Tuesday - Martes!

Hello,

 

Way back, when living in the Caribbean, I made a habit of composing storyboards on a regular base.

They were posted as a series called Tropical Thursday.

 

At that time I enjoyed making these very much and I am getting back to it now, here..!

But: because I am living in Spain now and my Spanish is still improving every day (if I may say so), I call this new series:

 

Martes! (which means Tuesday, of course)

Here comes the first one:

 

Martes 1

 

It has been composed by two pictures that tell a little story:

 

One of the beloved conch shell with a silk flower in it, an idea I once discovered at an hotel on the isle of St. Eustatius. I still use this decoration item in our house...

 

and the other part is a detail of a painted brown bag that I used as a gift wrap packaging. Should I receive a present wrapped like this, I would consider the packaging a gift itself

 

I hope you enjoy this first storyboard,

 

Enjoy this Tuesday, next week another one...

 

Regina

Clutch (recycled art)

For a long time I have rejected the idea of recycling art.

 I mean how could I possibly 'destroy' something I have been working on with all my heart and soul???

 

Then there comes a moment that you realise it is stocked up somewhere in forgotten places, while the purpose of it is to be seen...

 

 This is one of my former textile works that has been put away at the time, because there does not seem to be enough walls in this house to show my beauties and ultimately it resulted in my latest steps:

 

recycling!

 

 

I liked the idea of using it for a clutch

 

This is the front

 

(the metal thingies - don't know the English word- are taken from a commercially bought one that had its closure broken. The straps of my clutch can be taken off)

 

 

The inside. Closures made with velcron

 



and the back

 



 

The remainder of the quilted panel

 

Not sure what it will be turned into, for now I have put it away... (hah, again)

 

What do you think? Do you like my clutch??

Your feedback is highly appreciated!

 

Thanks for visiting,

 

Regina

 

 

 



Dots, dots, dots

 

Maybe you know I am a huge fan of dots...

 

I have used this basic design element abundantly in my art and still feel its attraction today

 

(If you search the label Design Elements in the category cloud in the side bar, you can see former posts about this subject)

 

It appears I am in very good company with regard to this:

 

Brenda Holzke is an artist working mainly with clay and showing the same love for

 shape, rhythm and even colors

in a limited color scheme

 

 Another artist that I have been admiring for a long time is

Shane Drinkwater

This image of a very simple work of art took my breath away the first time I saw it

In fact it was this work that triggered me to find out why I love dots so much...

 

and even now I still don't have the one and only answer, 

for it can be found in many fields of life, with as many possible meanings

 

Drinkwater is an Australian and his work seems to be influenced by the Aboriginals

 

 

And finally the works of Karine Leger

 

 

this is a painting that you can hear people think:

a child can do this...

However, after having painted for some years now, I know how deceptively difficult it is to create like this!

 

 

the same for this

 

 

ceramic plate, also made by Karine Leger

dots, rhythm and a little bit of color

 

I Love it!



Walking in the fields

Now the weather is still good for walking and nature is in full bloom, we joined the monthly walk of our 'Coffee, Chatting and Stroll' group (KKK in Dutch, not to be mistaken by the US meaning)

 

This time the walk started in the neighbor village of Benitatchell

in the Costa Blanca, of course...

 

 

one of the few buildings we came by, is this new finca style house

 that is almost finished

The trees here are mainly pine trees and they are protected now, after lots of them were cut down due to intensive building activities some twenty years ago

 

 

the roadside and borders of wine fields are full with flowers at this time of the year

 

 

the pink variety of this little, lovely flower of which I don't know its name

 

 

this one is much bigger, but quite as beautiful

 



 

Benitatchell is a very old village, on this picture seen from the backside

 



 

the size of the bigger pink flower can be seen above

 



 

almost at the end of the walk...

 

Except for a few cars, nobody else was seen. How lucky we are, here in the Costa Blanca, in Spain

 

PS though absolutely not art related, I thought you might like to get a glimpse of the environment we live in. This all is at a few miles distance from the Mediterranaen!

