Sunday, March 26, 2017

Corfu. Greece


Today we are going to visit Corfu in Greece.  It's all part of Yvonne's (of Meggy's Way) Art Journal Journey theme of Out and About.

I got a little carried away with the paint and a texture tool.  Not sure what got into me, but in the end, I sort of liked the effect.  I thought the color of the background went well with the blues of Corfu's sky and surrounding sparkling blue Ionian Sea.  For those who don't know where Corfu is, it is an island in the northwestern part of Greece and is part of the Ionian Greek Islands.  

Corfu's Old Town, which I don't have a photo of, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Over the years, the Venetians, the French, and the British have all ruled Corfu, thus leaving their mark and multi-cultural heritage.  Corfu, unlike the rest of Greece never fell to the Ottoman Empire. 

I only had two images of Corfu, one of which was slightly larger than postage stamp size.  That's when I decided to frame it in a slide mount.  I purposely showed the side that was marked "toward the screen."  In the frame are the statues of several of the nine muses in the courtyard on the Achilleion terrace.  The Achilleion is a palace that was built by and once the home of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary after the death of her only son, Rudolph. Elisabeth truly fell in love with the island, and she dedicated this palace to Achilles.  

As an aside, I learned a lot about Elizabeth: her mood swings, to the way she was expected to have a child every year, only to have it taken from her to be raised by others, to her stress related and psychosomatic illnesses that eventually led her to Corfu, to her desire to stay slim by dieting and exercising throughout her lifetime, and to her death at 60 by stabbing while on a trip to Geneva, Switzerland. 

The Doric style St. George's Church built by the British is in full view on the left in the focal image.

I had a few baubles I've been playing with, and created this blue embellishment.

The focal image was too wide for my used file folder, so I cut part of it off.  When I did, I had to cut it down a bit so it would fit on the page and still leave room for the name of the island.

Up until the early 20th century, tourism was not considered important in this tiny island, so for the most part, it wasn't exploited.  Corfu was mainly visited by European royals, but today it is visited by middle class families, who are primarily from the UK, Scandinavia, and Germany.

Materials include one of my used file folders with a painted background, two photos (one cut in two pieces), a slide mount, and a handmade bead.

Thanks for joining me again as I go out and about on this imaginary journey to Corfu, a tiny Greek Island.  Now let's head to Art Journal Journey to find other artists who are out and about.

17 thoughtful remarks:

Valerie-Jael said...

Another lovely page about a a beautiful place, Corfu is really beautiful, I enjoyed a lot of holidays there in the past. Have a nice Sunday, hugs, Valerie

chrissie said...

Wonderful pictures of the beautiful island Elizabeth. I have never been there to to ant part of Greece so it is good that you are taking me there now

Love Chrissie xx

froebelsternchen said...
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froebelsternchen said...

A wonderful page - an adorable island for sure - no wonder that empress Elisabeth has fallen in love with it.
She was just such an unhappy woman in her heart - isnt it the same nowadays with the most of the V.I.P.s?!
Thank you for another Greece entry for Art Journal Journey dear Elizabeth -
wishing you a happy relaxing Sunday!
oxo
Susi

Sami said...

What a sad life Empress Elisabeth had. Thanks for the story as well as the page on Corfu Elizabeth.

Jeanie said...

Poor Elisabeth. That would be so very difficult.

I became intrigued with Corfu when I go hooked on the PBS series "The Durrells in Corfu." It's about a Brit mom who moves her family to four after her husband is killed in WWII. Really delightful, especially as it is based in fact, with naturalist Gerald Durrell's story told of how he started his zoo on the island (he was about 10 or so!). You'd like it, I think -- and the scenery is as gorgeous as the photos you used in your art!

CJ Kennedy said...

I love the white and blue of the photographs. I think your red background really sets the photos off quite well. I like how the wavy lines look like waves.

My name is Erika. said...

Love the rich blue in the photos. What a fantastic color. But poor Elizabeth of Hungary. What an awful life it was to be a royal woman. Of course, I think being a woman at that time wasn't always easy and they had lots of babies too. I've discovered that by doing my family tree and the one side I can go way back on. You're still wowing me with these Greece views. Enjoy the day. Hugs-Erika

Cindy McMath said...

That blue against the orange background is stunning Elizabeth! I am enjoying your history lessons too. I see I mixed a couple of other pages from you this week so I"m going to catch up!

Anonymous said...

Always some new tidbit from the history archives I didn't know about. Fascinating story of Elisabeth. Thanks for sharing your wonderful travel journal to Corfu. xox

~*~Patty S said...

Lovely to travel by way of your art creations along with the accompanying interesting info.
The red works great with the wonderful blues!
Poor Queen being used as a baby machine.
Really sad.
There is a wonderful PBS Masterpiece series called "The Durrells in Corfu".
It is only because of that that I knew where Corfu was :-)
Thanks for sharing E oxo

Cappuccinoandartjournal.blogspot.com said...

How interesting! Great fun -- love the page and the info. And I loved Greece too.......

Meggymay said...

Its another beautiful travel page. The background looks like waves of the sea. The pictures are so inviting and the photo mount is a great idea to add for a small picture.
It was good to read about the history. Women suffered badly with the expectations of the men, what a life rt should I say no life.
Yvonne xx

Sandra Cox said...
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Sandra Cox said...

What a beautiful piece and how sad about Elizabeth.
Thanks for sharing the info. There is so much world history that I don't know. Hope you've had a wondrous weekend.

pearshapedcrafting said...

I am glad you got carried a way with your Texture tool and paint because this is the perfect backdrop for your gorgeous blues! I would love to visit Corfu - it always looks so pretty on TV! What a sad tale of Empress Elisabeth! Hugs, Chrisx

Janet said...

We saw her home, along with the gorgeous statue of Achilles in the garden. The blues of the water really ARE that blue! Lovely page