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On my way again…

By on June 12, 2012 in craft, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, working

 

My new clock

I had forgotten the joys of the open road after living on Paros for such a long time. True, the occasional trip to Athens took the edge off of staying put, but when I began traveling back in 2005 I was always exhilarated by what was around the bend or over the next hill.  I have missed this.  I seem to have found it again in this little island hopping adventure on which I am currently engaged.  First, the ferry schedule mix-up on Ios readjusted me to the realities of the road (or sea, as it were) then, as a result of the schedule changes not only did I spend a lovely day on that island but I was “forced” into coming to Milos, an island not originally on the agenda.  I am very happy that this occurred.  I have had a lovely time here and met some of the nicest people.  Let’s face it, the Greeks are the nicest bunch of folks I have ever met anyway so this is saying a lot.  The beaches, the food and the accommodations were all top notch in my book.  I stayed at a nice place, just off of the port called “Aphrodite of Milos Hotel Apartments.”  The owner, Nikos Mathioudakis is a charming host and was willing to talk about his joys and troubles in the same breath.  He was also able to help me with a small load of laundry and send an important  fax to America.  All of this he did without charge. Ephcharisto para poli Niko!

This morning I was up at 07:00 and out the door with my camera, tripod and a towel.  I stopped at the old salt factory on the edge of town and finished up my shoot there, which makes for 5 rolls of Plus-X exposed on Milos. I have 9 rolls left and I am pretty sure I can use them up on Serifos and Sifnos.  This will make me happy.  After the shoot I went down to a nice sandy beach for an early morning swim.  The water was perfect and as the sun rose above the craggy rocks I walked along the edge of the sea to dry off.  Then, of course I had to swim some more and then walk around again.  I decided to do some stretches and crunches so I did about 50 of those and then, yes, I had another swim.  At that point it was edging up to 09:00 and almost time to drop off my reliable Fiat Panda at Nikos Rentals here in Adamas.  So I walked around some more, dried off, got dressed and headed back to the road where I had left the Fiat.  As I drove back into town I was full of gratitude to be able to be living this life.  Truly amazing.  I checked out of the hotel and wished Niko good luck for the summer.  When I come back to Milos I will stay there again.

I have a few hours until the NEL Aqua Jewel arrives to take me to Serifos and I am sitting in the Puerto Snack Bar, immediately adjacent to the port.  It is a decent place and actually only serves Greek fare in the evenings when they make kalamakia but during the day it is more western: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, panini, salads, etc…Excellent espresso freddo, by the way, and lots of shade.  It is just after 11:00 and it is already very hot.  Poli zesty!   If the boat arrives on time (14:05) then I should be on Serifos round 17:30, I think.   No matter, however, since I am on a different kind of schedule that pays less attention to timetables and emphasizes the unknown journey over the wine dark sea.

Milos Part 2…and The Beach…

By on June 11, 2012 in Uncategorized

 

I have spent the last two days driving around Milos.  I have been able to shoot two rolls of film and hope for another one, at least, this evening.  The sun is so bright during the day that taking pictures is almost impossible.  John Pack says the light in Greece is a full 200 measures higher than regular daylight Kelvin which is 5400 degrees.  Here on Milos I reckon we are reaching up into 5900.  It is blinding!  So the end result is that there is little to do when it is 30*, sunny and bright here on Milos except to go to the beach.  This I have dine and I am sad that I am leaving such a be achy place tomorrow although Serifos promises to be lovely as well.  The beach I hung out at here is called Triades and it is on the westernmost side of the island and an hour by car over very rough roads but it is worth the drive.  Amazing, really amazing, and deserted.  Now, that is my kind of beach!  Enough talk.  The two pictures are from the section of Triades (there are 6 coves) that I found most to my liking.  The collection of stones are some of the rocks one finds scattered about in the trillions along this sunlit strand.

 

Next update from Serifos… JDCM

OK.  I screwed up.  I have doubled the images, but they are worth it, I think.  I’ll do better next time. JDCM

Milos and the slow boat that got me here…

By on June 9, 2012 in Uncategorized

After my plans changed on Ios I had a good day touring that island and made my way back to the port where I dropped off the car and collected my backpack from left-luggage.  My departure for the island of Milos was supposed to be at 16:40, but as Sea Jet 2 came and went I was worried about my NEL Lines Aqua Jewel, a ferry that at one time must have been the ultimate in fast boats but now chugged along at a near sedentary 15.5 knots.  Pretty slow, but then again I am not in huge hurry to get anywhere.  It finally arrived and only 1 1/2 hours late.  We pulled out of the harbor and I said goodbye to Ios and sat under the stern pergola watching the islands go by.  Most of these are not more than rocks jutting out of the blue sea, uninhabited by men but teeming with seabirds and, in some cases, goats.  We stopped at Sikinos, Folegandros, Kimolos and finally arrived at the port of Adamas on Milos, my home for the next few days.

