Showing posts with label israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label israel. Show all posts

Monday, March 21, 2016

"Mighty Masada (Israel)" by Karla Nolan, palette knife oil painting






 It was a once in a lifetime trip for me, I'd always wanted to go to Israel and "see the sights", see old friends, see distant cousins.  We were able to travel to Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the Upper and Lower Galilee, the Dead Sea, and Masada.  You simply must go if you can, we felt safe the entire time and it was truly magnificent.  The story of Masada is incredible, I'd suggest you learn about it if you can.



"Mighty Masada (Israel)", 8"x6" palette knife oil painting on canvas panel, $48 includes s/h in continental U.S., Paypal accepted, contact me for more information at KarlaNolan@gmail.com

Thursday, September 26, 2013

"Last Year in Jerusalem" palette knife oil painting


Honestly, I waited a lifetime for this trip to Israel.  Oh, sure, it was an intimidating thought, going to the Middle East, the hotbed of the world.  I grew up hearing "next year in Jerusalem" at the High Holy Days, but I never really thought I'd get to visit that city.  What a dream!  My husband and I planned this trip long in advance, very thoroughly.  We were most likely the only couple in Israel without a GPS unit or a cell phone, having a firm belief in consulting paper maps, instead.  

This trip took place in May last year, so it was very warm but not yet the heat of summer.  The section of Jerusalem in which we stayed was a pedestrian area only, named "Yemin Moshe".  All of the old houses and paths were made of light beige, pink, white stones.  Great pride was taken in the gardening in this region and, of course, my very favorite plant of all time was crawling up the walls at every turn:  bougainvillea in a range of colors!  The skies were bright cerulean blue, it was a very calm and peaceful area just steps from the Jaffa Gate, where all the hustle and bustle occurred.  Sweet, small, feral cats roamed the pathways, they owned the terrain but stayed out of our way.  So much to see and experience.  An unforgettable and most wonderful adventure! 

"Last Year in Jerusalem", 7"x5" unframed palette knife oil painting on gesso board, $70 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for viewing my art!  Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado

Sunday, December 30, 2012

"Feathered Sky Over the Dead Sea (Israel)"

Well, we're just skipping all over the world these days, aren't we? It feels like an armchair tour to me and it's a blast to relive these memories.  I had the most wonderful time painting this piece of art, absolutely loved it!  It's sort of a different size, just realized that a few moments ago when I measured it, but I don't really care, it's worth a special frame, in my (modest) opinion.  Skies are an absolute blast to paint and who wouldn't like the colors of the Dead Sea?  Much of Israel seems reminiscent to me to parts of Utah, red earth, blue skies.  The top of the sky can be deep blue, the middle almost a turquoise color, and the bottom an aqua, hints of green.  Not to mention different sort of clouds, these being the most intriguing.  I am so happy with this baby!!!! 

"Feathered Sky Over the Dead Sea (Israel)", 15.25"x12", unframed palette knife and brush oil painting on panel, $190 plus s/h to be determined at time of sale, Paypal accepted, click button below, or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for looking! 


 

Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado!

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

"Yum! At the Mahane Mehuda Market, Jerusalem" by Karla Nolan

Another tale of traveling in Israel.  We met up with some of my relatives and toured around the Mahane Mehuda Market, a primarily open air market in Jerusalem, loaded with seasonal specialties, lots of action and activity.  The mounds of savory and sweet spices were tantalizing, there was not only food available to buy but also purses, clothes and other ethnic or religious items.  Just looking at the multitudes of oils, meats, fish, cheeses, nuts, and cooking/serving dishes was intriguing.  One could sidle up to the olive bars, salivate at the many varieties of vegetables, fabulous fruits, baskets of breads, dazzling desserts, and be awed by the wide variety of people in action, buying, selling, gazing (or being tourists like we were!) 

"Yum! Mahane Mehuda Market, Jerusalem", 8"x6" miniature unframed palette knife and brush oil painting on canvas, $95 includes s/h in continental U.S., Paypal accepted, click button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information



Sunday, December 9, 2012

"Traveling Up to Masada, Israel" by Karla Nolan

Well, my art blog is in Israel as of late.  I enjoyed going there so much, my expectations were high, and they were more than met!  My husband and I took an English speaking tour with about 18 other fellow travelers to the Dead Sea and Masada in the springtime.  Oh, it was hot and humid!  I cannot imagine what summer must be like and I'm used to hot but dry weather in Colorado during that season. 

