Every Day in February, 2016

I am headed down the rabbit hole once again. It is the start of a new month, and the start of a new adventure with the “Every Day” group. This month's moderator picked “Around the World in 29 Days” as the theme for our prompts. Our merry band of artists from all over the world is starting out in 4 groups to “travel” to a new country each day-- to draw, paint and sketch whatever we “see” that interests us our virtual journey. 

Here is what our moderator posted as the guidelines for our Every Day in February challenge for 2016:

Welcome members! You’ve just won a free trip around the world for one month – and you don’t even have to leave your couch! ;) Each day you will be visiting a different country on your itinerary and then posting a sketch of a highlight from your trip. Do a bit of research on your country of the day, maybe even watch a video or two on YouTube if you have the time, and then sketch! You may choose to sketch anything – native or famous people, famous buildings or landmarks, cuisine, landscapes, animals, moments in history, fun facts, etc.! The possibilities are absolutely endless!! Feel free to share any neat tidbits you’ve learned about the country within your post, too!

These are my responses to the prompt!

Every Day in February 2016, #20 - traveling to POLAND

EDiF #20 – Poland
The Medieval buildings along the Old Salt Market Square in the city of Wroclaw, on the River Oder, in the Silesian Lowlands of Poland, are a color hunter's dream. These brilliantly colored facades rival the colors of one of Poland's most famous crafts, the intricately designed, waxed and dyed Pisanki (Pysanky) eggs.

Every Day in February 2016, #19 - traveling to PORTUGAL

EDiF #19 – Portugal
This scene was made for me. In July, in the streets of Agueda, Portugal, Sextafeira Designers install hundreds of colorful umbrellas high above the streets of Agueda, during the Agitagueda Art Festival. The umbrellas provide splashes of brilliant color, offer shade to the strolling festival goers below, or, in the case of inclement weather, protection from the raindrops!

Every Day in February 2016, #18 - traveling to OSAKA, Japan

EDiF #18 – Oman (substituting Osaka)
I really REALLY missed being able to “go” to Japan. So I decided to make another side trip and substitute “Osaka” for “Oman” (even though I could be drawing horses!) Maybe I will come back to Oman later. But for now I am here, in Japan, the site of one of my favorite epic novels – James Clavell's “SHOGUN”.

Every Day in February, 2016, #17 - traveling to NEPAL

EDiF #17 – Nepal
Man, I am learning some stuff this month!!! This bit of information falls under the heading of things which pass my cultural understanding, and upon which I have no right to pass judgement. I present it as simply an example of one of the world's rich and colorful traditions, to be appreciated as such. This is a sketchbook painting of Matina Shakya. She was born in 2005 in Kathmandu, Nepal. On July 10, 2008, when she was three, she was selected from the eligible girls within her community by a council of Buddhist and Hindu priests to leave her family and be taken to the great palace Kumari Bahai in Kathmandu. After passing a rigorous screening process, she was enthroned as the Living Goddess Kumari Devi, cared for and living in the palace in semi seclusion, only appearing outside the temple for special festivals and ceremonies.
A Kumari's reign as Living Goddess lasts until she reaches puberty, when she is returned to her home and family and the search for a new goddess begins. There are several Kumaris throughout the country of Nepal. It is a position of highest honor, both for her and her family, and for the community. Matina was the Kumari of Kathmandu until 2014.

Every Day in February, 2016, #16 - traveling to MEXICO

EDiF #16 – Mexico
A trip down Mexico way, looking for local color, and finding it is ALL color, all the time down there. Color overload! So, I am making just a quick stop, with a little shopping for a few tacky, touristy souvenirs – a serape, a cactus in a painted clay pot, a piňata, some bright paper flowers, and a “Visit Mexico” bumper sticker. Oh, and I found an old photo from probably 1953, of me wearing the embroidered red felt jacket my crafty little Mama made. The little girl has loose pigtail braids and the donkey has a braided tail. I wish I still had it!!! I wouldn't fit, but I would build a colorful quilt around it. Olé!!

EVERY DAY IN FEBRUARY, 2016, #15 - traveling to LIECHTENSTEIN

EDiF #15 - Liechtenstein
So I traveled to Liechtenstein, and found, a trio of Liechten-STEINS.

