper

Image Size: 11.5 x 15.5 inches (29 x 39 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

 

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It's been already a cold winter in Japan, but over Christmas, even more freezing temperatures are forecast.  In Shirakawa-go, a village hidden deep in the mountains in Central Japan, the ground will soon be covered with an even thicker layer of snow and remain so until springtime.

At the end of February, it may not be quite spring yet, but I am looking forward to visiting Japan.  I am honored and privileged to hold a two-person watercolor exhibition with Mr. Kazuo Kasai, a respected Japanese watercolorist and owner of Yokohama Gajuku.

 

Our exhibition will run from February 27 until March 5, at Gallery Vita, Tokyo.  We will both have up to 15 works on view, and are currently working hard to create paintings for the show.

 

We will also be doing small workshops.  For more details (in Japanese), please visit this link.

 

 

Shirakawa-go, Gifu, Japan X

 

Click for an enlarged view.

Media: Original watercolor on paper

Image Size: 11.5 x 15.5 inches (29 x 39 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

 

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Inspiration… where do we artists look for it or does it just come to us?  We all suffer from a creative block from time to time and we know that's when we struggle to find it.  But other than that, if we stay open-minded, we just know when we have it.

 

When I visited Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville, Spain with my artist friends, we were all so excited with the lovely atmosphere inside and got in a sketching frenzy immediately.  No doubt there we had it - we were fully inspired (click here to see a painting I did there).

 

I just loved the place, and for sometime after I left, I still felt the need to do more paintings of that experience.  So here's one I did, using sketches I made.

 

 

  

Sketches done on location such as these are always the most useful reference materials.

 

 

 

I always draw first, taking anywhere between 5-15 minutes.  When I'm satisfied with my drawing, it's time to paint.  For a small-sized painting like this (12x16 inches), I try to lay in as much as possible in one go - colors, values, details - during the first stage.  And I do it fairly quickly while everything is still wet or moist on paper.  This is what this painting looked like as a result of my first step of the process.  And I let it dry completely.

 

 

Finished painting

 

 

Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville, Spain IV

 

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper

Image Size: 11.5 x 15.5 inches (29 x 39 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

 

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Daytime temperature reaches about 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) before noon and stays that way well into the evening.  Being outside constantly reminds us that we need to somehow cope with this relentless, intense heat.  I suppose that is a typical day in Seville during summer months.  I got together with several local artists on such (in other words, brutally hot) a day to paint around town (click here to read related story).

 

First we headed to the Alcazar Gardens.  Simply a divine environment for plein-air painters like us.  Sometime after lunch, just when I felt like seeking some cool shelter, I found out that was also on the minds of these die-hard painters of Seville.  They suggested we go to Hotel Alfonso XIII, a historical 5-star establishment in the city.  The architectural details,  interior décor, spacious courtyard, gracious staff who gave us non-paying visiting artists royal treatment... all this with a very pleasant sense of camaraderie with painter friends, the experience was pure luxury.

 

 

Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville, Spain I

 

Click here for an enlarged view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 15.5 x 11.5 inches (39 x 29 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

 

- Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

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I like visiting the waterfront area in San Pedro.  A seaside promenade walk while admiring beautiful boats and cruise ships is always nice, but, for me, to see a gigantic industrial zone of the Port of Los Angeles in the background adds a sense of excitement to an otherwise tranquil scene.

 

There's also a working harbor for fishing vessels that I love to paint.  Here's one of my attempts showing some of the hard-working fishing boats anchored for the night.  The sun had just set behind the hills in the back while the fog was rolling in.... it was a golden opportunity for a painting I couldn't pass up.

 

 

 

 

San Pedro, California II

 

Click here for an enlarged view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 15.5 inches (29 x 39 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

 

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Panoramic views of the river valley, misty mountains, enticing vineyards… meandering through idyllic scenery like these, I found driving into this small village to be a pure delight.  Carmel Valley Village can be reached from the mountains or from the coast.  Either way, watching what unfolded outside my car windows made me want to stop many times for quick sketches.

 

However, this village and the surrounding area is a popular travel destination, so traffic can be heavy and people drive pretty fast (You really have to keep your eyes on the road).  In this painting is a restaurant near the village center - a small glimpse of life on the little bit quieter side of the popular Monterey Peninsula.

 

 

Carmel Valley Village, California I

 

Click here for an enlarged view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 15.5 x 11.5 inches (39 x 29 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

 

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Le Puy-en-Velay is situated in a setting that is uniquely beautiful and almost surreal.  The town is also known as one of the four official starting points in France of Christian pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.  Although a journey on the Camino de Santiago Compostela can be made from anywhere in Europe, I have heard that the one starting here is more interesting for pilgrims as the path passes through villages with the best-preserved Romanesque churches.

 

I am pleased that this painting, depicting a panoramic view of Le Puy, is featured in the latest issue of DestinAsian (Dec/Jan 2012), the premier magazine of luxury travel and fine living in the Asia Pacific region.  My interview about a personal pilgrimage I made to Le Puy is also included.  Click here to read the article (in pdf file).

 

 

 "Life is one big road with lots of signs.  So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind.  Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy.  Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality.  Wake Up and Live!" - Bob Marley, singer-songwriter

 

 

Le Puy-en-Velay, France I

 

Click here for an enlarged view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 15.5 x 11.5 inches (39 x 29 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Through gallery

 

 

- Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

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The 20th Exhibition of Asian Watercolour Confederation came to a close on 23 October.  For 9 days, about 110 watercolor paintings from 11 Asian nations graced the walls of the bright and sleek Han Jeon Art Center located in "new Seoul," the southside of the Han River.  I was honored to be an invited artist for this special exhibition, perhaps the last one presented by the Asian Watercolour Confederation (AWC).  AWC will undergo some changes and will be soon launched as a new organization which will spearhead the efforts to promote the watermedia in the entire Asian region.