Milos is a big island in some ways, or at least feels that way.  Like Santorini it is what is left of an old volcano and there are spots on the coast where you can swim and when your feet hit the sandy bottom the sand is warmer than the surrounding water.  There are hot springs and the rock formations that speak of an island formed by fire, wind, rain and the grinding hand of man.  Due to the volcanic deposits there has been mining on Milos for over 11,oo0 years and there are whole areas that have been carved away in this effort to supply the world with sulphur, building stone, and other mineral deposits.  I will check out the Mining Museum on Monday and the Archaeological Museum Tuesday to learn more.  Milos is also home to early Christian catacombs, much older than Rome’s, which makes sense since the Christians were here long before Rome saw its Christian heyday.

The beaches here are wonderful.  It is still shoulder season and there are not many tourists.  It is not hard to find large stretches of sandy  strand with no one around to disturb my sunbathing or swimming.  I drove around the island today and sampled two spots, one a large (2km+) sandy stretch just across the harbor from Adamas and another on the southern side.  This second required me to walk down a washed out road where I found myself in a private cove of caves, clear, warm blue water, and smooth, wind shaped rocks which were comfortable to lay on as I basked in the sun.  Truly a blessing in the busy world to have no sound other than the wind and waves.  Tomorrow I head off to the west side of the island to an even more remote area where there are supposed to be 6 stretches of white sand beaches far enough away from the main towns to be all but deserted.  I think I’ll bring lunch.  It is times like these that I take off my watch and forget to put it back on.  Time is not so important.

I have not taken any pictures yet, but I will.  I am still getting my bearings.  The food is so-so.  I had an alright meal tonight in Plaka.  Not nearly as good as the dinner in Ios but it was serviceable.  I think tomorrow I’ll stay closer to the port and try a seafood taverna.  I have a hankering for gavros…

JDCM

Ios, plans and changing with the wind…

By on June 8, 2012 in craft, Greece, Paros, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, Uncategorized, working

I am taking some time off and hopping about the Cyclades Archipelago for a week or so.  I think I mentioned that in an earlier post.  Before I left Paros I had checked some ferry schedules and I had set my plan thus: Ios for a night then an early ferry to Serifos the next day then a few days on that island then Sifnos, then back to Paros.  The best laid plans of mice and men, indeed.  Apparently I misheard the ferry schedule and the boat to Serifos left the same morning I arrived on Ios, so I had to shift my sails.  This is the new plan:  Ios, then the afternoon boat to Milos where I will stay until Tuesday and then go to Serifos for three or four days and then Sifnos afterwards.  I have had to extend my hop and added Milos, but such is life.  I could not have done it without the help of the good people at Acteon Travel in Ios.  Thank you Calliope, Theodora and Themos.  They proved the point that there are always solutions to what I may think are dire problems.  The upside is that have been able to see some interesting sites here on Ios.  There are no downsides. I drove out to Homer’s grave, visited the Paleokastro in the mountains and had a short swim on a deserted stretch of beach in Psathi.  I ate dinner last night at a small taverna at the very top of the chora called ‘The Mills’.  Excellent chorta, revithiokeftedes, spitted lamb, tzatziki and fried potatoes.  I highly recommend the place.

From Ios I can see Santorini to the south and Paros, Andiparos and Naxos to the north.  The terrain here reminds me of the Naxian interior and is very rugged and unbuilt.  Goats, donkeys and cows roam the twisty mountain roads, gnawing on the rough foliage.  The stonework of the walls that make up the terrace farms is also very different than on Paros and Naxos.  The material here tends to be more flat and sedimentary and as a result the walls are wider and flatter than those made with chunky bits of marble or limestone karst.  I have exposed roll of Plus-X with my Mamiya c330 and I hope to continue this while I am on my hop.

