Sketches of Shqipëria
This is a somewhat embarrassing post, after the buildup about my trip to Albania. The truth is I was exhausted after all the painting I’ve done so far this year and when I got there I just slept on the beach for a week. I did manage to rouse myself on a couple occasions to paint some beach scenes.
Beach Cart at Durazzo. Oil on board, 20 x 25 cm.
Umbrellas at Durazzo. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm.
Durazzo. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm.
San Pietro. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm.
This was my fourth trip to Albania, but the last three times I’ve traveled exclusively in the south. This trip I did manage to make it up north into the mountains for a scout and painted a couple of sketches.
Guesthouse at Boga. Oil on panel, 25 x 20 cm.
The Old Farmhouse, Boga. Oil on panel, 25 x 35 cm.
The mountains above Scutari (Shkodër) are very unspoiled, with picturesque little villages and very friendly people. The roads get really bad after a while (and the electricity ends) so we couldn’t make it very far with the small 2-wheeled car we had. This September I’ll go back for a longer trip with my Land Rover.
Here is a short video I took from the car while scouting around the north. So much of landscape painting is driving or walking looking for views…
Scouting in Albania from Marc Dalessio on Vimeo.
Nice! How interesting! I had no idea Albania was so beautiful!
These are wonderful Marc!
So how long would you normally spend on these?
Do you take a second shot at them as well?
I love the sketches and your short video. What a beautiful place! Are the domed, cement dwellings an Albanian version of a trulli?
@Darren, Just one shot, two to three hours, then I clean them up in the studio.
@Phoebe, the ‘trulli’ are bunkers (I post the link because Wikipedia even uses Albania as an example) built by their crazy dictator over 30 years. There are hundreds of thousands of them and they were built so well that they are almost impossible to destroy. Most people just leave them or use tractors to drag them to the edge of their fields. You see them everywhere across the country.
Marc,
Very much enjoy your blog and the recent video of Albania. Reminded me of the Croatian Dalmatian Coast in the 70′s. I also was curious about the trulli looking things. So it’s the Swiss bomb shelters crossed with Alberobello.
Love your rich color sense.
Patrick
you deserved a good holiday and the few times you did paint were well worth it! brilliant work!
This is great work Marc, Well done!
Not bad for sleeping all week on the beach!
Love the work.
Larry
Well indeed when I saw your Albania paintings (and earlyer some of your London paintings…) I was thinking how close it can be to make well done paintings and the ones that realy matters, the master pieces.
Van Gogh painted sometimes 3 large paintings a day, you often can pic the first and last one as best. The first went well, second he noticed we was getting tired, get irritated and pushed everything out to get the 3th one right.
I’ve learned once from a old painter, you only have the energie for a number of paintings even in a year, everything you try to do more it will show, and come back to you in the next year, you have to find that number of paintings for yourselve what souts you.
The fact that you where noticing it yourselve I would not be to affraid for it.
Marc, please don’t get angry on me, if I would think you where not good I would not spend a word on you.
“This is a somewhat embarrassing post, after the buildup about my trip to Albania. The truth is I was exhausted after all the painting I’ve done so far this year and when I got there I just slept on the beach for a week. I did manage to rouse myself on a couple occasions to paint some beach scenes.”
These are nice landscapes. I like the vertical brushstrokes in the beach skies. Such a great video too. Very picturesque.
Those are really wonderful! You handle fatigue beautifully!