 

Thanks for visiting today,

 

Regina



Irma (...not La Douce)

Last month we visited the Caribbean. We started on the island where we have been living 7 years, the island where I started my blog in 2008.

 

As you probably know, St. Maarten/St.Martin was severely hit by hurricane Irma on September 6th, 2017. Although we have been following the newspapers and social media ever since, seeing the effects was really shocking..!

 

For once I will address a post on this blog to the aftermath.

 Seeing the island struggle to rebuild was quite difficult. Knowing that lots of people and businesses are still waiting for the payments of the insurance companies before they can start renovating the roofs and other damaged parts. Many people lost their jobs due to the demolished hotels, few tourists are visiting the island that, except for its beaches, now has little more to offer. Knowing that there are just a few months left before another hurricane season starts, makes everything extra hard.

 

 

view from our apartment

 

Oyster Pond, once a very popular nautical area. Docks complety destroyed, hardly any yacht in harbor now, since there seem to be several ships on the bottom and thus sailing is difficult and dangerous. Moreover, no facilities are left...

 

 

Front Street in Philipsburg

At the time of our visit, I guess only 20-30 percent of the shops were open

This is an area close to the harbor where in high season up to 9 cruiseships came ashore. But, who needs diamonds seeing this?

 

 

Driving along the eastern coastway, we passed Coralita Beach and these cars

give a good impression of nature's powers

 

 

Marigot. Capital of the French part of the island

All shops and businesses at the waterfront completely destroyed,

so very sad to witness

 

and finally Orient Beach.

Once the most popular beach for both tourists and

people of this island. Lovely shops and restaurants, everything to welcome and pamper the people who came here to have a good time.

 

 

Before taking up my blogging regime, I felt the urge to tell you about these very recent experiences.



 

We have been talking to many survivors and can only just a little bit imagine how horrendous the passing of this hurricane must have been.

 

However, we have also seen the resilience of the people. The determination to rebuild and make St. Maarten/St. Martin once again a favorite destination to travel to.

 

Next time something else, more art related

 

Thanks for reading, see you soon,

 

Regina

 

 

Back! Yes, I'm back!

 

 

Curacao, April 2018

 

 

Hello again,

 

Oh yes, I have to admit I was missing my blog...

 

Missing the platform to share parts of my life, my thoughts and my art with you: the 'rest' of the world.

 

For some time I have been trying to return to my dear Mostly Turquoise-blog, but there seemed to be technical difficulties and it all turned out with not getting into my blog, not being admitted to the dashboard, so not being able to write.

 

This afternoon I was about to contact Blogger with my problem, but after one last try I got in!

And here I am, happy to be back after this half year blogging-sabbatical

 

 

Picture above is of a favorite spot on the island of Curacao, which we visited recently.

It is on the most Western point of the island and we were so fortunate to stay there during the weekend. It is such a wonderful place, it does not have any comfort, just wind, sun and sea but I am sure that does the trick. No internet, no television, just some reading but then that is also scarce because of the effects of sea, sun and wind

 

That's it for today, will be back tomorrow for there is so much to tell...

 

Thanks so much for your patience

 

 

Regina

 

Hello all,

 

After a very long and fantastic trip throughout France and the Netherlands we came back in Spain about a month ago.

 

 

I have not posted since July and have come to the conclusion that this will be my final blogpost.

 

Will I miss it, after over 9 years?

Well, frankly I don't know, but after having had some serious doubts before I am now sure that my blog does not add anything new into the world, not anymore.

 

Somehow my life in Spain and the activities I am involved with keep me from creating at the same level that I was used to while living on our island in the Caribbean.

 

Another thing is, that I am growing more and more reluctant to write about personal/private matters.

 

On the web there is a wealth of beautiful images to swoon over. Sources for inspiration galore..!

 

A special thank you for the people who have been following and commenting on this blog over the years: Thank You!

 

Maybe one day I will join Instagram (if I do miss my blog), but until that time, should you want to connect, I am on Facebook.

 

Wishing you health, inspiration and creativity,

 

Regina