Every Day in February, 2016, #14 - traveling to KENYA

EDiF #14 – Kenya
NANTS INGONYAMA BAKITHI BA-BA 
SITHI HU INGONYAMA
“Here comes a lion, Papa. 
We hail the Lion.”
I never see images of the glorious sunrises or sunsets on the Serengeti without hearing the ringing anthem by Sir Elton John and Tim Rice which opens the musical “The Lion King”. Kenya, and its neighbor Tanzania, share this amazing place, and all the creatures within it. I didn't even have to give a thought to “will there be color?” It is one of God's true masterpieces. All I can do is make an attempt to get an impression of it down on paper. Though I'll probably never get to travel to see it, I may (sooner rather than later, I hope), travel to see “The Lion King” on stage again!

Every Day in February, 2016, #13 - traveling to JORDAN

EDiF # 13 – Jordan
Standing under the towering facade of the entrance to the ancient monastery at Petra and all I could see around me were muted, monochromatic tones of pink, yellow, ocher and red – the colors of desert sandstone. I was disappointed. What of my quest for the vibrant colors of the world? Then a caravan of camels hove into view through the shimmer of mirage light. With a tinkling of bells and a creaking of leather harnesses, the line of them swayed into view in the dust, bawling and mewling, layered with intricately tooled saddles and woven blankets in myriad hues, a living, moving, picture book. Ah! Saved by color, once again!

Every Day in February, 2016, #12 - traveling to ITALY

EDiF #12 - Italy
Cannoli! I have nothing else to say, but CANNOLI!!

Every Day in February, 2016, #11 - traveling to INDONESIA

EDiF #11 – Indonesia
From Hong Kong, a quick trip over to Indonesia, to Bali. I am visiting for a friend (who's dream it is to travel here). I am (via a YouTube video) at the opening night of a dance school, attending a performance of a graceful 14 year old dancer. The color and gleam of the gilded costumes, the music of the Gamelon, the perfume of exotic flowers, all combine to make the night magical. No wonder Trudy dreams of visiting here.

Every Day in February, 2016, #10 - traveling to HONG KONG

 EDiF - #10 - Hong Kong

Back with my own traveling companions now. In Hong Kong, just in time for the third day of festivities in the 15 day celebration of Chinese New Year, 2016, the Year of the Monkey. In Hong Kong the greeting of the day is Gung Hay Fat Choy, in Cantonese. In mainland China happy families are wishing each other Gong Xi Fa Cai, in Mandarin. Either way, the characters are the same and they spell out "Happy, and Prosperous New Year"! Red is an very auspicious color and there are intricate red paper cutouts decorating homes and businesses, red paper envelopes full of money for the children, and the night sky is filled with glowing red silk and bamboo lanterns. There are parades though the streets with magnificent Lion and Dragon dancers, and feasts of wonderful food that make me go weak at just the thought!

EDiF#9, 2016, traveling to HUNGARY

EDiF #09 – Hungary
I traded in my EDiF ticket to Greenland for one going to Hungary, instead, hoping to join up with the Group C Itinerary people. Hungary is the country of my father's family's roots. Nagymama and Grandpa grew up in Budapest, in the shadow of Buda Castle. They met, fell in love and eloped (I wish I knew the backstory THERE), then emigrated to Cleveland, Ohio. I especially wish I knew more of their story as Nagymama was a “princess” and Grampa was a poop, albeit a very dashing, intelligent and handsome, poop.
These are examples of very colorful and exuberant Hungarian apparel. I cannot imagine either of my grandparents, under any circumstances, ever wearing them. Nagymama would have been in satin and diamonds (all right, maybe not diamonds, but very good rhinestones and crystals), and Grandpa (the Napoleonic engineer) in a suit with a watch fob, his mustache neatly trimmed, smelling of pipe tobacco.

EDiF#8, 2016 - traveling to GUATEMALA

EDiF #08 – Guatemala
Sensory overload! There is SO MUCH Central American color here in the marketplace of Chichicastenango that my head may explode! So much fun! Even the name of the market is a colorful delight. Try saying it – Chi-chi-cas-ten-ANG-go! It is musical! 
Here are booth after booth of brilliant goods from Guatemala and all its neighboring regions – tables piled high with rainbow hued serapes, racks of festival masks, Alejibres from Oaxaca, Molas from San Blas Island, Dia de Los Muertes skulls, playful souvenir Chicken Busses, fresh cut flowers, fruits, Guatemalan dolls, woven goods of every possible color and kind. It's a visual artist's field of dreams!

EDiF#7, 2016 - traveling to FINLAND

07 – Finland (Lapland) – I have traveled today from the opal fields of Ethiopia, to the far northern reaches of Finland, just below the arctic circle. Here Finland borders Norway, Sweden and Russia in the region known as Lapland. It is the home of Finland's only indigenous people, the Sami, who are given sole custodianship of Lapland's herds of reindeer. It is colorful embroidery, and woven hats, and pointy-toed boots, like elves'. It is the Sami playing of a reindeer hide drum to accompany the singing of a joik, against a backdrop of tipi-like kotas. It is the land of Northern lights, and of summer days when the sun never sets.

