I made it to The Great Wall of China!!!!! Avoided the massive tourist crowds by trekking out to one of the further sections of the wall at Mutianyu 慕田峪, which is one of the best-preserved, and oldest parts of the wall. There was a brief rainstorm, and the whole place cleared out completely. Hiked all the way to the top of the mountain, past old watchtowers and right through the rain. Can’t believe I finally made it here!!!
I just got back from an amazing, mind-blowing, life-changing, fantastically incredible vacation in Iceland!!! I have always felt a strong pull to Iceland’s isolated strangeness, and have longed to travel there for quite some time. I finally decided to take the journey, and it ended up being one of the best trips of my life!!!
I love Icelandic art, from it’s stunning visual edginess to it’s bright modernness. I adore Icelandic artists and musicians, and was inspired by so many of the classical and contemporary artists working out of Reykjavík, as well as so many other things: stellar design, colorful architecture, fresh & sustainable food, animals that weren’t the slightest bit wary of humans, beautiful Icelandic horses & of course the people of Iceland.
And I was especially influenced by the many diverse landscapes I encountered! It all felt otherworldly, like I was exploring another planet at times. From bubbling geothermic mud pots, to the blue lagoon, to farms full of frolicking goats and sheep, to glacial lakes covered in jumbo icebergs, to black lava sand beaches, to quaint fishing villages located on fjords, to steaming volcanoes, to immense lava fields & craters, to the Arctic Ocean, to vast wildernesses of bouncy moss, to the thousands of waterfalls and rainbows– and of course the midnight sun that never set.
In short, Iceland inspired me. It changed me, charmed me, and recharged me. Artistically I’ve been flooded with new ideas and have been working on a couple of new series inspired by Icelandic landscapes and my experiences. This is the first piece in my series:
Iceland, Abstracted: #1
Watercolor on Paper
2009
Also I’ve got thousands of photographs to sort through still, but will post some soon once I get though them!
Skál!
(cheers in Icelandic)
I’m traveling around Iceland right now, and it’s truly AMAZING!!! I love it!! This is definitely one of my favorite destinations in the world. This shot was taken in Reykjavik at midnight! Lovin’ the arctic sun!
Just returned from Sin City, from a lovely few days of luxurious indulgence. Afternoons were spent lounging poolside and succumbing to daily shopping frenzies. Food consisted of celebrity chef specialties, fancy cocktails, and beautiful sweet treats that made my stomach jut out unfavorably. Nights were glittery and magical, and I finally caught “O” which was mind-blowing. I had to keep reminding myself to close my mouth, which hung open in amazement practically the entire show! Here are a few images from the trip:
Out on the strip!
Chums posing by the Trevi fountain
swirls!
Oktoberfest @ Hofbräuhaus…Vegas!
T gets a birthday spanking
Cool bar at the Wynn
Chillin’ outside Bellagio
Well, my friend Milli was having a totally rad 80′s birthday bash…
so I headed up to SF to celebrate with her…
Hadn’t been to the golden gate bridge for years! As amazing as ever…
in Chinatown
Had a fantastic time up in the Pacific Northwest, enjoying Portland city life, luxurious digs, flavorful meals, shopping, and so many gardens.
wheatley_monaco.jpg "Portland, Oregon! life")
Our fancy hotel Lobby
wheatley_voodoo.jpg "Portland, Oregon! life")
Voodoo Donut, a crazy all-night donut joint.
wheatley_blossoms.jpg "Portland, Oregon! life")
Portland was full of beautiful gardens, this gorgeous tree was in the Japanese Gardens.
wheatley_japanesegarden.jpg "Portland, Oregon! life")
Japanese Gardens
wheatley_zen.jpg "Portland, Oregon! life")
Zen Garden
wheatley_forest.jpg "Portland, Oregon! life")
The hike through Washington Park to the Japanese Gardens…everything was soooooo green!
wheatley_skyline.jpg "Portland, Oregon! life")
Portland skyline from Washington Park
wheatley_chocolate.jpg "Portland, Oregon! life")
Chocolate goodies at Moonstruck Cafe…Portland is a dessert heaven!
wheatley_chinese.jpg "Portland, Oregon! life")
Unbelievably, this Chinese Garden was right in the middle of downtown.
wheatley_bamboo.jpg "Portland, Oregon! life")
Chinese Gardens
wheatley_pagoda.jpg "Portland, Oregon! life")
Chinese Gardens
Portland is a foodie paradise. Dinner at Red Star Tavern started with cooked oysters stuffed in their shells with crab and spinach, this aged Prime Rib Filet with Blue Cheese sauce and home-made onion rings, completed by champagne-watermelon gelato with waffle cones and milanos.
Here are some pictures from my recent trip to Chicago….in was fantastic!!!!
It was great to walk around a grand sea of skyscrapers in a tall city again. (LA is big, but I wouldn’t say tall). The architecture all over the city was absolutely amazing and there were so many sculptures everywhere that it really was like walking around in an open air museum…plus the paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago–wow!
enjoying a traditional Chicago deep dish pizza
a view of the city from the 95th floor of the Hancock Observatory
T + G in front of “Cloud Gate”
Visit brainboyandstarfish.com to see more!
We just got back from the trip of a lifetime!
St Lucia was so wonderful and so much fun! It was both beautiful and luxuriously relaxing. People were friendly, the food was spicy and delish, and we lounged in our hammock under the stars at night listening to the waves. By day we basked in the sun, went sailing, diving, windsurfing, and swimming, then cooled off at the pool bar with Dirty Banana cocktails.
We had the best time!
The wedding was absolutely perfect…we had the ceremony right on the beach under an arch of tropical flowers to the sounds of crashing waves and a festive Calypso band.
It was stunning!
We had champagne, caviar & cake by the sea afterwards, and even had time to relax and get a massage at the spa. It was all topped off with a romantic candlelight dinner by the sea, that included a hand picked menu and our own white-gloved butler. It was heaven!!
It’s been busy, busy, busy around here lately! Between illustration, painting, martial arts, scuba certification, wedding preparations and freelancing it’s been CRAAAAZY! But I’m excited to have my next big trip in the works…
EXOTIC ST. LUCIA IN THE WEST INDIES!!!
I’ll be soaking up the sun to the sounds of Calypso and enjoying the flavors of jerk chicken and rum punch in no time. And best of all, I’ll be tying the knot down there!!
Had an awesome time up north…la vita e bella!
Here are some sketches and photos from my travels:
Seattle Skyline @ sunset
Fresh Flowers @ Pike Place Market
Palace of Glass + Steel
Cadmium Red Deep
Moon Viewing
Sea Swirls
Beautiful Creature
Stars come out over Elliott Bay
Just returned from 2.5 blissful weeks of exploring England. Visitied Windsor, Southampton, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Bath, the Cotswolds, the Isle of Wight, the New Forest: Lyndhurst, Lymington, Milford on Sea, Winchester, Oxford, Wheatley, Greenwich, and of course, London!
Stonehenge!
G + T + Big Ben, London
Old City Walls in Southampton, England
The Gang, London!
The Great Hall at Hogwarts, Chirst Church, Oxford
Isle of Wight
Hey All! Please excuse the broken up painting schedule…I am on vacation in England right now!! Will resume my daily paintressing soon! Cheers! -G
