A house or a home

The difference between a house and a home in more than one way!

In my last blog I was talking about the winter weather here in southern Spain with high summer-like temperatures. The month of December was extremely warm which was great for tourists, but not so good for the land as it still needs a lot of rain.

I will also start with the weather in this blog, because boy it's nippy here! True winter has finally arrived and although it still hasn't rained nearly enough, we have had quite a few pretty cold, and I mean coats, hats, scarves and for some even gloves and winter boots cold days. Even most tourists have had to give in and leave their flip-flops and shorts at home (apart from a few diehards) as some days the cold wind is just a bit too much. With temperatures somewhere between 7 and 15 degrees Celsius it's quite a shock to the system, but luckily we have a wonderful pellet stove in our home and the lovely live flame is creating a welcoming atmosphere and temperature.

When we renovated the old house just before we got married, three and a half years ago, I insisted in getting a pellet stove. I had previously rented a house with such a stove and I knew what lovely heat they give out and also, once the initial investment has been forgotten, how cheap they are to run and, what I really like, they are Eco-friendly. So I'm a happy bunny as I like to be environmentally aware.

I must admit that I do not understand many Spanish people who don't have any form of heating in their house, like my husbands direct family. Some do have just a tiny fire hazardous stove beneath a round table covered by a table cloth that goes down to the floor, so you end up with burning hot feet whilst your ears and nose are freezing cold. Many just cover themselves in layers or keep busy and when they do sit down, for women the nylon morning gown is the solution, on top of the other layers of clothes of course and the men just seem to wear a winter coat indoors. Oh yes, I've asked them why live without a heating and was told..."Winter isn't that long in southern Spain, so why bother".

I disagree and many expats who've settled here were shocked when they spent their first winter here. The houses are cold as most of them are built to keep the sun out. Many Spanish are so used to keeping the sun out that they even do so during the winter months and instead of letting the sunshine enter their windows, thus heating up the house, they prefer to keep all the shutters closed. It baffles me but, if that's the culture, then I of course respect that. Doesn't mean I have to live that way. It did take some convincing to get my husband to buy a pellet stove when we renovated the house, as he had always survived the winters without a heater, but he reminds me every year how grateful he is and he's totally fallen in love with our stove. It has turned our house into a cosy home.

When you have a nice warm house to get back to, it's a real joy to walk the dog along the sea front in the cold sea breeze. I needed that as well.... as the first week of January was a bit of a tough time for me. I had put so much energy in writing blogs, sorting out my art, creating my Buddha-inspired mono-prints and tweeting about my blogs, spreading information about my art classes and blogs on Facebook and other social media sites that it all became a bit too much. Overwhelmed, somewhat depressed perhaps, I don't know, but I felt crap, disappointed in myself, frustrated, feeling I had not enough time and as if I was always running behind the facts. I needed a break. Now, going on a holiday isn't an option, but no reason to complain about that if you live in a holiday destination seaside village.

So I had to take a few steps back and I can guarantee you that it was very difficult for me. I always do something. Not a day has gone past, literally these past few years, including Sundays, that I didn't work on something from my 'priority list', such as writing a story or a blog post, starting my next book, creating a few more

mandalas, working on my latest series of paintings, increasing my presence on social media to promote my blogs, my books and my art, studying strategies through books and online webinars on how to get my work to be seen by people, how to get my books and art sold. I was working on sorting out my own website, my art on the Saatchi onlinewebsite, my authors page in Amazon, my work in RedBubble, my weekly blog for the Cirkel van Compassie, a Dutch website that promotes holistic living, writing articles and a weekly newsletter for the LaHerradura-Cultural magazine, writing my Spanish adventure blog, organise workshops and art classes ... I bet you get tired just from reading about all these projects! So did I!

But what do you do when you get a bit overwhelmed? Well, relax and in my case, meditate, watching inspiring speakers or a nice documentary or film, walking Miki, our bouncy ball doggy, and some evenings Miguel, my husband, and Fani our bull-mastiff as well. Getting the fresh air in my face and most of all, detaching myself from the outcome. So that's what I've done and I feel a lot better. Oh don't get me wrong. That to-do-list continues to exist but in a far slower pace and without the priority attached to it. I do what I fancy doing and make sure I take care of myself.

