Tag Archives: Boat

Fethiye Kordon developments

 

Still life from memory 9" x 6" Acrylic on mount board

Still life from memory
9″ x 6″ Acrylic on mount board

The sun was shining as I took a walk from here to Calis along the promenade today and things are moving.  The new marina already has 50 or so, small motor boats sparkling as they bobbed about in the breeze.  Workmen were laying more roads and pavements and you can now walk or cycle for an uninterupted 3.7 Kilometres from Fethiye ferry pier. The intrepid can, with suitable footwear, continue along to the newly created Duck Islands. There’s a lot more development to come, including a vast area of former marshland, opposite the Devlet Hospital that was drained and is being raised and levelled.  A few of the new restaurants have already closed for lack of trade, others are expanding and it’s fascinating to watch how much changes on a daily basis.

The new season

Autumn harvest 9" x 6" Acrylic on mount board

Autumn harvest
9″ x 6″ Acrylic on mount board

Though tinged with sadness as Summer ends, my thoughts this Monday morning turn to all the interesting things we get to do now the weather has changed.   Our winter weather is like September in the UK.  So coming up this week we can look forward to more daily painting, hill walking the dogs, catch-up with movies, pick and preserve the autumn harvest, start the DIY on the boat and house,  join exercise groups, take Turkish lessons and more.  I won’t go on but this lifestyle depends on staying fit and well and so we keep our fingers crossed, appreciate how lucky we are and never take anything for granted.

Trout stream

Trout stream 9" x 6" Acrylic on mount board

Trout stream
9″ x 6″ Acrylic on mount board

Local boat owners agree that the mass of underwater growth fouling their hulls in Fethiye Bay is among the worst in the world,  I have always blamed the water conditions  on the chemical run-off from the  intensive farming in the vicinity and sewage influx.  Then I was very surprised to learn that Turkey is the largest producer of farmed Rainbow trout in Europe.  An aquaculture survey of 3 trout farms in the Xanthos valley provides some interesting reading including the fact that there are more than 50 trout farms in our catchment and a significant ammount of water is fed, via a canal and hydro electric power station, directly into the sea at Fethiye.  The main purpose of the survey is “to predict the existing and future discharge of suspended solids, organic compounds, and nutrients, thereby allowing authorities to quantify the environmental impacts of activities with the greatest accuracy (Frier et al. 1995)”.   I have estimated from this report  that this means over 2000 tons of Nitrogen and 400 tons of Phosphorous are discharged every year.  When you factor in the sunshine and shallow water it’s no wonder we have a problem with algae!

Sovalye Two

Sovalye Island 2 10" x 8" Acrylic on card

Sovalye Island 2
10″ x 8″ Acrylic on card

It’s been an eventful week, our 6 day sailing trip to Kas curtailed by the stomach bug that’s going around. So although we’ve been out of action I managed to paint this alternative Sovalye Island view eliminating the greens and yellows but still portraying an old house on an island, I like it but appreciation is scarce.

After many weeks work, I also managed to complete, pack and send, on it’s long journey to Australia, a large wedding portrait of my niece Caroline and Jon. As it’s a surprise I can’t publish until it arrives so more on that to come.

Çalis canal

Venice Canal 10" x 8" Acrylic on card

SOLD

Some time last year a local official, commenting on the dredging and bank work being carried out at the time in Çalıs, said “Soon this will be the New Venice!”   I suspect he’d never been, maybe he’d heard that people visited Venice for the canals and thought we’ve got one of those here, maybe not. Well, the thick groves of rushes and bamboo have regrown along the canal banks, the frogs and fish, the egrets and kingfishers have returned, and while not exactly Venice it does have a charm of it’s own.  I recalled his comment and raked out an old photo of the real thing for some indoor inspiration in the heat of midsummer.

Meis

Meis1 (L)

Meis
10″ x 8″ Acrylic on card

Meis is a small Greek island close to the Turkish town of Kas. It was well known in the local expat community as the easiest place to visit to renew their 90 day visa.  With the introduction of cheap residents permits all that changed overnight.  Most of the visitors now take the short ferry ride just to experience a very pretty and relaxing place for a day or maybe two.

Fethiye from across the bay

Fethiye Bay 24" x 18" Acrylic on canvas

Fethiye Bay
24″ x 18″ Acrylic on canvas

This is the larger canvas promised in my post of the 18th April.  It came together just as I wanted although I experienced all my usual issues over how much detail to include, still I am very pleased with the end result. I’ve just taken it to the framers and on the way back I decided that I like this view so much I will paint a even larger one!

Fethiye Postcard

Fethiye Bay 2013 10" x 8", Acrylic on card

Fethiye Bay 2013
SOLD

This is my favourite view of Fethiye and my original photo, taken from the hillside above the Marina Vista Hotel and the boatyards, has a picture postcard quality that I rarely capture. The plan is to create a large landscape and this is my first studio sketch using that photo which I intend to follow up with some plein air work.  I limited my pallette to just the three primaries and white and worked with a large brush to try and keep the detail minimised.  I’m really looking forward to the challenge of developing this as it’s a more picturesque subject than most of my work on Kayakoy.

The River Bend

River Bend 10" x 8", Acrylic on board

River Bend
10″ x 8″, Acrylic on board

Today I took Daisy, our new boat, out in the bay for our first sail and despite a few butterflies to start we had a great time getting to know her.  During the trial, some more small jobs became evident and that will keep me from the easel a little longer than planned.  So tonight I fell back onto one of my favourite subjects. Rivers are an endless source of delight and inspiration to me and despite the demands of Daisy, my new mistress, I managed to produce this painting.

Antifouling blues

Daisy the Dog  10" x 8" Acrylic on card

Daisy the Dog
10″ x 8″ Acrylic on card

Well, it’s been a week since I last posted anything although I’ve been doing loads of painting. Unfortunately only rolling several coats of sky blue antifouling paint onto the bottom of my boat!  However, it’s finished now, until next year of course, and Daisy goes back in the water tomorrow. That’s the boat, not our Yorkshire Terrier who coincidentally shares the same name.