Monet's garden in Taipei

My recent travels took me to Taipei in Taiwan. The aim was to take my mum who celebrated her 70th birthday to see the treasures kept at the National Palace Museum. While we certainly enjoyed the Chinese art and marvelled at the skills displayed particularly in ivory carving, the artistic highlight was to see a Monet exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum.

Titled 'Monet's Garden' 32 paintings of waterlilies and pond and water features were shown from his later years. My favourite was this painting of poplars and reflections which came from Scotland. Surprisingly Scotland, where my sister lives has great impressionist art because they were an economic powerhouse at the same period of the impressionists.

Reflection on water is one of my current challenges hence my great fascination with the skill that the old master accomplished this effect.

Aside from Monet, there was an exhibition of Marc Chagall, Russian Jewish artist who painted only naive pictures of his love and obsession with his wife. I didn't enjoy that exhibition much as Chagall's works are more or less variations of a theme. Surprisingly Taipei is a cultural hotspot for the arts....

Mother's Group

This mother's group meeting was at Wylie's Bath, which is an exotic location in my experience of mother's group (at coffee shops, parks but not the beach). I guess that's what Eastern suburb mums do. I loved the way the stair was casting these slat patterns on the ground. After the lesson on using a palette I admire, I used the green, ochre and orange from a Bonnard painting 'Regatta'.


So while the colours are not realistic, these complementary colours make quite an impact. I've had several people comment on it's immediate appeal.

By the way I'm away overseas for most of Apr so faithful blog followers, I apologise in advance. Hopefully I will be inspired on my travels to paint and draw. Till then!