Archive | Greece

Mid-October update…

By John on October 15, 2013 in autumn, beauty, craft, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, spiritual journey, working

This is a short missive from my table here at Port Cafe, overlooking the Bay of Paroikia. To mis-quote George III, not much going on here…except art, art work and art students working! It is always pleasant to feel the hum of busy schedules being negotiated, smell the aroma of oil paints, inks and darkroom chemistry and encounter Aegean Center students writing at cafe tables, wandering about with cameras and expressing their enthusiasm for just being here on Paros. One student exclaimed last night in the darkroom, “I love this process!” I can dig it.

There were times in the past when I would hear the ferries come to dock and realize that I could be on one of those boats, running from the changes that were necessary for my own growth. Two nights ago I sat on a friend and colleague’s roof terrace eating dinner. Four blocks away, the evening boat to Athens was putting in. I heard the massive chains that hold the ramp unwind, the garbled announcement for disembarkation echoing across the platia and through the narrow winding streets. There was a slight tremor to the ground as the massive diesel engines skewed the craft laterally in the harbor, righting itself against the concrete pier. It was a musical, nautical poem of industrial tones. My heart was struck by just how much I love living on Paros. I am at a hub, the islands in the sea like stars circling the Parian Galactic Center. I am here, now. With all that passes for current events in the news-of-the-world, I am pleased to report that calm activity is the name of the game here. The thrill is palpable.

Some of us went olive raking the other day. It was more a cultural experience than work, since the owner of the olive trees had paid workers laboring along side of the students and teachers. Due to my healing hand, I was not able to rake, but I did take some nice images of olives on the branch. I relished a shallow depth-of-field. I went as close as my lens would allow. With a Canon 50mm L-Series f/1.2, that is damn close.

-JDCM

The weather turns towards autumn…

By John on October 5, 2013 in autumn, beauty, biking, Greece, hiking in the Cyclades, Paros, quiet islands, skill and craft, spiritual journey, working

I woke up this morning to blustery, grey clouds and very cool temperatures. Last night, before laying my head on my pillow, I switched on my electric mattress pad for the first time since March. Yesterday’s Aegean Center for the Fine Arts Friday hike was sunny, brisk and invigorating, yet not the stuff of late spring or summer. Cries of “Wow!” and “This is amazing!” punctuated our oregano, sage and thyme-scented walk above the hill town of Lefkes. The air was so clear that looking north, I counted the houses on Syros and the already narrow channel between Paros and Naxos seemed a mere stone’s throw. In New England or northern Europe the leaves are currently a brilliance of fiery tones. It is autumn in the Kyklades so we inhaled the blue skies, dark evergreens, golden underbrush and brilliant light spilling around us.

Tomorrow I compete with a team in the Paros Autumn Triathlon. I will be bicycling 15km while my two teammates will be swimming and running, respectively. It is not a competition so much as a community event. The only race will be against myself. I am looking forward to this event and am very excited. It is important for me to realize that here on Paros I am more than just a man with a camera, or an ex-pat American in Greece. I am more than a summation of my parts, and that whole grows exponentially if I allow myself to be drawn to the larger, communal rings that ripple through my parochial nucleus. There was a time when I craved a closed system for necessary self-preservation. This attitude is self-defeating and limiting. I have been increasing my orbit over the past couple of years and this event will signal a shift in my personal trajectory. Excited, nervous and looking forward to it.

Lefkes, Paros, October 4, 2013. Leica M8, Voigtlander 28mm, 1/125, f22, ISO 320

A stop in Athens and a return to Paros…

By John on October 1, 2013 in Athens Greece, autumn, beauty, darkroom work, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, working

Last week I made my way to Athens, meeting up with the Aegean Center students and teachers fresh from their September sojourn in Italy. I was very nervous, not having met any of the new students yet and feeling as if I was under a microscope. Perhaps I was the one with the microscope, I am not sure, but that is how I felt. Anyway…

The 24 students all arrived safely and we made our way via motor-coach to the hotel in the Monastiraki area of town. The Hotel Attalos sits just below the Acropolis of the Parthenon and close to some of the best museums and archeological destinations in the world. The next three days were spent visiting these sites and listening to Jeffrey Carson’s excellent orations on history, culture and art. The Parthenon, the Parthenon Museum and the National Archeological Museum were our group destinations, but afterwards the students enjoyed enough free time to visit other places, shop and eat some excellent Greek food. On Saturday morning we all awoke very early for another short bus ride to the Port of Pireaus, boarded the Blue Star Naxos and made our way back home, back to Paros and the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts studios and labs.