 

I was very happy to show my work at the show.   More significant this year was that I was offered a wonderful opportunity to witness the closure of one chapter and the birth of a new organization of Asian watercolorists, together with representatives from Korea, Malaysia, Thailand/Myanmar, Taiwan and Singapore.

 

As a small memento of a symbolic visit, I painted Gwanghwamun in Seoul, the newly-restored main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, as it stood proudly under the city lights.  The reconstruction was a major project for the Koreans as it was left in ruins for many, many years, but their commitment and determination made it possible to have this massive structure in its original form at the original site.

 

"Through old things, we learn new things." - Korean proverb

 

 

Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Korea I

 

Click here for an enlarged view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 12 x 16 inches (30 x 40 cm)
Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

 

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In Istanbul, it doesn’t take long for any first-time visitors to notice a loud melodic male voice coming from a mosque several times a day.  My Turkish friend told me five times a day this Islamic call to prayer is announced via a public address system.

 

Since there are so many mosques, or camii as they are called in Turkish, chances are you are almost always within an easy reach of one, especially in the old part of the city.   As soon as you hear the "song," you will see many local people, mostly grown men and some boys, cleanse their hands and feet and enter their place of worship.

 

The first painting is a stunning view from the top of the Galata Tower on the Asian side of the city.  Over the hill on the European side, so many tall minarets are visible, explaining just how many mosques were built there.  The second painting shows one of the most famous mosques in the city, Aya Sophia.  Click here to go to the previous post to see more paintings of Istanbul.

 

 

Istanbul, Turkey IV (A View from the Galata Tower)

 

Click here for an enlarged view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 15.5 inches (29 x 39 cm)
Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Sold

 

 

 

 

Istanbul, Turkey VI (Aya Sophia)

 

Istanbul, Turkey VI (Aya Sophia)

 

Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Sold

 

 

 

Istanbul, Turkey III

 

Istanbul, Turkey III

 

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Image Size: 11.5 x 8.25 inches (29 x 21 cm)

Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

There are two Paris must-do's that I haven't done yet despite numerous visits there over the years - a cruise on the Seine and the Eiffel Tower.  It may be that a part of me thinks they are just too touristy so I keep avoiding but another part of me, I admit, wonders if I'm missing out on a lot.  I always walk down to the water's edge or cross some of the bridges to enjoy watching people along the quays and boats traveling up and down the river.

 

I just love being part of the scene that is full of life and history while contemplating many painting possibilities.  What is also attractive to me is that any urban landscape painting involving the Seine adds a meditative quality to it.  So maybe it won't be such a bad idea to hop on one of these boats next time to see this enchanting city from a completely new perspective.

 

 

La Seine, Paris, France I

 

Click here for an enlarged view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 15.5 inches (29 x 39 cm)
Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

 

It was a peaceful day.  As soon as I walked through a gate to enter Kenninji Temple, I felt I must have stepped inside a different world where one could forget about all the worries.   Although it's situated right next to residential and commercial streets and quite close to the famous Gion geisha district, I didn't see many people inside the temple precincts.

 

It's been almost 800 years since the temple was founded by Zen master, Eisai, making it the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto.  May peace prevail for another 800 years and more...

 

 

 

Kenninji Temple, Kyoto, Japan I

 

Click here for an enlarged view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 15.5 inches (29 x 39 cm)
Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.

 

Old Neighbor, Paris II

 

 

People living on this street have had this brown, 324-meter-tall neighbor for quite some time.  She just celebrated her 122nd birthday on March 31.  One of the most popular iconic symbols of Paris, she's often referred to as the Iron Lady (la dame de fer) or La Grande Dame de Paris.  At the foot of the Eiffel Tower, thousands of people from all over the world line up every day to pay tribute to her.

 

Having such a famous neighbor could mean a lot of traffic or visitors to this area, but for the residents on this street and many others around here, life goes on, no matter what takes place on the Parc de Champ de Mars where she stands.  They go to work every day and take their children to nearby schools.  They manage to park their cars literally bumper to bumper just outside their apartments.  They go out every morning to a bakery for a freshly baked baguette - often with their pooch in tow.

 

 

Old Neighbor, Paris II

 

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 15.5 x 11.5 inches (39 x 29 cm)
Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Through Gallery.  Please send me an email for details.

 

Last weekend I had so much fun with a group of 25 very enthusiastic students who attended my workshop at the Education Center of the San Diego Watercolor Society.  I did four demos over two days and in between everyone was busy painting, learning, critiquing, exchanging ideas, socializing and inspiring each other.   Here are some photos and some of my demo paintings.

 

I am scheduled to do another weekend workshop, Capturing Light and Atmosphere in Watercolor, at the San Diego Watercolor Society in September, 2011.  Register early at the SDWS website.

 

 

    

 

 

  Firenze, Italy IX

 

  Julian VII

 

 

Barrio Logan, San Diego II

 

Click here for an enlarged view.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 12 x 16 inches (31 x 41 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.

 

 

Firenze, Italy IX

 

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 21.5 x 14.25 inches (54.5 x 36 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.

 

 

Julian, San Diego VII

 

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 12 x 16 inches (31 x 41 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.