Keiko Tanabe - Blog: Turkish Landscapes

Bodrum I, Turkish Landscape Painting

3/12/2013 2:03:31 AM

I got contacted by a Turkish watercolor artist who lives in Bodrum. I happened to be in a nearby city with my friend and we were traveling down to Bodrum the day before. The Bodrum artist heard that I was in the neighborhood and offered to show me around the Bodrum Castle by the ocean. Did I know her? Yes, but we were only facebook friends and had never met in person. On a very tight schedule with only 30 minutes to spare, I met up with her for a very quick tour of the castle [...]

Birgi I, Turkish Landscape Painting

3/4/2013 6:52:02 PM

I had already fallen in love with Turkey on my first visit there. There were many reasons but especially because of the friendliness of Turkish people I met, I quickly became fond of this fascinating country. When my Turkish friends from Izmir took me to a lovely village of Birgi, I was touched once again by the warm hospitality not only from my hosts but also from total strangers. Birgi has many old houses and buildings with the historical significance and thus has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, I heard. My friends and I were walking on a [...]

Tire I, Turkish Landscape Painting

2/21/2013 5:58:46 AM

Narrow streets in the historic center of Tire were bustling. Cars, scooters, shoppers, vendors, cats and dogs - all seemed to be out and about, and the town was so full of life. It was a market day for which Tire is widely known in the region. I was visiting there for the first time with my Turkish friends from Izmir who took a day off to show me and another friend one of the loveliest regions of Western Turkey. Tire is about a one-hour drive inland from Izmir. Once we got there, we strolled, stopping here and there, visiting local [...]

Adatepe I, Turkish Landscape Painting

2/18/2013 1:49:26 PM

"Just send me money and a photo, and I will make a painting (of it) and send it back to you." This was a sales pitch I overheard an artist say to his student. This happened years ago and I was within earshot of them. I admired the artist's work. Did his statement surprise me? Yes, it did immensely - I was simply in awe to think he could paint anything. There was no doubt that this artist had talent, skills and experience to handle any subject matter to turn out a beautiful work of art. I so wished I could [...]

Konak, Izmir, Turkey II

11/21/2012 4:35:05 AM

Konak Square is probably the busiest part in the city of Izmir. With the city's symbol Izmir Clock Tower in the middle, this square is always full of people, and pigeons alike, walking about in all directions. The tower was built in the Ottoman architectural style over a hundred years ago. On one evening, rain had just let up and the beautifully-silhouetted tower looked as if it rose from a mirror. One of the important buildings near the square is the state-run Izmir Painting and Sculpture Museum where I just finished my solo exhibition (read related post). I woud like to take [...]

Paintings of Bozcaada, Turkey

3/5/2012 4:48:04 AM

When we travel and live without routine for an extended period of time, things that were enjoyable at the beginning of the trip can be felt more as a nuisance or stress. This can happen to anyone including the most adventurous type, and a remedy may be a 'vacation' from your travel. A small island of Bozcaada seemed like a perfect place for that - just to relax without worrying about anything that's associated with day-to-day hustle of traveling. One of the two Turkish islands in the Aegean Sea, Bozcaada has a long and tumultuous history but now it is a peaceful, [...]

Dear Izmir

8/5/2011 10:11:48 AM

Canım İzmir (Dear Izmir): İzmir, my sweet and dear city!If I die far away from you one day,May they bring me to you,But while taking me to my grave,May they not say of me, "He died,"May they say, "He is sleeping." (lyrics by Dario Moreno) I was treated to a beautiful sunset over the Aegean Sea during my recent visit to Izmir. From the top of the cliff, watching the colors of the sky change literally to the last seconds of a day, I was thinking about Dario Moreno and how he must have missed the gorgeous sunset like this when he was [...]

Izmir Museum of Art and Sculpture

8/3/2011 3:11:26 AM

Izmir, formerly known as Smyrna, is a historical city lying along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. I had the pleasure of meeting watercolor artists and art supporters in this beautiful city and doing a demonstration for them at the Izmir Museum of Art and Sculpture (İzmir Resim Heykel Müzesi). I was so delighted to discover this place as the museum is an absolute gem, displaying an impressive collection of paintings and scultures by Turkish artists from the 20th century. As in Istanbul, I received once again a very warm welcome and incredible hospitality in Izmir by those I met. I would like to express my sincere thank-you for [...]

More Paintings of Istanbul, Turkey

7/5/2011 4:02:02 PM

In Istanbul, it doesn’t take long for any first-time visitors to notice a loud melodic male voice coming from a mosque several times a day. My Turkish friend told me five times a day this Islamic call to prayer is announced via a public address system. Since there are so many mosques, or camii as they are called in Turkish, chances are you are almost always within an easy reach of one, especially in the old part of the city. As soon as you hear the "song," you will see many local people, mostly grown men and some boys, cleanse their hands and feet and [...]

Istanbul - where the East meets the West

7/3/2011 9:06:46 PM

The land where the East meets the West… Istanbul has been the crossroads of cultures for many centuries. For someone like me who grew up in the Far East and has been exposed to the western culture almost all my life, it is simply a fascinating place. Bosphorus River that flows from the Black Sea runs through the city, and people in Istanbul often refer to one side as European and the other Asian in their conversations. In fact, they may live on one side and go to work or school on the other; and they may cross one of the bridges [...]