Darcy's Postcard Challenge The Netherlands.

This weeks postcard comes from The Netherlands.
Gil decided to recreate Johannes Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring using Aquatone pencils as a base and Prisma's and Karisma's for the detail.

Gil arrived in The Hague in the Netherlands at the beginning of the week he knew Lavinia was going home, he set to work on her postcard straight away. He wanted it to get there before she arrived home.

As he sat painting, he daydreamed of meeting her one day (which he hoped would be soon). He wondered if she would send him a photograph.

He wrote.

Dear Lavinia,

   

                      Hope you are home and relaxed from your trip! I have missed your letters (please don’t let it be too long before I receive one).

I am in The Hague in the Netherlands (staying at yet another boarding house), I have an exhibition in the town, please wish me luck!

                                      Yours Gil XXX

P.S. Please read my postcards, especially the first one.

He wanted her to send him a photograph but he didn’t want to write it on every postcard.

Lavinia arrived home to a mat full of postcards and letters. She picked them up and tossed the letters on the hall table, they could wait. The postcards she kept in her pocket while she made a pot of tea, she sank into her favourite chair, took the postcards out of her pocket and looked at them lovingly, she felt kind of light headed and breathless as she arranged them so she could read them in order.

Gils postcards made her feel warm and cosy and ‘hugged’ as though two strong arms were around her, holding her.

She sipped her tea and read and re read the cards a few times, Gil wanted a photograph of her, she had had one taken in Wales the first week she was there she would send him that one.

She started her reply.

Gil,

       Thank you for all the beautiful postcards that were waiting for me! They made me smile!

I hope your family are recovering from the terrible outbreak of Polio and you Mother is able to stop worrying so much.

I am so glad you did not go to Canada, I could not bear it if you got ill!

Thank you for the ‘roses’ I love the vibrant colours and the girl is so beautiful!

I wish you well in your exhibition and send you all the luck I can!

                                      Lavinia XX

P.S. I have enclosed a photograph of myself, it was taken just a few weeks ago in Wales.                        

                                     Lavinia X

This photograph is of my beautiful Mum taken in the 1940's.

Thank you for looking and commenting, if you want to see more postcards go to Darcy's blog.

Darcy's Postcard Challenge. Canada

This weeks postcard should come from Canada. In 1949 there was a Polio outbreak 11,000 people were left paralysed between 1949-1954.


Gil was going to Canada this week but on receiving a letter from the family he was going to be visiting he had been advised not to go. The area he was going to go to had been hit by the Polio epidemic and one of the family had been taken ill.
So for the time being Gil is staying at his parents home in Bordeaux France.

Lavinia is still in Wales with her inlaws.

So for this week Gil is sending Lavinia a letter.

Dear Lavinia,

                   I am in Bordeaux, France at my parents home. I was going to visit my Aunt (Mother's sister) and her family in Canada but there is an outbreak of Polio there and I have been advised to stay away. My poor Mother is out of her mind with worry as you can imagine.
When will you be home? Is it next week? I am missing your letters!
                                                                   

                                                               Gil XXX

Thank you for visiting. If you want to see more postcards go to Darcy's blog!

Darcy's Postcard Challenge Switzerland

The postcard this week is my take on Paul Klee's Heroic Roses.
A base coat of Inktence pencils and then Prisma colour pencils over the top.


The story continues.

Lavinia is still in Wales with her inlaws.

Gil had met a fellow artist while in Cuba who had invited him to go back to Switzerland with him to go skiing.

Gil was a little apprehensive as he had never been skiing before but agreed that it sounded fun, it would be good to see snow after all this sun, sea and sand.

Gil had been on the beginners slope  just half an hour when he when he tripped over his ski and rolled over and over, when he finally came to a halt he was quite shocked and relieved to find he had not broken every bone in is body but just the first finger on his right hand, he was relieved ‘It could have been worse’ he told his friend, ‘ It could have been my left hand’. Then he would have found it difficult to work.

A few days later he left his friend and went on a short break to Muralto, he had wanted to go and see the place where Paul Klee had lived and died just 9 years before.

