Monday, January 30, 2023

World Inspired Landscapes: Greece

Greece has a typical landscape for the region that is similar to its neighbor to the north, Albania and further up, Croatia. The interior consists of rolling hills, forests and rivers, the coast has gorgeous sandy beaches and turquoise water from the Ionian and Aegean seas. With its rich history, the people has produced pottery for a long time going back practically to the stone age. There are distinct periods of Byzantine and Greek pottery marked by shifts in the culture over time. The shapes of the pottery stayed relatively similar over the centuries, but the decorations changed quite a bit. At one stage. they made great use of geometric patterns like lines, diamonds and interlocking angles. There was also a popular octopus motif painted onto the pottery. In my painting, I superimposed ancient pottery with an octopus graphic over top of a brilliant bright background of rolling hills, beach and the sea. Its almost as if the octopus is leaping out of the water into the foreground. The warm, pottery-colours in the foreground help to complete the illusion of depth.

World Inspired Landscapes: Greece, watercolour 10 x 11" cold press, January 2023 (No. 3364)

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