Monday, August 24, 2009
Kiel Canal and wind turbines
The Kiel Canal (called the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal until 1948) links the North Sea to the Baltic Sea. Ships travel through the canal instead of around the Jutland Peninsula and save themselves 500 km.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Hamburg Rathaus
The Hamburg Rathaus (City Hall)is an imposing building with lots of windows and ornamentation and a green copper roof. There is a cafe right opposite with a wonderful view over the town square to the Rathaus. I sat on a high stool there looking out the window to draw this. Then I thought it might look good as an etching as well, so I took a prepared zinc plate to the coffee shop and drew onto that.

After a first acid bath the initial etching looked like this.

then I worked on it some more and dunked it in the acid bath again to bring out the highlights.
More ink/watercolour sketches of Hamburg Rathaus.

After a first acid bath the initial etching looked like this.

then I worked on it some more and dunked it in the acid bath again to bring out the highlights.

More ink/watercolour sketches of Hamburg Rathaus.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Schleswig
Schleswig is about an hour and a half north of Hamburg by car, up near the Danish border. It is the sort of town you stumble over by accident and then want to send all your friends to visit because it is so pretty. The famous Schloss Gottorf which is surrounded by water is in Schleswig. It is a museum now and has wonderful art exhibitions (which was why I was there).
But the town too is worth a visit. There is a yacht harbour and lots of wind to sail by.

But the town too is worth a visit. There is a yacht harbour and lots of wind to sail by.

Dom in Schleswig
The Dom in Schleswig looks huge from the outside ...
but only when you go inside do you realise its dimensions. The part below was built originally in Roman times but then the whole things was surrounded by a new church in the Renaissance. 
Among the extraordinary collection housed by the Dom is the Cenotaph of Friedrichs I, King of Dänemark und Norwegen, Prince of Schleswig und Holstein. It was created by the Flemish sculptor Cornelis Floris and is one of the "most extraordinary masterworks of Dutch Renaissance-Art in North Europe.“ (Wikipedia, what else!)


Among the extraordinary collection housed by the Dom is the Cenotaph of Friedrichs I, King of Dänemark und Norwegen, Prince of Schleswig und Holstein. It was created by the Flemish sculptor Cornelis Floris and is one of the "most extraordinary masterworks of Dutch Renaissance-Art in North Europe.“ (Wikipedia, what else!)

Aboretum Thiensen
In the countryside near Ellerhoop, not far north of Hamburg, is a wonderful Arboretum which was started privately but which has grown to over 17ha and is now supported by the local council. It is worth a visit and if you are not interested in the dinosaur...
... you might be interested in the flowering lotus plants
... or in the artful gardens.



Gallery making software
I just put the watercolour/ink work I did in Zürich online at artsmitten.
I use the help of a little shareware program called HtMLSS to create web galleries (then change the template with dreamweaver) but HtMLSS doesn't seem to work well in downsizing watercolour/ink paintings as it produces broken black lines. I just had to repair them all with Irfanview. If anyone has better gallery making software, please let me know.
I use the help of a little shareware program called HtMLSS to create web galleries (then change the template with dreamweaver) but HtMLSS doesn't seem to work well in downsizing watercolour/ink paintings as it produces broken black lines. I just had to repair them all with Irfanview. If anyone has better gallery making software, please let me know.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Hidden surprises
I drew Suzanne reading the morning papers in a Cafe in Zürich on a Saturday morning.
The Cafe (I have forgotten the name)was a pleasant place and not particularly flash. Not, that is, until you took the trip upstairs to the ladies loo... 



Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Weeping, laughing, grinning

As I was walking there I got a phone call from Greta saying her baby had been born an hour before. A daughter. Greta held the phone to the baby and I heard her cries. I wept and laughed alternately there on a Zürich street corner as I listened to new-baby cries from the other side of the world.
By the time I got to the Museum and looked at their collection of Swiss masks I was grinning just like the mask above.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Zürichsee and Arboretum
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Zürich is pretty



Remembered culture shock
On the train to Zürich



Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Weisel



Monday, August 03, 2009
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Old, very old
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Boppard
If you are on the Rhine near the Loreley and want to get across the river you take one of the ferries. This photo was taken on a ferry to Boppart which is in the background.
Boppard is pretty with lots of cafes on the foreshore.

and houses like this one. Note the matching cushions on the chair.

Boppard is pretty with lots of cafes on the foreshore.

and houses like this one. Note the matching cushions on the chair.

An attic in Weisel
This attic is in Ulla's house in the small town of Weisel, perched among the hills along the Rhine.
Some houses in the village date from 1770 and I would guess Ulla's house is at least 200 years old. It has crooked floors, narrow hand cut wooden stairs and a half timbered barn. It was a ruin when she bought it, but is now a real charmer. It is a pleasure to go up and down the handmade narrow staircase to the top floor attic bedrom.View from the attic window.
Some houses in the village date from 1770 and I would guess Ulla's house is at least 200 years old. It has crooked floors, narrow hand cut wooden stairs and a half timbered barn. It was a ruin when she bought it, but is now a real charmer. It is a pleasure to go up and down the handmade narrow staircase to the top floor attic bedrom.View from the attic window.
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