He would while away his days painting and thinking about a certain lady he was feeling very fond of, wishing that one day soon they would meet!

One the back he wrote.

My Dear Lavinia,

                         I am in Muralto Switzerland, (Paul Klee used to live here). When I was in Cuba I met a fellow painter friend who invited me to go skiing in his home town in Switzerland. Unfortunately I am no skier! First time on the slope I fell and broke my finger! So I have come here (not so dangerous) luckily I can still paint (left handed)!

This week I am sending you roses! Klee style.

Hope you are well and enjoying the rest in Wales!

                                                    

                                                        Your Gil XX

P.S. Anxiously waiting for your letters! X

Thank you for visiting and your comments! If you would like to see more postcards go to  Darcy's blog!

Darcy's Postcard Challenge Cuba

This weeks postcard is a watercolour on watercolour paper.

The story continues.

Lavinia is still in Wales on holiday visiting her in laws.

Gil is on a beach in Cuba on his afternoon off from painting another wealthy family introduced to him by one of the family he met in Brazil.
He watercoloured this view for Lavinia, the beach was deserted, he felt a little lonely.
On the back he wrote,

Dear Lavinia,
                   I love your sketch! Thank you! I have framed it in a board frame (no good putting it in a glass one with all the traveling) it will come with me where ever I go so I can think of you each and every time I look at it!
There is only one thing I would like more, that is a photograph of you.
I hope your holiday is restful! I can not wait for you to return home so you can reply to my postcards! I miss your letters!
P.S. I am in Cuba. Another family portrait, (friends of the other family I painted in china). As you can see it is a beautiful place. I am all alone on this beach thinking of you in Wales.

Gil XX

If you want to see more pop over to Darcy's blog.
Thank you to everyone who came last week and thanks for looking this week too!

Darcy's Postcard Challenge. Wales

Lavinia is in Wales this week!
The 'sketch' is hand drawn onto water colour paper with charcoal pencil. The photo is from the net.
The story continues.

Lavinia’s letter to Gil.

Gil,

      I am on holiday in Wales, visiting my husband’s family, I thought I had better let you know as I am staying a month and will not get any of the postcards you may send until I get home in 4 weeks time.

I hope I am right that you would be back in Dijon for your Art Sale.

I can not give you my address here as my husbands family would not understand or approve.

I will miss your postcards while I am away!

                     Lavinia

P.S. ALL of those chocolates from Belgium were delicious!

PP.S I did try to draw the house I am staying at. As you can see artist I am not! Hence the photograph!

                                

                                   L X

 Gil was sitting having breakfast outside the café in Dijon when the owner brought him the letter, he knew as soon as he saw that familiar handwriting that it was from Lavinia!

Unfolding the contents of the envelope he smiled. Lavinia had included a small charcoal sketch which he knew she had drawn after reading the P.S. Why did he always read the P.S. first? He did not know!

He read the rest of the letter with a bit of a heavy heart, he hoped she was not having a hard time with her in laws.

He would write to her every week so she had his postcards when she got home.



If you want to see more postcards pop over to Darcy's blog!

Thank you to everyone for visiting!

Darcy's Postcard Challenge Belgium.

This weeks postcard is hand painted in water colour and prisma pencils.

Gil was sitting outside a small café in Antwerp, Belgium, having a morning coffee when the chocolate shop across the road caught his eye. He wandered over and peered inside, the aroma of the chocolate was incredible! He stood looking at all the delicious boxes and decided to purchase a box, the lady behind the counter wrapped it for him.

He sat back at the café table, ordered more coffee and sketched a postcard for Lavinia. He could still smell the chocolate as he painted and coloured his sketch.

He hoped Lavinia liked chocolates. Do all women like chocolates? He asked himself. Well everyone likes to be treated every once in a while, to feel special!

He wrote on the back’

Dear Lavinia,

                     I am in Antwerp, Belgium .My paintings are selling well in Dijon so I am having a few days here before I work some more.  I visited The Royal Museum of Fine Arts yesterday, it is a magnificent place!

