A profitable week painting

I didn't blog for while but I used my time wisely. In between taking care of my wonderful granddaughter I spent some time painting.

My art instructor, Monique, went to Italy for vacation last week. I decided to paint on my own an acrylic painting I have been thinking about ever since I went to Arles.

In Arles, I saw a Roman coliseum that is currently used for bull fights. The Pamplona bull festival is in full swing this week and I noticed in the French news that there is considerable controversy about the practice of bull fighting, with the animal rights community demonstrating against it. I personally find bull fighting barbaric and not to my taste. At the same time, as an artist, I am attracted to the color and intensity of the dance between the matador and the bull. The Spanish dance, "paso double" is one of my favorites to watch as the staccato music punctuates the encounters of the bull and the matador. Here is my tribute to this ancient dance.

My son in law, Lawrence, liked the painting and I gave it to him for his office in the University of Essex, England.


My daughter Natasha decided she would also like a painting and gave me instructions to do a colorful painting with turquoise as the prominent color. She and Lawrence got engaged in Tahiti and wanted a Tahitian theme with a tribute to the French painter, Gauguin, who painted such wonderful Tahitian women. Here is my interpretation of her wishes.