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As I have said again and again, sketching on location is so much better than photos for me. This sketch takes me right back to Dar Louisa. It was a peaceful, hot afternoon. Everyone was in their rooms having personal time, and I was alone in the courtyard. Dinner was being prepared in the kitchen to the right of the pool. Soon everyone will come down for appetizers and wine by the pool. But for this moment it all belonged to me. I can think of nothing so relaxing as sketching. I just get lost in what I am seeing and hoping my hand will follow my eyes. In this sketch I was blown away that the water looks like water. What fun! All sketches stay in my sketch books. I don't sell them. Occasionally I will make a copy for someone and give it to them. It's a personal and private practice that has no pressure or expectation attached to it. If a sketch turns out badly I just turn the page, but the not so good sketch remains in the book and usually has a mark or two that brings back a moment for me. The Ray for the Day is "Courtyard at Dar Louisa".
One of the very delicious parts of this journey is that I had plenty of time to sketch and to write. Both of the homes we stayed in in Morocco came with staff to feed us and guide us and clean for us. The two people who took care of us at Dar Louisa were Abdelilah and Fatima. These two young people shopped and cooked and cleaned and made it seem easy and as though it was a pleasure for them. We enjoyed their company immensly and felt free to ask them questions about the area, the culture, women, cooking, traditions, religion, and felt very enlightened by their answers. This is a view of the terrace just outside my bedroom. This terrace is overlooking the pool and the inner courtyard of this most beautiful home situated in the 900 year old walled city of Taroudant. When I look at this sketch I can feel the warmth of the day, hear the birds in the trees, the burble of the fountain, and smell wonderful fragrances coming from the kitchen.I made many sketches of the interiors of this house. They will follow in the next few days. The Ray for the Day is "Dar Louisa, View from my Bed"
While staying at Dar Alliamoun in Marrakesh we had a cook and housekeeper named Fouzia. We were greeted each morning with freshly squeezed orange juice, yogurt, freshly baked bread, fruit, and often crepes and other Moroccan delights. Fouzia was also very happy to make other meals for us as well. We had her make two dinners for us and they were aromatic and delicious. One memorable meal was chicken with lemons and vegetables made in the ever present tagine. Fouzia was very interested in our sketches and one day asked shyly if we would sketch her.
I don't consider myself to be a portrait artist, but I was delighted to sketch our sweet Fouzia and glad to give this sketch to her as a small thank you for her kind attention. I think I captured her essence, if not exactly her likeness, quite well. The Ray for the Day is "Fouzia in Marrakesh".
This particular day in Marrakesh Barb and I looked a long time for just the right place to sit down out of the crowds of people where we could see the square. Finally we settled on a sidewalk cafe. I wish I could describe to you how fast things were moving, how many people were in the square, and horses and donkeys and motorcycles. Lots of people trying to sell us things. All were whizzing by. I did not capture that activity.......it was just going too fast. On a page I'm not publishing I tried to capture some acrobats, a guy pushing a cart, 3 or 4 people on a motorcycle at a time. I could not. There were fresh orange juice stands everywhere and it was so delicious. I think a big glass of orange juice was about 40 cents. At night this square became multitudes of little restaurants. The food was delicious and dinner cost about $3.00. It was crowded and colorful and hot and fun and the waiters in every food stall tried to convince us to eat with them. In case you haven't figured it out by now I really loved Morocco. The Ray's for today are "Morocco Sketches 5 and 6".
My art blog seems to be turning into a travel blog. But. Then. There's an art to travel too, yeah? Anyway these are scenes from the inner-open-to-the-sky courtyard at Dar Alliamoun in Marrakesh. Everywhere we went we were served mint tea from tea kettles such as the one here, always poured from a great height. The little tagines on the table are very Moroccan. Much of the food is cooked, served, and stored in pottery shaped like these. This courtyard was dripping with jasmine and other plants. Every night the birds made a great racket as they settled into the jasmine after negotiating for their spot. In the early morning they once again made bird music before they flew away for the day to do who knows what. The day I made these sketches may have been the day we went to the public hammam (like Turkish baths) where we were washed, steamed, scrubbed with exfoliating mitts, oiled with Argon oil, washed, rinsed, issued a thick robe and served the ever present mint tea in a big relaxing room with tufted pillows, and satin drapes, and many mirrors and tassels. It was a delicious experience to say the least. This trip's memories feel indelible like memories from childhood. Maybe because it was all so different and every moment was brand new, and maybe it was partly because of the sketching. I always feel that when you sketch something you kind of own it. The Rays for the Day are "Morocco Sketches 3 and 4" or Courtyard at Dar Alliamoun.
This view of this sitting room shows some of one of the many Moroccan carpets throughout the house. By the time I did this sketch we had spent hours on the streets, learning to bargain for prices, fend off "guides" and vendors who would follow us through the myriads of winding streets, alleyways and souks. We also needed to keep our wits about us to avoid being run down by fast moving horses, donkey carts, bicycles, and especially motorbikes. Marrakesh was a feast for
the senses. The visuals were rich with color, pattern and texture. I especially loved the color and pattern of the fabrics on the jalabas (the traditional street wear of Moroccan men and women.....long garments with long sleeves and hoods) and of course the gorgeous scarves and colorful shoes. The sounds were the clop clops of animals, voices of vendors, laughter, and of course the call to prayer 5 times a day. The fragrance of spices and cooking were mouth watering. And then of course the food was delicious, plentiful, and healthy. While in Marrakesh we ate on the streets, in restaurants, and at home. Fouzia, our housekeeper and cook kept us well fed with beautiful breakfasts of fresh juice, yogurt, fruits of all kinds, and always freshly baked breads, and often crepes. Again, sketching at the end of the day was relaxing, centering,, and helped me assimilate the sights, sounds, flavors of the day. The Ray for the Day is "Morocco Sketch #2", or more specifically "Second Floor Sitting Room at Dar Alliamoun".
Sketching is something I do for the pure pleasure of doing it. I don't usually post my sketches because I think of them as a kind of personal journaling rather than as "my art". While on a two week trip to Morocco I did at least a sketch a day and when showing the sketches to friends they have encouraged me to post them. And so I will. I have a busy next few days so it may take few days to get them all up, but I will. I did this sketch the first day I was in Marrakesh at Dar Alliamoun, a riad (translated as "little bit of paradise"). I had the pleasure of staying in this 800 year old house in the Medina district because my very creative partners (I have part ownership in Casa Amanecer in Mexico) spent months arranging house trades in Morocco, Spain and France. I joined them for two weeks and two riads. This one in Marrakesh and another in Taroudant. This is one of several sitting rooms in the house. I was captivated by the amazing color and texture of the house. I was talking with my friend, Suzie, while sketching so she got in the picture. There were beautiful tiles, rugs, stonework, hangings and artwork wherever we looked. At the time of this sketch I had only been in Marrakesh for a few hours, and except for getting from the airport to the house had not seen any of the city or souks as yet. It was hot, exotic, exciting, new, and amazing. I'm so glad I captured this moment in my sketchbook. Sketches bring back experiences so much more vividly for me than photos. I can walk right into this room when I look at the sketch.
