This weeks Postcard from Turkey.

 This weeks postcard is Aquatone pencils for the background and prismacolor pencils over the top.

Gil is in Turkey this week. He is painting another portrait for another family.

 While wandering around the local market on an afternoon off Gil comes across lots of glass beads, all blue, white and yellow, Gill found out that it is tradition to give the gift of a Boncuk (an evil eye bead) as they ward off evil and bring luck to those who own it.

He brought one for Lavinia.

Then he set to work on his postcard for her. On the back he wrote.

Darling Lavinia,

   

                           I am In Turkey painting another family portrait.

I was wondering around the local market this afternoon and I saw a great deal of these glass beads, they are said to ‘ward off evil and keep you safe’ so I could not resist and just had to get one for you. Keep it with you until I can be there with you!

                            

                             Your Gil XXX

 He went back to the house he was staying at to wrap the glass bead and address an envelope, then went to post it.

The post plopped onto the mat. Lavinia had been waiting for it as she did every morning until Gils postcard arrived for that week! Looking down she saw there was no brightly coloured postcard among the letters, she sighed, maybe tomorrow she thought as she gathered up the letters, flicking through them she saw Gils handwriting, not a postcard but a letter! Her heart flipped as she tore open the envelope, inside was one of  the brightly coloured postcards Lavinia had been hoping for! Also inside was a small package wrapped in a piece of silk and tied with a thin ribbon, she opened it carefully. Inside there was a flat glass bead the same as what was on the front of Gils postcard.

She read what he had written.

She would of course do as Gil asked and keep it with her at all times, it would be like a piece of Gil with her always!

She made a small drawstring bag from the silk and ribbon and attached it to her undergarments, close to her heart, it was a comfort to her, every night she slipped it under her pillow after she had kissed it and said ‘goodnight’ to Gil.


So if you would like to see more postcards hop over to Darcy's blog!

Darcy's Postcard Challenge Israel

Gil is in Jerusalem visiting the Safrai Art Gallery, his parents gave him the idea and the money to go as a birthday present (although his birthday was a month away,) they were worried about him, they thought he looked pale and exhausted after all the work he had done to get his paintings in the galleries.

He was sitting painting yet another lovely view one afternoon and he noticed out of the corner of his eye a funny little bird, which later he found out was called a Hoopoe and decided to capture it on paper for his postcard for Lavinia.

On the back he wrote.

Dearest Lavinia,

                          Thank you so much for sending me your photograph, you are even more beautiful than I had dared to imagine! I will treasure it forever! Now the only other wish I have is that we will meet someday soon! I feel I already know you and that we have met before somewhere?!

I am in Jerusalem visiting the Safrai Art Gallery (an early birthday present from my parents) the Hoopoe bird on the front just came and sat near me while I was painting so I thought I would paint him for you!

 I will send you my postcards from where ever I am and dream that we will meet soon!

                                      Gil XXX

 Lavinia smiled at the funny little bird on the front of Gils postcard.

She was glad he thought she was beautiful, no one had told her that in a long time and it felt good.

She would write back to him and ask for a photo of him, she really wanted to ‘see’ him too!

Lavinia had quite a collection of postcards from Gil and they were overflowing from the book she kept them in. She wanted something or somewhere safe to keep them. Safe from prying eyes, not that she thought anyone would go snooping around but they were hers and they were precious to her and she wanted to keep them secret.

It was while she was in the library the idea came to her, gathering the books she had chosen she hurried off to the little second hand book shop on the corner, inside she looked for the biggest, thickest book she could find. The young man at the desk gave her an odd look, Lavinia just smiled and gave him the money and hurried of home as fast as she could.

She arrived home exhausted but she was determined to carry out her plan, in the understairs cupboard she found Anthony’s toolbox, with a sharp knife and a ruler she cut into the pages of the book just a few pages at a time until she had cut out a niche big enough to hold all the postcards and more! She smiled and arranged the beloved postcards inside and put the book onto the bookshelf.

That book became her most favourite and the most ‘read’ book she was ever to own!


If you want to see more stories and postcards pop over to Darcy's blog.


Thank you for all your kind comments last week!

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!