EDIF#6, 2016 - traveling to ETHIOPIA

EDiF - #06 in the World Tour, My Search for Color – Ethiopia
Here I am in the Welo District, north of Addis Ababa, on a hunt for some opal cabochons to mount in this set of sterling silver earrings I designed. The opals from Ethiopia are especially colorful and brilliant. In fact, they are second only to the renowned opals from Australia for fire and shimmer. 
I did think it might be a challenge to capture those qualities. 
I had no idea how challenging. Not a clue.

EDiF#5, 2016, traveling to DOMINICA

EDiF - #05 – Dominica
Pronounced the pretty French way, Dom-i-NEEK-uh, this commonwealth country in the Lesser Antilles is known as the “Nature Isle of the Caribbean” because of its vegetation and birdlife. I knew I'd find wonderful color here because, it is said, every inch of the island is always in bloom with something beautiful! Very glad I got here on the 5th, because on the 2nd volcanic Dominica, Martinique and the Leeward Islands felt the effects of a 4.9 earthquake!

EDiF#4, 2016, traveling to CANADA

EDiF - #4 – Canadian Sunset (with musical accompaniment) 
http://app.musicme.com/artist/hugo-winterhalter/video/eddie-heywood-&-hugo-winterhalter---canadian-sunset-(instrumental)-5A363979624F4A314D5955
Sketched from fond early teenage memories of trips with my fly fishing enthusiast father, my rustic-camp hating mother, and my little brother, to Dad's favorite destination – Lake Hihium – way atop a mountain near Cache Creek, British Columbia. My poor mother detested wood stove heating and cooking, washing up in cold water from a hand pump, campfire smoke and ice in a block in a cooler. I LOVED all of it (and still do). I also loved the echo of loons at sunset, the coyotes wailing on the hill in back, falling asleep to the gentle lapping of lake water, the fwoomp of swooping nighthawks, and the wind sighing through the tall pines. I loved every chipmunk and every squirrel, the bears who raided the fish cooler, the creatures that ratted around on the roof at night, the various moose who would swim the lake from shore to shore, the horses I sometimes got to ride, and, of course, one of the wranglers (who brought us ice every day and checked to see the bears hadn't eaten US.)
I did not then, and do not now, love fishing. Or the cold lake full of leeches. But, my Canadian memories have lingered for over 50 years.

EDiF#3, 2016 - Traveling to CZECH REPUBLIC

Jerusalem (Jubilee} Synagogue, Prague, Czech Republic

I am trying to find locations that showcase the most color possible. And I am doing a lot of sketching by "Virtual Walking" - using Google Earth Views and Google Earth maps. Using the Google technology allowed me to "sit" right in front of this synagogue. Right on the curb of the street, as it were!

EDiF#2, 2016 - Traveling to BRAZIL

Day Two of my Color-Seeking Tour of the World
I have landed in one of the easiest places on earth for color hunting. I only need to look up into the treetops to discover every hue and shade of bird imaginable. I've chosen a few of the brightest ones to include on my page. Their names are, from top left to bottom right - Green-tailed Jacamar, Toco Toucan, Sun Parakeets (Conures), Scarlet Macaw, Brazilian Tanager, Orange-backed Trouphial, Green-headed Tanager, Blue-cheeked Jacamar and Hyacinth Macaw.
At home, as a member of the Whidbey Island Sketchers group, I am very fortunate to have access to a nearby private tropical bird sanctuary. We often get to sketch and enjoy the resident Scarlet and Hyacinth Macaws, a flock of Conures, several Cockatoos and other colorful birdy residents.

EDiF#1, Day 01, 2016 - Traveling to AZERBAIJIAN

I am headed down the rabbit hole once again. It is the start of a new month, and the start of a new adventure with the “Every Day” group. This month's moderator picked “Around the World in 29 Days” as the theme for our prompts. Our merry band of artists from all over the world is starting out in 4 groups to “travel” to a new country each day-- to draw, paint and sketch whatever we “see” that interests us our virtual journey. My little group starts out today in Azerbaijan, near Russia, between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains.
Here are a pair of dancers, and a shiny, golden Azerbaijani horse and its rider taking part in the national sport of Chovgan, or polo. This is going to be a fun way for a non-traveler to travel! Tomorrow I am off to Brazil!