Paros Weeds

Even the weeds on the island of Paros were good looking! 

Greek Queen Anne's Lace

Not visible, but to the left of the scene in the "View of Anti Paros" (below), are farmed terraces cut into the red Greek soil which are lined with rock walls.  These terraces form the background for this botanical watercolor of a common flower of Paros.  Queen Anne's Lace can be found wild everywhere -  in fields above the sea and in stone-surrounded spaces near abandoned monasteries.  Although described as an invasive species in various U.S. horticulture sites, I fell in love with this plant.  The young flowers are a pretty shade of pink.  The more mature white flower has a unique black dot in its center which can be mistaken for an insect.  And the over mature flower folds itself up into a green web.  These three stages of being are often visible on the same plant swaying in the island winds.

Pencil Sketch of the View of Anti Paros

Greek Aeonium

Some gardens in Paros, Greece look much like those illustrated in Sunset's Western Gardens book and include the same plants one might find in a California garden.  Another botanical drawing, this Aeonium variety Atropurpurem, with its dark purple rosettes, is set against a distant grove of olive trees.  Some of the olive trees on Paros are hundreds of years old and help remind one of the long history of that land.  Growing everywhere in the red, rocky soil they are a welcome sight and produce delicious local olives and olive oil which I consumed in great quantities on my vacation.

Greek Geranium

After seeing some botanical drawings in a gallery in the main port town of Paroikia, Paros I thought I'd try something similar (but different).  This pink geranium is set against a small section of the "View from Anti Paros" painting (below) and shows the island of Anti Paros, the Aegean Sea and the neighboring islands of Naxos and Ios in the distance.

View of Anti Paros

When I first got to Paros, Greece this past May, I stayed up in the hills above the small fishing village of Aliki.  Having left my heavy Nikon camera at home, I thought I'd do little water color sketches of the places I visited rather than take photographs.  This first painting is the view from the house in the hills looking down past the garden to the Aegean Sea.  The small houses in the distance are on the nearby island of Anti Paros.  Not seen here are the two larger islands of Naxos and Ios - which were hidden from view in the haze.

Blue Jay Godzilla