Thursday, March 13, 2008

Sevillanas Performance

OK, this isn't watercolor, but it is art! Sevillanas are a folk dance from Southern Spain. They are taught as part of flamenco now, though their origin is not the same as flamenco. In Spain they have Sevillanas parties where people of all ages attend. It is a way you can flirt with someone of the opposite sex. So for young people, they are often eager to learn these dances so they can show off to a boy or girl they like.

This particular dance is just one of a thousand variations, though the basic structure is the same. There are 4 coplas, or sections, and each section is comprised of three parts. Each part is joined by what is called the "pasada sevillana" step. This is the first Sevillana I have learned and of course my first Sevillana performance. It's quite fun to dance with a partner because you really interact and the audience can see this, which makes the dance more interesting. I'm a student dancing with three teachers. I hope you like it!

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Les Contamines



Les Contamines is in the French Alps. I visited my French cousins in February 2004 and took a photo of this scene while skiing down the slopes. I didn't take the photo while actually in the act of skiing, but while taking a break from skiing. I hadn't skied in 16 years(!) and so it took a long time for me to get down a slope that would take an experienced skier 10-15 minutes. However, each time I took a break, (or fell), I was able to take in the beauty of the Alps and take a photo. I was lucky I didn't smash my camera during my tumbles or break my leg for that matter. After skiing down this long slope, I went back up the mountain to visit with my cousins during lunch. Afterwards, I stayed at the lodge, which was just a large deck outdoors, and painted a small water color of the mountains. The temperature was about 25 degrees F that day, but with the cloudless sky, there was enough sun to paint and not form ice crystals till about 3:15 when the sun was starting to dip. That painting was very simple, but a French lady saw it and asked to buy it. So I sold it for 25 Euros!