MY DAD PAINTS PROVENCE & THE GREEK ISLES

I hope that you had a nice weekend! 

Things here in Florida are hot and steamy, as is typical for this time of year. 

I want to share with you a few oil paintings that my talented Father has done recently, all with a Mediterranean theme. The first two are scenes in Provence, the second pair in the Greek Isles.  The originals, as well as prints, are available here with more details in my etsy shop.

HAPPY SPRING!

I know that I am a few days past the "official" beginning of Spring, but in celebration of it's arrival, I wanted to introduce a new print to my shop. It's actually a vintage work, since it was completed before I was born (and I'm not exactly a preschooler anymore!)

It's my Father's work in pastel and I have always loved the bright florals and seaside setting. The couple depicted is supposed to be he and my mom.....back when they were carefree newlyweds. Mom is partially obstructed by the shrubbery and parasol, but she's enjoying the scenery! I am framing the original- given to me by my parents, and adding it to my gallery wall.

If you like it you can get your own giclee print, available here.

MYKONOS MONDAY

This is an oil painting of an alley in Mykonos, done by my father. I really like the tranquil quality with the deep blues of the water and sky. I would like to wish my dad all the best as he is recovering from some cancer surgery last week. Thank God, he came through it well, but it has been a tough time. Hopefully he will be back feeling 100% recuperated soon. This original oil on board (as well as prints) is available. Feel free to contact me here with any questions.

MALLORCA, SPAIN

(Click on image to enlarge)
Here's another painting by my father, recently completed from a vintage photo he had of this scene. In it is the hotel he lived at during his brief residence on the island of Mallorca as a teenager in the mid '60's with his parents and sisters. He lived there for only $2 a day - and that included a 5 course dinner. I would love to live in Spain for a while and have an opportunity to paint and soak up the wonderful culture there! Both a print and the original of this piece are available - interested persons can contact me here.

GOING COASTAL

I hope that everyone had a nice weekend! It's getting quite toasty now that Summer is pretty much here, but when outdoors, I am keeping cool in the water. It's amazing how even just the sight of water can effectively make you feel cooler. Speaking of which, here is another Mediterranean piece by my dad, this one done with oil pastels. Both prints and the original are available. If you're interested you can contact me here.

AMALFI

"Amalfi from the Water" by Gray Harwell (click image to enlarge)

My Dad, my sister and me.

My dad has always had an artistic streak. However, for many years he hasn't really given any time to painting. Just recently, he has completed a series of small oils and I have encouraged him to keep at it. The level of detail, even in just his preliminary sketches, is amazing. His favorite subject matter right now is Mediterranean coastal scenes and I think he's got a lot of talent. He lived in Spain for a time years ago, and the Mediterranean region is a place that holds many fond memories for him. He is enjoying the creative and expressive outlet and it's fun to see what he comes up with.

Today, I am showing the first in his Mediterranean Series, "Amalfi from the Water". This is available for sale as a print on my Etsy site - if you're interested in the original, feel free to email me for more details. How about you? Did you used to paint or draw and haven't in a long time? Why not get back into it now - I think you'll be wondering why you haven't done it sooner!

MY DAD'S WORK

 I feel blessed to come from a family where I was always encouraged to be creative and expressive. Both my mom and dad used to paint and my dad still continues to sketch with pastels to this day. Here is a painting he did when he was first married in the late 60's. When I was little he had a rather unkempt beard, longish wavy hair and wire-rimmed glasses, a la John Lennon. Not exactly a hippy, but a renaissance sort of guy with a 60's social conscience. Although he no longer looks the same, he has retained his love for art, compassionate heart for people and appreciation for all things creative. He gave this painting to me recently (actually, I sorta asked for it) and I love it. I treasure owning it not only because dad created it, but because it has been around ever since I can remember and the colors just give me a lift. Maybe I just absorbed my passion for color by sheer osmosis? Thanks, Dad!

My little sister, dad and me footsore and crowd-ravaged at the Vatican a few years back. The Pope's people actually provide some surprisingly tasty pizza in the cafeteria there and that, coupled with a good old Coca-Cola, had momentarily revived us. Someone please remind me next time to forgo the decidedly ugly cross-slung dork bag (gypsies or not!!)