Istanbul Inspirations

In moving to Istanbul, something I was hoping for was inspiration for artwork, and this really has been the case. Between the amazing view from our house and the closer friendships I've formed, there have been many things to inspire me.

With a view like this, how could I not include it in my paintings? Of course, we do have the rainy, foggy days as well... at some point I want to try creating this rainy or foggy effect too.

So here is one of the paintings I did back in July, when we were still settling in. I set up on the balcony for a few hours to paint the hill on one side of our building with the two flags on top. I sketched it out first, being careful about how all the houses overlapped, and then I painted the sky, followed by the trees and the flag. After that I filled in the rest of the space with the houses, starting with the roofs and slowly adding in the rest.

I love the contrast between the green trees and the orange rooftops here, and also how the line of houses weaves around the page. It was a fun challenge to add in all the details of the houses.

Another painting where I incorporated our view is my painting of a seagull that I did for my Painting Intensive class in July. Both the seagull and the view are strong connections to Istanbul for me, so this piece is definitely Istanbul-inspired.

Again, I love the pop of the red-orange rooftops against the green of the trees and the blue of the water, mountains, and sky in the background. I also like how I captured the orange glow of the light right before sunset that we always love to watch.

Something new that living in Istanbul has brought to me is greater independence and more friends to see. With access to the metro, I can go by myself to spend time with friends whether it's at the park, by the water, or all the way on the other side of the Bosphorus. To show this independence and these friendships, I created a charcoal, graphite, and watercolor piece where the metro station is a portal to all the different places I go with friends.

I like how the colored portions that the "portal" leads to make it stand out from the black and white of the metro station, drawing the focus to what lies beyond the portal.

Finally, how could I not paint the famous Istanbul trams on Istiklal Street? For a recent art project, we had an urban theme and were to focus on texture. I tried a splatter technique for the ground, which is generally not something I like doing as I have a hard time letting loose with my art. But I think it turned out really well and added interest and a grittiness to the ground.

I also really love the contrast of the warm glow from the shop windows and the bright red tram against the cool blues and browns of the ground and the people.

So far, I have found a lot of inspiration here in Istanbul, so keep an eye out for more pieces inspired by the city!