The start of painting #2

I've started the underpainting to painting #2-a still life with paint tubes and brushes.  The goal in this painting will be to lead the viewer around the painting using repetition of color and directional line.

Completed Painting #1

It's finally finished!  This is my first still life painting that I've done while studying abroad.  It's taken quite some time and I've made several revisions, but it's finally finished.

Oil on canvas 330mm x 550mm 

St. Patrick's Day...in Ireland!

Yes! I celebrated St. Patrick's Day in Ireland! For as long as I can remember it's always been something I've wanted to experience and after a full day in Wexford, Ireland, I couldn't have asked for more.
My fellow travelers included fellow international students, Anna Meeks, Costa Lau, Ana Milojkovic, and Wil Lewis.  And back in February, we set out on a plan to travel to Ireland in particular Cork. 

Unfortunately travel plans didn't work out to make it to Cork and we ended up staying in Wexford however, this proved to be a very good decision.  Instead of a hostel we stayed at the Maldron Hotel which turned out to be somewhat of a resort complete with sauna, jacuzzi, and pool.  Being that we arrived early in the morning, the fact that they let us check in early was an excellent way to start the trip.

After time in the sauna and pool to relax and a long nap to unwind from the long ferry ride from Fishguard to Rosslare, the group set out to experience St. Patricks Day with the people of Wexford.  We had some delicious food from a restaurant whose name escapes me and then were met with a bit of a downpour which produced one of the most beautiful rainbows I've ever seen.  If you've seen the YouTube video of "Double Rainbow Man", our reaction was very similar.

After dinner it was on to the night life.  Being that it was still early in the evening, places weren't crowded just yet.  We had just finished watching Ireland's Rugby game in which they suffered a horrible defeat, and were looking for drink, music, and overall a good time but things just weren't happening.  But thanks to the suggestions of a few, we ended up at a place called Metro 17, the same place where we watched the Rugby game, and had an absolutely amazing time.  There was live music including a band that played music we all recognized and an atmosphere of people who were just looking to have a good time.

Our trip was soon coming to an end and by 9am the following day it was time to board the ferry back to Wales.  Overall it was an experience of a life time and one that I wouldn't hesitate to return to and experience all over again.  After all, we are all young and have our whole lives ahead of us.  If we think of it as the only opportunity we'll ever have to travel, then we are limiting ourselves already.  Never eliminate possibilities in the future that haven't even happened.  It would be a real waste of time.

Dinefwr Park and Cardiff in two days...

It's nearly impossible to see everything there is to see in Dinefwr and Cardiff in just two days but you can still see quite a bit.

Dinefwr is a combination of things.  It's a 12th Century castle that's been destroyed and rebuilt over time and conquered by more people that I can count on one hand, and it's also an 18th Century landscape park with the Newton House as it's anchor.  Unfortunately the group didn't have enough time to visit the castle-that will be remedied very soon-but we did get to tour the Newton House and it was amazing!

At ever corner was a piece of history, from the beer cellar and distillery to the the dank basement rooms where the servants were once quartered.  Perhaps the most incredible view was not the ornate furnishings of the house or the exquisite artwork in the paintings of the family, but the landscape and architecture of the garden and outdoors of the land surrounding the house itself.  Don't get me wrong, I've been out of the landscape business for several years but if you paid attention carefully, you could pick out what plants and trees were planted by man and not indigenous to Wales.  Nevertheless, it was convincing enough to induce several jaw-dropping moments and camera battery draining photo opportunities.

The following day, the full group of international students from both the Carmarthen and Lampeter campuses traveled to Cardiff but made a stop to visit St. Ffagans to explore an outdoor style museum meant to mimic the past.  How far in the past? The dates escape me but are easily found on the internet.  We had the chance to see everything from the outer walls of a former fortress to the dark and dreary woolen factory basements.  The added smell of farm and old wool only added to the effect.  It in no way made me cringe and scrunch my nose in disappointment.  We did however visit the gardens where flowers will be in full bloom come spring and summer and several out buildings and pagodas in which a few of us inscribed our legacies for eternity.

And finally we traveled to Cardiff, Wales.  Cardiff, compared to Carmarthen, is much more city like and metropolitan.  Several hordes of people walked in the streets thank to the Wales vs. Italy rugby match-Wales won easily 27-12-and the town was spotted with arcades or 'malls' with shops similar to those found in malls in the States or even in Carmarthen.  Unfortunately we only had a short amount of time being that the game started at 2:30pm and most time was spent in a pub watching the game, but I wouldn't trade the time for anything.

I can't wait to get back to all the place the group has traveled this year.  With Easter break and St. Patricks Day in Ireland coming up, there won't be many trips left besides an excursion to London.  It's been an absolute pleasure experiencing all these destinations with fellow classmates and now life long friends.