More On Flores

Poca do Bacalhau, watercolor, 14" x 10"

One of the loveliest things about Flores is the number of waterfalls and pools that can be found on the island, particularly on the west coast where the central volcanic mass drops precipitously towards the ocean. Several very deep crater lakes store the plentiful rainfall, which drains slowly as a series of long, thin waterfalls dropping down thousands of feet along the western cliffs, and creating scenic pools like the Poca do Bacalhau (which translates to Cod's Pool).

This watercolor was painted on location when I was there last year as artist in residence. The walk toward the pool was through a small cow pasture, and I had to climb over a fence to get to the end of the trail. Yellow flowers bloomed along the banks of the stream, and there was an abandoned stone house for some romantic ruins. The dried stalks of flowers identified blooming ginger plants growing on the steep rocks above the small cascades dripping into the pool. It got very chilly sitting on a rock while the breeze wafted spray from the falls over me, so it was all I could do to stay and finish the piece, but I stuck to it.

I think the painting conveys an accurate sense of the place with its dramatic waterfall and the dark volcanic cliffs. I'm selling it for $175, because Flores is such an unusual location--so difficult and expensive to get to-- and the hardships I endured to paint it. Shipping is additional, and there is a $5.00 handling charge. If you are interested in buying, please send an E-mail.

Nearly Abstract

The topography of Flores with Lagoa Funda (lower lake) and Lagoa Rasa (high, on the right). The road runs between the two lagoas, the Atlantic Ocean can be seen beyond as a patch of blue below the clouds.
Storm in Flores, watercolor, 5-1/2" x 9-1/2"

This small watercolor was painted last year in Flores from memory after an incredibly scary drive in a raging storm. I was supposed to be flying out of Santa Cruz on my return trip to the U.S. that day, and despite the storm, a call to the airline informed me they were flying, so I had to get to the airport. It seemed like an exercise in futility, but there was no choice. The flights direct to Boston were scheduled only twice a week.

My house-mate Marylee was so brave to drive me from Lajes over the narrow, winding roads in visibility of perhaps 5 feet. Torrents of water ran down the steep grades, making the stories we'd heard about small children being swept down seem quite plausible. The cows in the pastures lined up side by side, instinctively closing ranks against the wind and lashing rain.

My painting shows what we saw of the road that runs between two of the lagoas (small crater lakes) in the central massif of the island. Beyond the hydrangea bushes bordering the road, white froth was the only sign of the location of a very steep drop into Lagoa Funda, while on the other side of the hydrangeas the shallower Lagoa Rasa was erased by the churning rain. There weren't any other cars in sight (only dire necessity would force anyone to drive in a storm like this), so at least we didn't have to worry about a collision.

After waiting at the airport for a couple of hours, they finally told us the plane could not take off from Sao Miguel in the storm, and would not be coming to Flores. So we had to do it all over again driving back to Lajes, although by this time the wind and rain had slackened.

I ended up having to fly the next day and spend two nights in Lisbon to get back to the good ol' USA. This unexpected detour led me to explore a lovely city I would otherwise not have seen.

The painting is priced at $100, shipping cost is additional, and there is a $5.00 handling charge. I hope you enjoyed the story; thanks for looking.

Links: http://www.azores.com/azores/flores.php

A Little Light, Please

I'm having a hard time painting today, what with having a shiner and swollen face as a result of the dental surgery a few days ago. So, this photo is just for fun.

I've been taking a class in the fundamentals of outdoor lighting for my engineering job, and last week our instructor brought in an assortment of different light bulbs (technically known as lamps) for us to appreciate the large variation in sizes and shapes, as well as different sources of light. We all know incandescent bulbs are on their way out, since in today's energy-conscious world, incandescents use up too much energy for the amount of light they give.

The photo shows an unusual item: a 3000-watt incandescent lamp once used in the lighthouse at Lajes das Flores, in the Azores Islands. This lamp was used from the mid 1940's through the 1960's. The current lamp is a 1000-watt halogen lamp, amplified by the original set of Fresnel lenses.

Jose, the Lighthouse keeper in Lajes, gave me a tour of the lighthouse when I was there last spring as Artist in Residence. His father had been the lighthouse keeper before him, and now he keeps an immaculate lighthouse. You could eat off the floor of his machine shop, and every bit of brass in the tower shines like new. Most fascinating of all, he has kept a collection of old equipment which was used in the lighthouse since its inception sometime in the early 1900's and is in mint condition. I imagine someday all this will make a wonderful museum for both the children of Flores and visitors, and I commend him for his foresight in keeping these artifacts.