A bright white light.
When I had an exhibition last summer at follow your art gallery down in Kapsali I spent most of the evenings at the gallery to meet the visitors. I like to be present and talk to the audience. I have nothing to hide, no secrets. During the days I wandered around the surroundings with my stool and my equipment and painted what I saw, often in quiet places, not too far from the places where most tourists hang out. I could almost always hear the buzz from the taverns and the bathers on the shore.
Maybe you are reminded of the strong light that is reflected from all the white walls that shine at you when you paint watercolors, because it is a technique where you do not use white paint. The brightest thing you have is the paper itself, so you must learn to economize with the light that is available.
I found peace and quiet at several of the small chapels scattered around Kapsali, clinging to the rocks, or resting in the shade in small pine groves, watching over the activities of the fortune seekers among parasols and deck chairs far below us. Out at sea, the lighthouse stood, on guard against an increasingly troubled outside world, at the beginning of October 2023.
I have travelled a long way to experience the light and warmth of the Mediterranean, and it has taken a long time. But here I am, with some of the watercolours it resulted in, that I thought were worth seeing.
So let there be light.
Peter Sternäng
