Gorgeous Portuguese House... Alentejo style :)

ArtesVives Casa no Alentejo Canvas Print
by ArtesVives

Bote na beira do Tejo (Boat on the Tagus Riverside)

Miniature painting of a boat on the coast of the Tagus River. Made with acrylics, watercolor and pastel pencils.

Capela em Setubal (Baleal)

Little chapel by the beach (Baleal, Setubal...in Portugal!). Painting with pastel pencils, watercolors and acrylic. (Miniature) (sold)

Barco Negro (Black Ship)

Pastels, acrylic and watercolor painting based on "Barco Negro" (fado). (sold)

 This dark painting is based on the fado titled "Barco Negro" (Black Ship). It tells the story of a young fisherman's wife. As she waves farewell to her husband at the beginning of a fishing trip, the older ladies - all wearing black as they were widows and had lived the same things before - advise her not to expect her husband back. In denial, she says..."They - the older women - are crazy...How could it be that you won't come back if I saw your white hand wave at me from the ship? How can they say you won't be back, if you never left...How can they say you won't be back if I feel you in the morning breeze?"

Very tragic story, so common in the lives of fishermen and their wives in old time Portugal.

Uma Casa Portuguesa

Portuguese house (Alentejo) in acrylics. (sold)

Esteva do Algarve

Ok, here's the latest. Inspired again by Portuguese topics. This time, it's a ceramic jar with blue flowers and an "esteva". All my paintings are always a work in progress. Sometimes, I think I'm done and I come back and change something, or add something...perhaps making a shadow more drastic, or light brighter...rounding out what should be round, etc. I am satisfied enough with this one to show it, but I do not know that it is complete...I will sign it when complete :)

This is a quiet scene, or a freshly cut esteva left by the jar on a old wooden shelf.

Again, using Rembrandt soft pastels, Gioconda pastel pencils, charcoal and a workable fixative.

I didn't know about the estevas, after a dear friend from the Algarve region told me about them. Estevas are flowers native to the Mediterranean basin, growing anywhere from Portugal to France. They are used as ornament and sought after for their aroma. Their resin, called "ladano", used in perfume fixatives, is collected from the saliva of goats after letting them graze on the estevas. Curious, huh? :)

Unfinished Work #1

Well, this is the first pastel I am showing to the world in this blog. It is made with Rembrandt pastels and Gioconda pastel pencils, then covered with a workable fixative. I am awaiting self-satisfaction with the painting before applying the final coat for protection from light and time.
I love still life paintings, ...although I prefer portraits. But sometimes, beauty is in little things that do not talk, Still life is, in a way, a portrait..a portrait of life as it surrouds us. Things like bread, some fruit, rosemary, an old book and artisan work. This one depicted is inspired by ceramics from the Algarve region, in Southern Portugal. I will be posting a follow-up finished version of the painting in a few days.
Will love to receive your comments. Add yourself to my page if you feel so inclined. I speak English, Portuguese and Spanish and... I can read and write some French.
Stay tuned and thanks for visiting!! :)