And the result. Funny enough it seems as if I have more time than I had before. I feel relaxed and the writing is flowing again. I'm not putting myself under any pressure anymore. Painting is actually good for me as it relaxes me, so that's a plus. I feel happy and let go of my attachment to and hopes for the outcome. Whatever will come my way will be OK.

All this doesn't mean that I've lost my passion and please feel free to read my blogs. My latest art blog is about what art can do for your house. I believe it's literally the difference between a house and a home. So there you go! :-)

If you are interested to find out more about me as a writer and an artist I invite you to visit my website www.renatevannijen.com where you can also read my art blog or my books blog. You can subscribe for free and will receive two chapters of my book 'Cheers', which I'm currently blogging about as it is a book that brings awareness to a worldwide problem and helps people getting out of isolation. Click the following link for my Art Blog Click the following link for my Cheers Blog

A Spanish adventure update

The new year has started and it's been a really long time since I published my last Spanish adventure blog. Looking back at 2017 it has been a very intense year with ups and downs, but I think that is part of human life.

                

It's January 2018 now and winter in Spain. However, it certainly doesn't feel that way. Last December wasn't much of a winter month either. The weather is unbelievably mild which is both fantastic and terrifying. It surely is very enjoyable when the sun is caressing your face when enjoying a coffee or a drink on the sea front, but it also scares me. Whether you believe in global warming or not, that temperatures are rising is undeniable and when you live in Spain that isn't necessarily a good thing.

But it is funny

The new coat I bought can stay in the wardrobe as a light cardigan will do. I realise that this is always a funny time of the year with the Spanish and all-year-round expats, like me, taking out our cardigans and boots to go for a stroll along the beach. It is very clear that you adjust to temperatures of the country you live in as I definitively feel the cold a lot sooner than when I lived in The Netherlands.

So I also put on my winter boots, even though, quite frankly, the temperatures are a bit too high for that. I still like to cover up as the fresh sea breeze is a bit too chilly to my liking. However, the holiday makers feel it's mid summer as they walk around in flip-flops and vests. Yesterday at 18.00 I saw a couple walking on the beach in their swimming costumes whilst on the pavement the Spanish were dressed in winter coats, boots, hats and scarves.

I enjoy watching that as me and my husband walk our dogs along the sea front. My husband is Spanish and before meeting him I always said... I don't want a Spanish man as they don't have animals in the house. But my Miguel had a lovely, young, female Bullmastiff called Fani (make sure you pronounce that correctly) who slept in the house on her own sofa. 
I had my dog Choppy, rescued in 2005 from a life in the streets. Sadly Choppy died in February 2017 due to heart failure and lung embolism. It was of course a very sad period. We buried him in the

avocado 'cortijo' (small farm) in the mountains and I put some nasturtiums on his grave which I picked with their roots from the river bed. They actually did really well with a sea of flowers at the beginning of last summer.

Last week Miguel and I celebrated Christmas in the cortijo and we visited Choppy's grave with Miki. To my delight his grave is now a beautiful bed of nasturtiums leaves that will soon turn into a sea of orange flowers.

Miki is our new dog, an approximately one year old 'whatever-cross' who was left in the streets of the city of Granada. Beautiful as that city is, for a tiny dog that is no place to live and through the fantastic animal rescue organisation Valle Verde we were able to adopt him last August.

He makes me so happy, he is a smiley doggy who is eager to greet everybody, always jumping around as a tiny bouncing ball. He follows me everywhere, possibly afraid to be left again, but that will not happen. He's here to stay. So when we take Fani and Miki and some plastic bags out for our daily walk we are feeling blessed. The plastic bags are to pick up their 'inner beauty' from the pavement so that no one will step in it. Fani being a big lady she needs a kitchen garbage bag for her 'deposit' and it always puts a smile on my face when I see my husband pick it up with two specially cut pieces of cardboard, from a box from the local supermarket, and putting it into a bright blue garbage bag, whilst Fani calmly waits for him. We then continue our walk in the late afternoon sunshine, just before the most stunning sunset on the horizon, every evening something you can count on.