As I sit in the port of Ios at the Remezzo Cafe (free WiFi) I am surrounded by travelers waiting for the next high-speed boat to wherever, maybe Naxos or Milos, or perhaps Pireaus.  I had a nice chat with Themos this morning before I rented my little Fiat Panda.  We talked of reincarnation, the changeless quality of travel and why we love it and how beautiful the world can be if we just slow down and let our lives run on a different kind of schedule, one not dictated by our minds and wallets but rather our hearts and souls.  This from the guy who rented me a car…

More to come…JDCM

 

Showtime at the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts…

By on June 2, 2012 in craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, Uncategorized, working

It is showtime tonight and the student exhibit is up, ready to be viewed by the public.  We have cleaned the school, hung the paintings, drawings and photographs with care and pride and have cleaned our respective studios.  These will be open to the public as well so, like those before me, I have arranged some paintings and hung some of my better drawings on the wall in a display.  My paints are out so that others may see the limited pallet that has provided so much color for the past three months.  It is a very pretty show and reflects hard work on all of our parts during what was, at least for me, a very difficult and trying session.  The mid-session stroke that left my photography teacher partially paralyzed threw a real monkey wrench into my thinking, but I pulled through as did others.  We have learned in proportion to how we have participated and that will always be true no matter how much or how well we age.

There are several alumni here this week which makes for fun times.  One is a young woman who I had a particularly difficult time with last spring.  She believed I had fallen in love with her when a simple gift of farewell and good luck was misinterpreted as something more.  I have decided that being friendly and supportive is a better path than being withdrawn and sullen.  This is a very Greek cycle.  It has been year since the incident occurred so I suppose it is time to the let the water go from under the bridge, over the damn and back out to sea.

Speaking of paths…Another alum is here and next week see begins her journey along the Camino de Santiago, walking the 790 km French route from Pied-de-Port, France to Castello de Santiago, Spain.  I have left the hyper-link for a reason. Follow it and find out what it is if you do not already know.  I have made it a goal to walk this route in the fall of 2013.  Yes, more than a year away, but I have goals to achieve before that in my photography.  I’ll talk about that later…

More to come.

JDCM

Final week of work and wrapping it up for the term…

By on May 27, 2012 in craft, darkroom work, Greece, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, Uncategorized

My painting is all but finished and I have only to matte the 10 darkroom pieces I have made this term.  That may not seem like a lot, but the class time for painting has been an enormous commitment.  Two different drawing classes, the painting classes and time outside of class to finish my work in a timely fashion.  It has been an adventure but one I am not rushing to repeat.  I liked painting and did well, but it took so much time away from my photography that I feel I have let myself down a little in that department.  Call it a sabbatical of sorts, or a journey into a new way of seeing light, but I will stick to my cameras from now on.  I feel better with a good lens and a roll of 100ISO film.  The fall, I hope, will be a better reflection of that.

After next weekend I am taking off for a week or so and do some solo island hopping.  The nearby islands are easy to get to and will make for a nice change from Paros.  Sifnos, Serafos, Komilos, Milos, etc…They all wait for me.

JDCM

Photography, painting, crunch-time, stress and beauty…

By on May 9, 2012 in 4×5 photography, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, working

My 4×5 work is turning into something more than I imagined.  What started out as portraits of artists in their studios has turned into images of the people I know or have become friends with over the past two years here on Paros.  Artists, students, shop owners, cafe proprietors are all part of the parade.  It is a lovely mix of personalities and a small documentary of those around me.  My ability with the 4×5 has increased as well, especially when I view the images I made last spring.

This change is also apparent in my painting.  The first painting and drawings I made at the beginning of the term do not compare to what I am capable of now.  I can look at almost any object, person or still life and know exactly how to go about drawing it, giving it depth and space and setting it into a place with a relative weight.  This is truly astounding.  This has also been a experiment.  In grade school I was told by my teachers that I could not draw or paint anything realistic.  As a young and impressionable child I believed them and stayed away from this art for over 40 years.  I have now proved them wrong and there is a certain kind of satisfaction in this.  It reminds me that a teacher should never treat a child in negative way.  To them all things are possible.

We have 23 days until the show and I am stressed.  Yes, I am sure all will be done, but it will be a tough road.  My darkroom work needs to be finished sooner rather than later and my digital along with it.  It is the painting that will take the time.  The paint needs 4-5 days to dry before we hang so that cuts that time down to 18 days.  Subtract the 4 days I will be in Athens next week and that leaves just two weeks of painting.  I can do it, I know I can.  I have a whole bunch of teachers to prove wrong.

The light is stunning and clear, the sunsets are magical and the cool night air rings with sounds of the sea.  Our hikes have been exhilarating and refreshing and an antidote for the stress of these past weeks.  The exercise clears my head and the light and perfumes of the wild island interior acts as aromatherapy for my aching mind.  Beautiful indeed.

 

The Big Push…for me at least…

By on April 23, 2012 in 4×5 photography, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, spring in the Aegean

The spring break is over.  I was able to have some time in Athens visiting friends and the teacher from school who is in a very positive recovery from her stroke.  All seems well with her and we all hope to see her back on the island soon.  I have been expanding, albeit slowly, my 4×5 portraits and will be developing some sheet film tonight.  These are family photos of a wonderful homesteading family here on the island, an English couple who raise their own chickens for eggs and bees for honey.  In return I received  a half-dozen fresh eggs.  I’ll take that as a solid barter.

