Chani's Creative Space

This post will probably be the last of this year. I would enjoy to be let alone with my pencils and brushes, but there is still a lot to translate, prepare, buy and clean... I wish you Happy Holidays and a happy New Year to you all! I wish (at least some of ) your dreams come true in 2018! Thank you for reading me in 2017! Holidays

December again. Daylight is scarce and the icy wind reminds me that  another year is almost over. At the moment, everything is a rush. Everything must be performed, bought, controlled, sent or paid before end of this year. It we weren't able to perform, buy, control, send or pay in January as well. ;-)   Blizzard Together

There are plenty of white towns or villages ("pueblos blancos", so called because of their whitewashed walls) in Andalusia, Southern Spain.  At the Costa del Sol, many tourists use to take the bus to Mijas, which is a nice day trip but you need to drive a bit further to discover more authentic Andalusian villages. Frigiliana, Vejer de la Frontera, Grazalema and Ubrique are beautiful. Or, nearer if you are based in Málaga, Almogía or Casares, for example. Remember to wear comfortable walking shoes (there are generally a lot of steps and/or steep streets there) and a jumper: it is always colder than on the coast, and sometimes also wetter. Enjoy!   Casares Casares   Almogía   Almogía

Hard to believe that this year will be over in a few weeks. We are still waiting for some rain that has not come yet. At least, temperatures are dropping at night, but during the day, this autumn is still warmer than many German summers ;-)   Heat wave Sand and water

During the summer months, flocks of people come to Southern Spain in search of sun, sea, good food and cheap alcohol, but autumn is certainly a better season to discover Andalusia.  At the moment, the sun is still shining so that you can eat chestnuts on the beach without hundreds of people around you (and even swim if you are brave), hike, look for mushrooms and enjoy the flourishing hedges and shrubs with strong colours. Red and wild   Free choice Winter Sunday

November is there: days are becoming shorter. Little by little, this year is coming to its end (it is time to buy a new calendar and to order Xmas cards), and a new Animal Alphabet is beginning today on Twitter , with "Audrey II" for letter A! The location for # TAE2018 has been announced. It will take place in April in Canberra, Australia! Dark season  Wave

The Spanish town of El Puerto de Santa María is a magic place, with its ferry to Cadiz, its smell of salty water, mud and old buildings that would need an urgent refurbishment, its countless restaurants and bars...  Walking along the river Guadalete as it was low tide, I came to a place where g enerations of fishermen have been throwing old nets, ropes and other material. The incredible beauty of those rotting nets in the twilight  was astonishing: perfect abstract art made by nature. And, yes,  I saw some crabs and rats too.

Yesterday, we got our first autumn rain here in Southern Spain. Not enough water to fill the water reservoirs, of course, but in this dry country, every drop is welcome. Our home mountain will certainly get a bit greener soon, and sheep and goats will enjoy to find some more food . First autumn rain Northern lights

Time is flying. The Animal Alphabet with endangered animals that we began in April on Twitter is now finished! As always, it was fun, I learned a lot about creatures whose name I even did not know! Here a collage with the result (A-Z), and my five favourites. Enjoy!

When holidays are over, only pictures and memories remain.  I was impressed by the small town of Warendorf (Westphalia, Germany), the "town of horses", well known for its stud farm, with well-preserved historic centre. Although I have been studying many years in Münster, which is nearby, I never had the opportunity of visiting it - shame on me! I found some interesting doors to add to my Doors gallery on Fine Art America.  Here are two of them:     Door in Warendorf Door in Warendorf

Just back from holidays, my head is full of pictures, impressions and ideas. :-) We had no good weather in the Netherlands and Germany, so our first action was to purchase some rubber boots. With them, we were at least able to explore the nature around us. During those rainy days, I found some fascinating mushrooms there (I have posted two pictures of my dog  Nicki to give an idea of their height).

September is there! Since we had some rain on Tuesday, the air smells differently.  It is time to show you my #drawingaugust postings from day 16 to 31. Despite of the lack of time, it was a pleasure to join and I had fun to discover the many art works of colleagues. Here is a collage with the items from day 16 to 31, followed by my 3 favourites: matches, rucksack and secateurs. Enjoy!

I love the last days of August (this year, this month has been quite mild, and there were few jellyfish in the sea), where it is still possible to read outside (I have been devouring one book of Yrsa Sigurdardóttir after the other), to have dinner under the stars on the terrace, after a hard day's work. Very soon, I will have to bring my drying chillies that to safety: the first rain of the season is announced! End of the summer Jellyfish Staying positive Rebuilding the city

I only heard about #drawingaugust  in July on Twitter, asked a bit and decided to join. I thought it would be positive to have a concrete reason to perform one drawing or sketch per day and, improving my skills doing so (while enjoying looking at the creations of other artists), although August is always one of the busiest months at work. But now, it is already half time! Because of the lack of time, I decided from the beginning that I only would draw items that are to find in my house with black ink: bucket and mop, hot sauce, liquid soap, chair and poncho... Here are my postings from August day 1 to day 15. A collage with all of them and my three favourites: dog toys, knives and hoover. Enjoy!

This August is not as hot as it was last year (until now), and soon, tourist masses will gradually go back to work and school! Lukewarm evenings and nights will be missed though: it is now difficult to imagine how our seafront will be deserted at 7 p.m. in some months. With those temperatures, it seems that my artworks becomes a bit blurry as well ;-) Clear waters Summer flowers Festival

Time flies: it is August already, and more than half of the #AnimalAlphabets (on Twitter) with endangered species is finished. Soon, days will become shorter and schools will open again (fortunately) ;-) My two favourites are the cassowary and the Hawksbill turtle:

There are many watch towers in Southern Spain, all along the coast. I have always thought it would be nice to take a sabbatical and hike or bike from one to the other, reading about their history. Some of them are surrounded by nature, others are situated directly along the road (where it is difficult or impossible to park) or even in town, lost between concrete. Here are four of them, in three different provinces. The most beautiful area is, without hesitation, Caños de Meca, as it is a protected area. And from there, if it is not too foggy, you can see the Rif mountains in Morocco. Almuñécar (province of Granada) Torremuelle (Benalmádena, province of Malaga)   Harbour of Benalmádena (province of Malaga)  Caños de Meca (Barbate, province of Cadiz)