We took a very large gondola up to the top of the mesa, where the Jews committed suicide en masse rather than lose their lives, literally and figuratively, to the Roman army.  It was either kill themselves or the women would be raped, the women and children enslaved, the men slaughtered.  I guess they felt little in the way of choice.  How horrible! 

The skies were blue and cloudy, with a bit of a haze overhanging the plains and hills below, the rocks were ochre, sandy, beige -- and the gondola was packed with other tourists and Israeli schoolchildren, ready to exit and explore Israel's past. 

"Traveling Up to Masada, Israel", 8"x6" unframed palette knife and brush oil painting on canvas, $95 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information




Saturday, December 1, 2012

"Winged Residents of Masada, Israel" by Karla Nolan

Israel is such a fascinating land.  The desert is vast, there is such an ancient feel to it.  When we traveled there in the spring, we signed up for an English speaking tour of The Dead Sea and Masada.  Our guide was Emmanuel, a gentle blue eyed, white haired man who must have been in his seventies and had given tours for decades.  We hiked all around after riding to the top of Masada in an enormous gondola.  We looking down from the mesa top to the flats and hills below, seeking out the sites the Romans set up for their campsites from which they would begin their campaigns to drive the Jews from Masada.  As we walked around, I noticed that the birds seemed to own this place.  There were many Israeli school groups, a number of other tour groups, such as ourselves, and then those birds, sitting on the rock walls as if they were waiting for you to come to them and take their photographs.  Naturally, I did just that!  They were willing subjects, posing as if they were paid to do so. 

As we traveled about from spot to spot on our tour, my thirst increased.  I gulped my water and refilled the bottle a couple of times.  At one point, several of the other tourists and I noticed that Emmanuel had not broken a sweat nor had he drunk anything.  I approached him about this, asking how he managed to get through an hour without any fluids.  His reply:  "I am a man of the desert".   I was amazed by this man and his knowledge of his desert and the Holy Land.  What a thrill it was to be there and I would encourage any and all to travel to Israel if you possibly can. 

"Winged Residents of Masada, Israel", unframed 5"x7" palette and brush oil painting on canvas, $70 includes s/h in the continental U.S., Paypal, write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information 

As always, thanks for looking!

Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado!


Friday, November 2, 2012

"Dead Sea Colors", by Karla Nolan, palette knife, brush, oil painting

Well, we waited a very long time to take our dream trip to Israel.  I'll admit it, I was rattled by the thought of going to a nation which is surrounded by other countries who aren't so fond of it -- but once I was on the airplane, I calmed down considerably.  Accept your fate, nothing's going to happen, you'll never get to do this again, not rationalizations but reality.  We stayed five nights in Jerusalem in a section named Yemin Moshe, one of the most beautiful parts of the world I've ever seen, full of old stone buildings, old stone pathways and steps, and flowers blooming everywhere, particularly my all time favorite, bougainvillea.  

As you can see from the painting, we saw a wide range of colors in the Dead Sea -- and, yes, we did float in it, very buoyant feeling there.  The little tour bus full of English speaking folks from all over the world made its way past the Dead Sea to Masada, another painting subject for the future.  All I can say is, I am thrilled that we finally made it to the other side of the world, a place in which I felt safe every day and inspired by the young men and women in uniform, the religious and archaeological sites and a world class museum filled with Pissaro, Cezanne, Van Gogh and Judaica from centuries gone by.  

While in Israel, we visited my cousins, visited the tunnels under the Western Wall, visited the Lower and the Upper Galilee, and had a marvelous time with one of my best friends from high school, Rachael, and her dear husband, Harvey.  Life is so short, go see your friends and relatives, okay????

"Dead Sea Colors", 8"x10" oil painting, $160 includes s/h in continental U.S., Paypal accepted, write KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information -- thanks for looking!  

Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado! 




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