Sometimes that worry creeps in again. As much as I love those sunsets and the sunshine, there is such a huge need for rain in the region. It amazes me that Spain doesn't have a system in place to fund solar panels so that - among other things - the sea water can be turned into drinking water. I have moments that I feel bad about my own hypocrisy and that of fellow citizens. Enjoying the good life, having a shower every day, using the dishwasher and washing machine whenever it pleases me. I see people watering their plants excessively, surely taking long baths and well, the swimming pool needs to remain topped up doesn't it? Not that I have one, but I certainly would love one.

However, there is a part of me that cannot understand why everybody is not taking more care about this lack of water as rain is something we've hardly seen this 'winter' season. Being in a part of Spain where avocado and mango plantations are an important part of the Spanish economy I'm baffled that there are no signs of projects to make sure this can continue. If you know that an avocado tree needs about 120 litres of water a day in the summer you can understand what I'm talking about. Mel o'Gorman wrote an interesting article about this as well. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to read her story 'Let it Leap'. 

The truth is I can only do so much, perhaps irritating people a little with my words that might shock them into some awareness of the same hypocrisy that I feel. It doesn't feel good. But, life is what it is and with all the things happening in the world I can only decide to become more aware of my personal water use, but also not to forget to enjoy the moment. Pick the day. Enjoy the sun, the warm weather. Me being miserable doesn't do the world or myself any good.

I do believe in the power of positive thoughts, but more than thoughts I think it is the power of vibrations, so one of my resolutions for 2018 is to feel happy feelings for the first 17 seconds after waking up. This is a technique suggested by Esther Hicks (you can Google that). In short the theory is that thinking positive, although good, won't work if you, deep down in side, subconsciously, don't believe that thought. To get into a more positive frame of mind it is important to regularly feel the vibration of happiness.

Thinking about something that truly makes you happy and really feeling that happiness, whether that is watching a sunset, swimming with dolphins, a sky diving experience or whatever tickles your fancy, and feel that feeling for 17 seconds. It sounds easier than it actually is as the brain will try to distract you with daily to-do-lists. However, for me it works to think about my new, funny, mad happy dog Miki as I love that little monkey to bits. I intent to keep it up for at least 21 days to turn it into a habit (I hope).

But I'm also going to add another 17 seconds and think about the rain in Spain, how wonderful it is to see the water drops clearing away the dust in the streets, the smell of happy trees, grateful for a much needed shower, and the knowledge that flowers and greens will be popping up all around us in the countryside as soon as the sun comes back. Which never takes very long. Since mass meditation has been scientifically proven to work, perhaps mass rain wishes and visualisation will do the trick as well. I will give it a try and I hope you will join me.

2018 will be a year full of new adventures for me. I will continue making mono-prints, something new to me but that I really enjoyed. I also intent to continue blogging about my art and my books (see section below) and I feel a lot of inspiration coming up for another book, and a series of Angel paintings, as the world could do with a few more Angels.

Happy New Year!

If you are interested to find out more about me as a writer and an artist I invite you to visit my website www.renatevannijen.com where you can also read my art blog or my books blog. You can subscribe for free and will receive two chapters of my book 'Cheers', which I'm currently blogging about as it is a book that brings awareness to a worldwide problem and helps people getting out of isolation. Click the following link for my Art Blog Click the following link for my Cheers Blog

Kissing in Spain

To kiss or not to kiss is not a very original title and certainly been used by many bloggers and writers alike, but it actually is a serious question when you have decided to pack up and move country or even when visiting friends or loved-ones who have undertaken the expat journey and might introduce you to the locals.

Being a European citizen is interesting in itself with all the different languages, but what might seem normal in one culture can be totally not done in a neighbouring country. Living in Spain comes with its own challenges and to kiss, how to kiss, or not to kiss is one of them. With such an array of nationalities flocking to the Spanish coasts you can easily be forgiven to get rather confused.

I am Dutch and in Holland we do not kiss when we meet someone the first time. A friendly handshake and a smile is a more common way of greeting. However, when you get to the next level and become acquaintances, friends, or are members of the same family, kissing the cheeks will be normal and three is the number of kisses exchanged.

