Maura Harvey's Galleries
Women
Retablos
Landscape
Virgins, Saints and Angels
Still Life
Istanbul Art
New Retablos
Nature
Poetry
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Turkey, and in particular, Istanbul, cast a spell over me on my first visit in 2006. This year, in October, I was invited to exhibit my art in Nakkas Gallery, in Sultanahmet, next to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. For someone who grew up in Riverside, California, Istanbul is a city of unbelievable treasures. Everywhere you turn a surprise awaits: a Greek ruin, a thrilling view of the dark blue Bosporus, a soaring minaret, women in head scarves, the Genoese tower, steaming glasses of tea, smells of spices and fish, sounds cats and seagulls, memories of Rumi and Attaturk. My husband, Bob, and I arrived with five suitcases of art for a show I call "California Dreams in Turquoise." Ever since my first visit Turkey had been on my mind and in my dreams. When Istanbul artist, Haluk Mutlu, invited me, I was ready to paint. I created thirty paintings and collages as well as ten Retablos (folding three-dimensional boxes) for this event. My intent was to show a view of California to the art lovers in Istanbul, stressing shared themes like sunsets, sea, birds, butterflies, and migrants - both people and animals. Until now, most of my work has been devoted to images of little-known, and often under-valued cultures. Now I was painting scenes from my own culture to share with a new audience. This turned me to landscapes, such as the beautiful Pacific with its immense sky; my palette turned "turquoise," highlighting a color whose name derives from "Turkiye." The exhibit took place in a sixth century Byzantine cistern. These cisterns first supplied water to Istanbul (then Constantinople) during the era of Emperor Justinian in 532. The 26-foot-tall, fluted columns, vaulted brick ceiling, and heavy air created the feel of a murky underwater cathedral. The bright California scenes, hung by wires from above and spotlighted dramatically, seemed to glow and float. My dreams became real in this dark, deep cavern. After a fascinating month of travel throughout Turkey, culminating in the Istanbul show, we came home to California. I hope that the cistern of Nakkas Gallery, now part of my world, will inspire your world view also, through arm chair travel (www.nakkasrug.com/Artgallery.asp) or perhaps a real visit. You can see the paintings that hung in the cistern in the Istanbul Art Gallery section of this website. |