TREES - LA RIOJA

A walk in the forest at Ribavellosa in La Rioja.  

Hayas or beech trees are in the aspen family.

 Their leaves blanket the forest floor with intense color.

 Fourth photo down is a castaña, chestnut. 

The bottom photo, the trunk with the unusual bark, unknown.

Drawing With Trees

Drawing with trees, parts of trees.
Drawing the trees with themselves, drawing and dying, dying, dried out.
Seed pods make a line into the winter, into winter trees.
I watch as leaves fall for the third and final time.
Sending me into the dark days and nights.

POLLARDING SYCAMORES

This is the "pollarding season" in northern Spain. Sycamore trees, or plátanos in Spanish,
are being pruned in small towns and cities for the winter.  What a bizarre appearance these trees take on without their summer leaves and to be here to watch that transformation is visually fascinating. The top photo, pollarding by hand, is in La Guardia, Alava in the Basque Country. Contrast that with the mechanical production taking place on all sides of Parque Espolon in Logroño, La Rioja.

Before I left the States I read a book titled Roads to Santiago - A Modern Day Pilgrimage Through Spain by Cees Nooteboom. I decided to find it in the library here in Spanish and re-read the parts about the places we have visited recently. What he mentions about my town, Logroño, is directly about the sycamores and now I see exactly what he means -

"It was almost nightfall when I arrived at Huesca, a slate-colored sky hung over a park of tormented
  and misshapen sycamores, the strangest trees in winter. You see them everywhere, in Burgos,
  Logroño, San Sebastián, armies naked and unmoving, lined up as if for battle, marching into your
  dreams at night." (our translation)

For more information on pollarding trees go to http://joyofgardens.com/?p=556

Four Views from Logroño, Spain

 First day: view from my kitchen window at Breton de los Herreros, 48

Painting along the Ebro River across the bridge on Calle de Sagasta 

 Second day: view from the other kitchen window

View from La Guardia: the peak in the distance is  El Leon Dormido (the sleeping lion)
in the Cantabrian Mountains

Discovering my new environs, speaking Spanish and getting to know my new city. I started painting from indoors and slowly worked my way onto the bus to La Guardia, a town full of Bodegas, wineries and places to enjoy that great Rioja wine. This seems to be what drives this place, and the food of course. And the beautiful old architecture.
My new Spanish friend Jose Luís laughed when I said this place is so historic.
Then I went to Burgos where he is from and saw what old can look like.
The great cathedral in this town was home to the King and Queen for over 300 years.

EXHIBITION NEWS - 64 ASPEN DRAWINGS by MEREDITH NEMIROV

If you are in the Denver area this fall don't miss WOMEN OF INFLUENCE, Colorado Artists and Curators at the Arvada Center. Traditional and contemporary, installation, video, paintings and ceramics are all represented in this very diverse exhibition. I am so pleased to have my work included!
The show runs from September 13 - November 11, 2012. WOMEN OF INFLUENCE PANEL DISCUSSION on Saturday, October 13th. For further information go to www.arvadacenter.org
or call 720-898-7200.

TREELINES, a Drawing Installation at NINE dot ARTS in Denver
On view concurrently with the show at the Arvada Center, a series of mixed media works on paper.
These drawings are developed from my observational drawings depicting a more abstracted view of the aspen tree. Call NINE dot ARTS at 303-999-0383 for hours. Check out their site at www.ninedotarts.com

LATEST NEWS! COLORADO TO LA RIOJA, SPAIN!
I am very excited to share the news that I will be living and working in Northern Spain.
My husband, Jorge, will be teaching for the Ministry of Education in Logroño, La Rioja.
It's just an hour south of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in the Basque Country.
No aspens, but plenty of olive trees to draw. Starting November 1st you can reach me by e-mail -
mnemirov@ouraynet.com and check my website and blog for news and new work: www.meredithnemirov.com and www. meredithnemirov.blogspot.com.

MARY WILLIAMS FINE ARTS IN BOULDER, COLORADO
My work will continue to be represented by Mary at her beautiful new gallery space at 5311 Western Avenue, Unit 112. Please call 303 938-1588 - www.marywilliamsfineart.com 

PALLADIN in RIDGWAY
Abby Dix continues to show a large selection of recent work in my home town of Ridgway, Colorado. Call the gallery for more info 970-626-3500 or go to www.palladin-design.com.

 OH-BE-JOYFUL GALLERY
The OBJ Gallery in Crested Butte shows my plein air paintings. Painting and drawing on site continues to inform all of my work inside and out. www.ohbejoyfulgallery.com

Along the Pan-American Highway

I have always enjoyed drawing while on the road from one place to another.
Moving through the landscape, the quick look as it passes by, and something catches my eye. The page is a composite of visual elements, the essentials of the scene.
On the bus from Guatemala City it changes quickly to rural towns and volcanic landscape. Catching people, buildings, animals, things particular to the Central American scene on the pages of my sketchbook.

Guatemala, March 2012

Four views of Volcan San Pedro, 3020 meters, Volcan Atitlan, 3537 meters and
Volcan Toliman, 3158 meters above Lake Atitlan.
The view was constantly changing as the peaks went in and out of the clouds and the surface of the lake from calm to active.
It really is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. I would go back in a flash.

Winter in the Colorado Studio

Overcast Early Morning

Sunrise Out My Winter Window

Early First Sun

Embracing winter with a series of paintings from my studio window
with memories of Spain last summer. But I always liked the

bare trees, how they make drawings in the sky!

LAS HAYAS, RONCESVALLES, SPAIN

Las hayas, the beech trees were magnificent in the Spanish Pyrenees.
The top drawing was done in this forest right out of a fairy tale, such old trees
very tall covered in thick green moss, so green, as you can see from the photograph.
We found out about this book, Natural Monumenof Navarra.
In 1991 the government of Navarra designated 31 of it's oldest trees natural monuments.
The book is a great resource with detailed information and maps that will lead you right to the specific tree!