Having been living in Spain for over twelve years I have become used to kissing total strangers when I am presented by someone I know … two kisses are the norm. I usually end up doing the air kiss whilst receiving a wet or not so wet kiss on my cheek. In a business situation the very first meeting might be a handshake, but when you walk out of the door, don’t be surprised to get two kisses as that is what happened to me a few weeks ago when I sealed the deal with a printer in Granada, who I had never met before and who is taking care of the print of my latest book about La Herradura, 'Reflections from La Herradura'. Luckily he was a handsome fellow!

I personally am not sure whether there is an ‘official’ side to start the kissing, but I usually start on the left. This can sometimes be a challenge - especially when presented to an old, more or less toothless goat shepherd - as there is always that fear that we do not start on the same side and end up planting a kiss full on the mouth, followed by awkward laughter and trying not to wipe your mouth too obviously.

I also have a lot of friends and acquaintances from other nationalities, among others many British but also German, Italian, French and

people from Scandinavian countries. The habits of kissing vary as some like to give 4 kisses; some just kiss once, but many people kiss twice, including the Spanish - and it is even common for men in Spain - as it is in many Mediterranean countries - to kiss each other in public when they meet up, and should you visit my home, my enthusiastic dog Choppy will try and greet you with a French kiss… a nice slobbery one.

So kissing in Spain can be an adventure and finding out specific rules and regulations seems to be a hard task. My advice: just go with the flow and see where it leads, or … go for a hug!

Yes a hug, as this is something that seems to become more and more accepted and normal; a hug instead of a kiss when greeting someone you know! In many northern and southern European countries the hand-shake, with or without a kiss, might be preferred on first presentation, but once acquainted, a hug may be part of the greeting. Most of my friends and people I have met several times hug so I get my fair share of body contact. I never really think about the intimate character of pressing my body against the body of another male or female but it is usually a rather pleasant sensation. Curiously, the kiss is not necessarily used when you are hugging someone.

But who cares, in this world of anger, hate, war and so many awful events it is simply nice to hold someone for a few seconds, allowing your heart to greet and connect with the heart of your fellow hugger.

And what has all this to do with living in Spain as an artist I hear you think? Well, nothing really apart from the fact that writing a story is a creative, artistic process!

The two paintings are oil paintings by me. For more information about my art or my books feel free to visit my website: www.renatevannijen.com

And if you like to purchase Reflections from La Herradura, please click here.

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I wasn’t even nervous

Last Sunday was an important day for me. A day that I had worked towards for many months. It was the day of the launch of my latest book ‘Reflections from La Herradura’ which is also available in Spanish ‘Reflejos del Paisaje Humano de La Herradura’. When I started working on this book, about a year and a half ago, I could not have foreseen the journey that I was to embark on. Interviews with interesting artists, inspiring people, some difficult and full of ego, others super relaxed and easy going, but all worthy of a story. My book was born. Officially last Sunday, when the launch of the book took place in La Cochera, a fantastic arty café on the seafront in La Herradura. La Cochera, an artwork in itself with fantastic decorations and influences from all over the world, also features in the book so it was the right place for it.

Weeks prior to the launch were filled with finding a good printer, getting the book ready for print both in English and in Spanish and spreading the word. I often felt as if I was running around like a headless chicken but beneath the chaos there was structure and things did get done. Then I came down with hefty cold turning into a serious bronchitis which told me I probably had overdone it and asked too much of myself; stress and plenty of worrying had taken its toll. I was forced to take a step back and get some extra sleep - I was so tired and ill I could not even stay awake if I tried – and this did get me back on track again.
There were ups and downs, problems and solutions, great results but also some disappointments. The result of the crowdfunding that I had organized to raise some funds for the printing only covered about a quarter of the costs; nevertheless it was a welcome contribution to my project, so a big thank you to those who kindly donated some money! However, not having reached my crowdfunding amount did mean I had to make a decision…. Was I going to take a risk and order a big stack of books which would result in a scary negative bank balance, or was I going to play it safe and call off the celebratory launch and start small?