We have less than 40 days until the show and even les for me since I will be off the island for a long weekend so that leaves about a month to do what I need to do and still have two or three days of free time before the show.  That is a lot of work for me.  I am focusing on quality rather than quantity but there is still a quota I need to fill.  I think ten large-format scans from the digital lab and 15 silver pieces.  This, of course, doesn’t count the paintings.  I think there will be 8 to 10 of those as well.  Those have to be finished by the week before the show so that the paint can dry fully.  I have my work cut out for me.

The weather has turned to spring/summer warmth, sun and the kind of light that begs for early morning photography.  It also seduces the less fortunate into spending time at the beach rather than in the studio.  So be it.  This is not my problem.  The phrase ‘youth is wasted on the young’ is apt here as always.  So much energy and so poorly used.  It is interesting to see how young kids blow off huge amounts of energy too soon and then have none for the rest of the day.  They are naturally out of balance.  This changes in the future as they age and learn how to manage time.  I think so anyway.

More to come…

JDCM

Turbulence, shifts and changes…

By on April 15, 2012 in 4×5 photography, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, working

Easter has come and gone here on Paros and the symbolic nature of “from the darkness comes the light” is not lost on me or, indeed, many of us here at the Aegean Center.  It has been a difficult week personally and artistically and, for the faculty, professionally.  Last Friday one of our core instructors suffered a stroke.  Luckily she was able to be airlifted off the island and was in an Athens hospital within 5 hours of the event.  In the 9 days since she has made great strides in recovery, siga-siga of course, but great strides nonetheless.  She is talking, eating, sitting up and some feeling has returned to nerve damaged limbs.  Here at school the reaction of the students and faculty has been strong and supportive.  There have been moments of great calm and moments of emotional over-compensation, but that is to be expected.  This kind of event can scare anyone.  I have faith in the process, however, and feel that what needs to be done will happen and that everything is exactly the way it is supposed to be.  This can be a hard reality to grasp, but in my experience it is the truth.

A good friend and I were having dinner the other night and she spoke of an element of Chaos Theory that proposes that all systems, whether biological, social or psychological, undergo a period of Chaos before their next great evolutionary leap.  Perhaps this is what I am witnessing both here on Paros, in Greece and the world as a whole.  Currently the Earth seems to be shifting on its social axis, tipping the scales to what seems like a point of no return.  Is this true or are these just the growing pains if a young species on a much older planet?  Are we suffering the same Chaos in the macro as occurs constantly in the micro?  Is the actual Design of Everything a fractal equation, repeating itself ad infinitum, identical on any scale?  This is a very logical image and one put forth by both mystics and quantum physicists throughout the years.  Is the suffering and recovery of one person a micro-mirror image of the constant shift and turbulent change we are witness to globally?  For me, I will continue on my charted course, adjusting my theoretical sails when I find it necessary to do so.  Some might say this is not thinking outside the box.  Some others might say this is the best course possible for it allows for changes to be made within the eye of the Chaotic hurricane rather than having Chaotic winds drive one’s direction.  I’ll stick with the second camp.  Time will reveal the winner, if there is such a thing.  In my heart, however, I will have the strength of integral values stronger than any trend or fad and which affords me more artistic balance.

Siga-siga: slowly-slowly.

JDCM

Here at Mikro Cafe…

By on April 2, 2012 in 4×5 photography, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, working

“Latte, please,” JDCM said.  Colin stands behind the bar, talking of his love of chewing on coffee beans.  Fresh from his bi-athalon on Naxos, he is feeling sprightly and full of energy.  He was able to shave off 6 seconds from the last event of this type so that’s a win and new personal best…Bravo Colin!

On other notes my portrait sessions have begun and I have photographed one student, the artist Jackie Massari and one of the instructors, the painter Jun-Pierre Shiozawa.  I hope to work with Colin Brown and his wife Stella later this week, perhaps Wednesday afternoon.  Couples are more difficult than single subjects, but I hope to work this out.  I’ll do some research on the subject so I can get some ideas first.

Other students are using the studio as well which is a good thing, and I am eager to see their work.  My painting is moving along and I am getting the hang of glazing, scumbling and the balance of colors.  We are still using a limited pallet and I understand why.  I am champing at the bit, however, to open up the brighter, more vibrant hues and work them in.  This will come with time.

Weather still fine, cool at night, etc…

JDCM