The classes began yesterday and I have several students in the darkroom. Some have no experience whatsoever while there are others with some darkroom history behind them. It is a vibrant and excited group. They are also taking other courses so in order to meet with them it must always be after all their other commitments, later in the evening and never all at once. This will make necessary demonstrations (film and paper developing, for instance) difficult to arrange. I will work with what I am given and be grateful.

I have added a couple of images from the Athens segment of the art history tour…

JDCM

At the Parthenon, September 2013

At the National Archeological Museum

Bike-hiking and new gear…

By John on September 17, 2013 in autumn, beauty, biking, Greece, hiking in the Cyclades, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, skill and craft, spiritual journey, stone walls, Uncategorized, working

I have been exploring the island these sunny, warm days. I have found a couple of small, very rocky and rough beaches on the north side of the bay, facing Syros, north along the coast from the cave of Archilochos. They are all but inaccessible unless one rides a bike, hikes or has 4-wheel drive. A few days ago I went back to one of them with the goal of not returning the way I arrived. From a decent height I could see smaller paths and a narrow road. I knew I couldn’t bike it, and that I would have to push/carry the bike a certain way uphill, over rocks and walls, before I reached the road. According to the map, the road wound about until it reached the Delion of Apollo, one of the higher points on the island and an ancient temple site.

So that’s what I did. I biked down to the beach area, went for a swim, then packed up my panniers (more about them) and pushed the bike up the hill. There was some real problem solving involving a small gorge, some backtracking, plenty of thorns (shades of Sikinos!) but I eventually made it to the road. It was a pretty easy ride to the Delion after that and then a downhill ride back to town. It was only about 8 km but with all the uphill struggle and 15 kilos of bike and gear, I’ll add another few km to that count. A nice day, and fun.

I bought panniers for the bike. Now I don’t have to wear a day-pack anymore. This was making me top-heavy. The center of gravity has been lowered and I am finding them convenient and efficient. Below are four incarnations of my current mode of transport. There is enough room for all kinds of gear.

Beach Bike

Mountain bike

Hiking bike

Shopping bike

JDCM

Windy Monday…

By John on September 9, 2013 in autumn, beauty, black and white portraiture, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, Paros Portraits, portraiture, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, working

The sun was brilliant today and the Meltemi had a decidedly autumnal feel. It has howled all day, and continues the howl through the tangle of electrical lines crisscrossing the small section of Paroikia I call home. The cypress trees whip back and forth and Bougainvillea blossoms, free from their thorny moorings, sail their over-saturated colors into my small apartment.

It is Monday, September 9, 2013 and I have taken down my exhibit. I have enjoyed the three-week long event. I think of my images differently than when I hung them. What was once ‘Giorgos and Giorgos‘ I refer to as ‘Don Quixote and Sancho Panza‘; ‘Erin‘ is now ‘The Vermeer Photograph’; ‘Angelika‘ I think of as ‘The Abstract Realist.’ Things change, the Earth tilts and wobbles, the days shorten, the air cools and we slide into bright autumn. I can almost smell the rain, but I know that is just an illusion.

Now I am filled with melancholia, ennui, a sense of emptiness. As I write this at Mikro Kafe I realize that in an hour there will be no need for me to open up the Aegean Center, turn on the lights and arrange the easeled sign outside on the marble steps. All of that is past. My portraits are safely in their crate, currently a large piece of furniture in my flat. The sign, too, is there, tucked behind a bookcase.

I have little choice but to get back to work. That is the best way to shake off these ghosts.

JDCM

The reward of September…

By John on September 4, 2013 in autumn, beauty, black and white portraiture, craft, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, Paros Portraits, quiet islands, skill and craft, Uncategorized, working

Blue Menu #1

August is past and July is a memory. The streets of Paroikia are no longer mobbed with summer tourists. The groups of families have departed, returning to their homes. The weather is lovely,warm and sunny–breezy and cooler at night. The beaches are quiet, all but deserted. The wind is from the north, about Force 5, gusting to 6, which is about 33 to 38 km. This made for a nice headwind as I rode my usual 11.5 km out to a beach on the northern part of the island today. I was alone for a solid hour until a couple walked onto the sand. I swam, read my book, and left in no particular hurry. I had a tailwind all the way back to town.

I am still very pleased with my exhibit. I take it down in a few days and put it away. It has been a good run. I have had excellent conversations with other photographers about the craft as well as people wanting to know more about the Aegean Center. I feel my work spoke for itself.

So for all of our industry and patience during the summer months, those of us on Paros are presented with the reward of September.

JDCM

Gallery sitting…

By John on August 28, 2013 in 4×5 photography, autumn, beauty, black and white portraiture, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, Paros Portraits, portraiture, quiet islands, skill and craft, working

It is quiet here on Paros. The tourists are leaving in a steady flow. French, English, Italian and Greek…For many of them next week is the beginning of the school year for their children. Here at the Aegean Center, this is true as well. The Autumn Term begins next week in Italy. My show comes down in 11 days. I am very pleased with the reception I have had. I am still seeing about 25 people per night visiting the exhibition and have had many interesting conversations with tourists and locals alike.

