Access: Greek Islands

It was so much fun to walk through the old town of Naxos and take photos. The effects of history and nature are readily apparent.

There are the remnants of the conquerors: sea-etched marbles of Roman temples, rubble of Venetian castles with rusty brass door knockers, and deteriorating monasteries as remembrances of the Crusades

The town set high on a hill and faces out to sea, evidence of vigilance, allowing time to alert islanders of approaching sieges from pirates or conquerors. The streets are narrow, winding and twisting with low arches –- a labyrinth designed to slow armed advancements. Doorways are narrow and low – the better to defend one’s home.

Nature also exacts a price for its gifts of sun and sea life. Battering storms, wind, and salty breezes make all things metal rust. Paint flakes off. Plaster peels, revealing stones.
Vigilance of another sort, therefore, is required to maintain man-made structures.

Even new, white, angular buildings etched against azure skies eventually submit to sun, storms and the sea’s salt.

I took over 500 photos and will create a series of 30-35 in oil on canvas in keeping with classicism. My wordsmith friend and I arrived at a title for the series: “Access: Greek Isles,” including vignettes of the history and nature of life on the islands are shown through the portals of entry….doors, windows, streets, and gates.

Three more are in various stages of completion and I'll post them as soon as they're ready. This way, you can walk with me through the town and see what I saw. (Please go to http://www.r-atencio.com/gallery/access_greece/access_greece.html to see enlargements. I rushed to get the doors up for you to see. None of the others are ready yet. )

In a Naxos Mood

Today's blog is not about art. It may qualify as being more about life. You see, dear reader, I'm going on vacation to Greece next week. I'll be spending a few days in Athens taking in the sites. From there, I take the large ferry (and several hours) to the island of Naxos. You've learned a lot about Athens, I thought in this blog I'd share somethings about Naxos.

Naxos is located in the Aegean sea in the chain of islands known as the Cyclades. It is the largest and most mountainous of these islands. Mount Zas on Naxos often has snow in the winter - something we don't usually associate with the Greek islands.

It has the reputation as a bread-basket island. As you approach from the sea, it looks rocky and scrubby, but it has many small streams running down from the mountains. As such, it has been self sustaining in its farming, dairy and livestock. (Although I'm not so sure about that anymore since many people from colder European climates have come to build homes on Naxos to take advantage of the early summers in this Southern location.)

For the month of April, I won't be posting a weekly art blog. Instead, I am going to check out some internet cafes to try and send posts and photos to you. If all goes well, I'll be posting every few days in the form of a journal. Be sure to check back towards the end of next week when I'm settled in. I should have photos of Athens and beyond.

One last thing... I won't be checking and responding to email while I'm gone. If you want to reach me, please make comments at this blog. (Nothing too personal please as everyone can read it.)In the meantime, here are a few images of Naxos...