I certainly haven’t been the first artist that visited one of the islands off the coast of Africa, you know, those islands where we sun starved Northern Europeans flock to throughout the dark days of winter. I am referring to the Canary islands of course. And I returned once again to revitalise my body with essential victims that the sun gives humans.
That group of several islands does hold something more special than just sunshine though, for almost everyone I know. Each have a favourite. Over the years I have visited more than one or two of them. However, I made this special visit to spend time with a fellow artist friend, the main reason being to view his new work and secondly to talk Art with a fellow painter for one full week.
He lives and creates his own special style of art on Lanzarote, and it was an island that I'd only touched on and never explored, due to my exhaustion from my self imposed program creating in the darkest and most stressing months in Sweden, October to the middle of December (in the South of the Country) - Of course when the Snow's arrive then the whole environment changes, and the light is gloriously reflected off the white covered forests, fields and lakes. But for this week it was Sun, warmth and Art.
Lanzarote island has a distinctive look about it, for despite the usual very pleasant year round good weather, a climate all the Canaries share, the island of Lanzarote is particularly special visually.
It’s not obvious at first, that is until you start to understand that there is a definite art aesthetic feel about it. When you travel around you become aware that you cannot see the usual advertising posters, those on large hoardings that always spoil the view.
The buildings are uniform and in harmony and architecturally very Spanish, which you would expect, unless your own experiences of the later day tourist traps of mainland Spain. That horrendous array of multi-story hotels on the coastline and some on the more party orientated islands from the 1980's onwards.
There are no high rise apartments or epic tourist hotels on the Southern part of this Canary island. The roads are clean and free from garbage, which is normally thrown carelessly away or surreptitiously dumped by environmentally uncaring individuals. It’s as if some aesthetic intelligence was behind the lay of the land. And if you come to that conclusion you would be absolutely correct.
The whole visual appearance of