The summer is winding down and I am about to experience my first September on Paros. I have heard it is the best time of year, a reward for making it through the high season: warm, sunny, quiet…

So I will ride my bike, swim in the sea, take care of some maintenance in the school darkroom, sweep the courtyard and water the plants.

Before I know it it will be September 25th and I will be in Athens, meeting up with the school and then returning here on the 28th. To paraphrase Bukowski, time runs like wild horses over the hills…

JDCM

The exhibition…

By John on August 20, 2013 in 4×5 photography, beauty, black and white portraiture, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, Paros Portraits, portraiture, skill and craft, spiritual journey, Uncategorized, working

My solo exhibition opened Sunday evening. It was a joyful relief to have it up an on its way. I realized that I have been building this portrait project since October 2011 while also working on (and completing) several other portfolios in both photography and painting en route to this destination. No small feat. It feels as if this has been an overreaching arc representative of all my labors to date here on Paros.

I have had some interesting comments regarding the 22 photographs. One on-line viewer remarked that I had created a community. I can see that too: a small town. I have a butcher, barber, teachers, students, potters, cafe owners, artists, farmers, families, etc…The portfolio could stand alone as a village almost anywhere. A visitor to the exhibition last night said that I had captured the souls of these people. I like to think I only borrowed them for a brief moment.

I was too busy to take any pictures of the opening, but I know others did. When I have some of those, I’ll share them.

I think I will concentrate on portraiture for a while. My other photography is good, solid work. It is like doing push-ups or lifting weights–all preparation and training for the real event. I will begin a second round of portraits in late September, once the light has shifted a bit and people’s schedules have settled down.

Thank you, once again, to all those who helped make this happen. You know who you are. Yes, I did the work, but without the support of the Aegean Center and the people of Paroikia this project would never have seen the gallery lights.

JDCM

Busy, busy, busy…

By John on August 13, 2013 in beauty, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, spiritual journey, Uncategorized, working

The Greek summer holiday is upon us and Paroikia is mobbed with tourists from Athens and beyond. The roads are crammed, the cafes are overrun and anyone with any sense stays away from town unless they really need to do something vitally important, like go to the hospital or something. This will all end, for the most part, in about 5 days, but for now…

I went to Naoussa last night with some friends to see the opening of another artist’s work. He is very technical, very intellectual and, I feel, on the cusp of something. What I felt when I walked into the room was a sense of change, a shift and alteration of shape in his thinking and raison. It was a transitional vibe. Others did not feel that way, but so what. He would say that too. I am quite sure he is not particularly worried about whether or not people like his work, or even understand it in the same way as he does. I, for one, was happy to go and see the event. In regards to the holiday crowds, Naoussa is very different than Paroikia. It is not stretched along the seafront but rather all crammed in together, like a white-washed, sun-burned and idiotic fist. This made for dense crowds and the ‘wall-to-wall-people’ effect. I am not a huge fan of that. It was a relief to return to Paroikia, sit at a table with friends and have a late supper.

My own show is on the near horizon. The 22 photographs are matted, framed and behind glass. They look wonderful. The space will be free on Saturday morning and, I hope, I can begin hanging my pieces that afternoon. The posters start going up tomorrow and I have been handing out cards. More cards to go out this weekend. I have designed and put in place a new website specifically for this show and will send out an email blast to the mailing list this Sunday. I don’t want anyone to see the show in it’s entirety until then.

I am pretty nervous about this show. It is a big deal for me, perhaps bigger than I realize. The future will tell…

I have decided to save some money this year and have bought a bike–a used mountain bike from a local bike shop. I like it a lot. I have been cycling to a local beach every day, jumping in the sea to cool off and then cycling back. The weight I gained while I was in the USA will drop off and I save money and gas to boot. In the off-season, it cost me 320 euros per month to rent a car. This is extravagant. The bike cost 375 euros and with the added helmet, pump, spare tube, etc…the bill came to 515 euros. There are still a few items to pick up but they are not necessities. If I can work my way back down to 82 kilos from the 88 I now currently weigh, then I will be happy.

One thing I have noticed is the obvious disregard the tourists have for bikes on the road. Just an observation. Perhaps I will start a movement based on the idea of banning all non-essential motor vehicles from the island of Paros, or at least Paroikia and the surrounding environs. It would be a safer, quieter and more interesting place to live, that is for sure. Imagine all the car rental companies renting bicycles instead? Cheaper, less insurance, less maintenance…For now, I stick to the backroads.

JDCM