THE WORK BEGINS

Okay, fun over, it was time to head to a long day of lectures...for the boys, and a day of drawing for myself! Hmmmm.  The problem with having just spent an inspiring day with someone who has spent 12 years creating wonderful drawings...is that ones own efforts are bound to disappoint!
 Never- the- less, equipment in bag, off I strode, down the hippodrome, past the Blue Mosque, past the corn seller,over the cobbles, past Aya Sophia and the restored wooden Ottoman homes, feeling

almost local managing this without a map, until...."Hey preety laidee, yu wanna buy guide book?"

 The Archeological Museum was my destination,  and upon entry I was greeted with a sculpture garden that could have inspired CS Lewis in his writing of the white queen turning the creatures to stone in Narnia. There were several variations of lion, a medusa head lookinglonely & forgotten, an odd amphibious creature that is so weathered I couldnt be sure what it was, and lots of columns in various states of despair!

Where does one start...in the pavilion with the ceramic ware of course!  Fragments of tile , pot and anything glazed distracted me from the task at hand.  The most gob smacking being a fountain (wash basin alcove) decorated with a golden peacock amidst tulips, carnations and flowering plum, all in golds & reds & glowing in the available light. Opposite was a painting by Osman Hamdi Bey called 'The Fountain of Life' in which this fountain had been featured...along with some possibly important person, whose name I didnt make note of! :-)

 I didnt draw that.  I chose instead to start with a warm up of tulip designs.  Tulips are a prominant tile design here, flowers of high regard in Ottoman life due to the geat Suleymaniye being so fond of         them.  The less said about those little efforts, the better!

   After an exasperating hour standing to copy these designs, in poor ventilation, I was desperately in need of a sit down!  Off to the outdoor cafe in the sculpture garden for a tea.  I was extremely disappointed to find that the museum cafe has been designed to cater for westerners.  Mediocre (disgusting) tea in paper cups, choices of 'American chocolate brownie', baked cheescake and tiramisu sat in the refridgerated shelf looking REALLY out of place, as did the 'sandwiches' with limp lettuce poking their tongues out at us, taunting, daring us to buy them! " Come on you tourist, this is what you're familiar with, this is what you want....here I am, BUY ME!" Needless to say I didnt.  This country has FANTASTIC food (more about that & how it is impacting on my waistline later!) with sweets that ooze temptation. There wasnt a baklava in sight & yet down the road...there are a myriad of types!  I wanted to scream.  This result of tourism is not good, it makes me furious & oh, dear, I feel a band wagon coming on....so lets get back to drawing!

Tea consumed, I plonked myself on a nearby wall...probably ancient...to draw a weathered and weary lion. So faded was he, that only a few markings remained to show that he had had a magnificent mane & a mighty roar...even if at some time in history his nose had been lopped off! From him to Medusa. Whilst drawing her I had a very interested group of school boys behind me wanting to practice their english..."Hey wooman, hey wooman, hello'. They thought they were so clever.

In need of time inside, I took a break from drawing & just went through the museum looking. One of my first encounters was with huge glazed panels with animals on them.  It could have been noahs ark! Absolutely stunning lining a wall.There were sculptures and relief panels in marble GALORE  . There were fascinating mythical beasts, part wolf, part lion , part peacock....anything goes! I was fascinated with the locations & peoples mentioned, Hittites and Palmyra, all right out of bible class & they were real people with real lives including pots & tools and graves!  There columns and columns and tombs upon tombs...endless carved marble!  I felt intrigued by one carved column because it wasnt as decorative as many others.  Upon closer inspection, it was was supposed to be inlaid with coloured marble & lapis! The inserts had all been gouged out & plundered.

The top floor held an interesting exhibition of digital art showing what Istanbul's magnificent buildings would have looked like.  Some were a bit boring, especially the rendition of the Bucoleon which I had seen the ruins of the day before.  It was rendered all grey & concretey! Highly amusing when alongside was an early illustration showing the building in golds & malachite greens and lapis  blues, with princess Zoe on the balcony waving...

Another disgusting cup of tea later, & I was perched on a step outside sketching another lion. This time lots of people passed by & had a look, which I coped okay with.  I was frustrated more when people had the audacity to stand right in front of MY lion to pose for photos, but I refrained from stopping them!  This magnificent beast has a partner & they stand at the entrance to one section of the museum. I was actually pleased with this result!

It was time to leave, I made my way up into Gulhane park, soaking in the visual coolness of the green grass. The day was a stunner, so the view over the Bospherous a beauty. It had been a long day so when I spotted the cafe at the end of the park, umbrellas up, stunning view...I thought that another cup of tea wouldnt hurt, besides...there was baklava on the menu!