                                   Gil X

P.S. I wanted you to have a little pleasure from my good fortune too! Enjoy!

                                  Gil XX

He packed away his things, paid the bill and headed off to post the chocolates to Lavinia.

Lavinia was so happy to receive another postcard from Gil and even more pleased he had painted it himself! It was lovely to see where he was but even better to see the love of his art in her hands.

She wondered what he meant by his P.S.?

Lavinia had not had any more sleepless nights of heart wrenching dreams, she felt happy and light.

She wrote back,

                        Dear Gil,

                                     Thank you for your postcard! I love it when you paint them yourself, (or though it is nice to actually   see where you are too!) I too hope that one day you will come to London and see some of the amazing sights and galleries we have here too!

                                    Lavinia

A little later that morning the doorbell rang and the postman handed her a package, she studied the handwriting, it was from Gil!

She opened it as carefully as her trembling hands would allow, inside was a beautiful box of chocolates and a small card, which simply said “Enjoy” Gil XX.

Mmmm she adored chocolates, she had not had such a beautiful box in a long time! She took one and flopped onto the sofa, popped it in her mouth, closed her eyes and let the chocolate melt, delicious!

Before she posted the note to Gil she added

P.S. Thank you SO much for the chocolates, they are delicious!

                             L X

She stuffed the note back in the envelope and almost floated to the post box!


If you want to see more of this weeks postcards pop over to Darcy's blog!


Thank you to everyone that visited last week!

Darcy's Postcard Challenge. France

This week postcard is a picture I found from 1949 on the internet, I hand tinted it with Prisma colour pencils.
A bit of a cop out using a photo from the net but I have not had  a good week with my arthritic hands so this was better than not doing one at all.

Now continuing the story

 When Gil had finished the family portrait for the wealthy people he met in Brazil, he left China a very wealthy man! He wanted to get back to Europe and decided to stay in a small town called Dijon near Paris. He rented a couple of rooms over a lovely little café where he was woken up each morning to the smell of croissants and hot chocolate, which he treated himself to frequently!

The café also sold small gifts and postcards, there was one of the café so he brought one and sat to write to Lavinia.

Dear Lavinia,

                     I am now in Dijon, a small town just outside Paris France! Not far from your lovely London! The picture on the front is the café below where I am staying. There is a small balcony where I can sit, draw and watch the world go by! Across the road you can see the small art gallery where I have some of my paintings for sale!

I missed you not sending me a reply. I hope you are well and I have not offended you or your family somehow!

Gil X

He added his present address in hope she would reply.

It was just a short walk to the post box before he set off to display his artwork in the small gallery over the road from his rooms.

He really hoped he had not upset Lavinia, he would be unhappy if they could not carry on writing to each other.




Another postcard arrived from Gil. Lavinia read and reread the words over and over, she had upset Gil by not replying to his last postcard.

She felt guilty for hurting him and guilty towards her husbands memory. She thought of her husband, they had been so happy together, would he want her to be happy? Yes of course he would! Would he mind so much if she just wrote to someone who she found intriguing? No he wouldn’t mind.  She pondered what to do over a pot of tea and decided to write a note to Gil.

Dear Mr Brockman,

                              I am sorry for not replying to your last postcard. I feel somewhat guilty in finding pleasure in receiving and reading your postcards, I am sure I will get over it! I am also envious of all the beautiful places you are travelling to.

Please do not stop sending them though!

Lavinia Loveday.

She put the note in an envelope and addressed it, when she went out for a walk later she would post it she thought with a smile on her lips.

That night she had a restless night, she dreamed of her late husband. He was trying to tell her something, Lavinia woke up in a terrible state. She tried to remember the dream but she could only see Anthony’s face smiling  then frowning at her.

Had she done the right thing in sending Gil the note?

It was too late now it was already on it’s way!

Thank you for all the kind comments last week!

If you want to read more postcards or find out more about Darcy's Postcard Challenge go over to Darcy's blog!

(I really don't know why a portion of the text has decided to be a different font and I don't know how to rectify it!)