I believe you have to take a risk sometimes and in my case to have faith that the book I have created is worth reading. It is an inspiring book which leads the reader into a fascinating world, describing life in a small Spanish seaside village both in the past and present and also offering an interesting account of what inspires painters, writers, dancers, musicians and other creative souls. Why are they in La Herradura? What drives them?

Some of the artists in La Herradura

I decided to take the risk and spread the word about the launch. I was so busy with the preparations that I did not even had the time to feel nervous. The only silent give-away that I probably was, were my moments of indulging in foods that are not necessarily good for me. Comfort foods that made my top feel even tighter than it was when I was last wearing it. But Sunday came and went. My presentation in Spanish and English was well-received, the atmosphere super and the live music fantastic. People dancing and enjoying themselves. Thanks to Antonio, the owner of La Cochera who kindly offered me to have the launch in his establishment and Mel O’Gorman, who has been a great support, help and rock throughout the entire process, I can now look back on a wonderful day.

Did you miss it? Are you interested in a signed copy of the book? Please let me know. I will extend the discount price of 15€ ex. shipment till the end of April, after that it will go back to its original price of 19.50! Please contact me via renate@renatevannijen.com

For more information about my art or my books feel free to visit my website: www.renatevannijen.com

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“I can’t paint” he said, and I was going to prove him wrong!

At 7.30 that morning I dragged myself out of bed, still aching from standing on my feet for too many hours the day prior to the painting workshop. A slightly swollen knee and fasciitis plantar suggested I should just put my legs up, but adrenaline kicked in and I went into the kitchen to do some last minute preparation for lunch which was included in the workshop. I whizzed up a tomato and basil paste, mashed a ripe avocado with garlic and lemon and combined soaked dates and raisins with cashew nuts in a blender to then turn them into bite size sweets coated with coconut flakes (try it, it’s delicious). The six beginners, as they explained, rang the doorbell at 10.30, bang on time. They introduced themselves with a handshake to then be greeted by my dog Choppy who does his name proud when visitors come to the house. I was pleased that his attempts to do a bit of French kissing were welcomed with smiles and laughter. I invited my guests into my studio at the back of our house and explained some of the principles of creating a painting. Having given painting classes and workshops for quite a few years I have seen a variety of levels in painting enthusiasts and I know from experience that I can inspire someone to get to their next level and surprise people about their own abilities.

This time I had a group of beginners, six friends from Norway who came for a day of fun and creativity. I like the challenge of teaching beginners. “I can’t paint” said one of the budding artists, but I believe that everybody can paint as everybody can draw a more or less straight line and a more or less perfect circle. Painting is not about perfection but about creativity, observation (if you work from an object, photo or scene) and balance. It is fairly normal, when starting a painting, to encounter feelings of self-doubt and self-criticism. It is hard to believe that those first attempts of colouring the drawing you just created from example; that drawing that you don’t find good enough and don’t really like, could turn into something that can please the eye. But that is where my creativity comes in. I know what will happen as I have seen it before. I love pointing out accidental and not so accidental splashes of colour on the canvas-paper to boost self-believe and hope. I don’t have to pretend, I don’t have to lie, because there is always something done well and where things can be improved I can make suggestions.

Today most of the group used one of my flamenco paintings as an example. Having a group working on the same subject can give interesting results that can then be compared. It is not about exactly copying a painting, it is merely an exercise of observation and then interpreting what you see, within your abilities. The atmosphere was great as everybody was really going for it and nobody even noticed the earthquake that took place whilst we were in this creative flow. Time was forgotten and we enjoyed lunch, which was planned for 13.30, one hour late. I had prepared a large number of vegetarian tapas which went down well and turned out to be a welcoming break. After lunch it was time to put the finishing touches to the works of art and all were pleasantly surprised about their own capability to create a colourful image the very first time they picked up a paint brush. An image that will look pretty nice with a passe-partout in a colourful frame. Self-doubt had turned into enthusiasm, which was really nice for me. Some even want to continue painting as one of the ladies said “I was completely involved in the creative process, I did not think of anything else and that was a very relaxing and nice feeling, I want more of that”.

Their appreciation was meant and felt and that is what made it all worth my while. And the worst self-critic of them all? Well he had created a great, colourful, slightly abstract painting; actually very arty … I had proved him wrong! It fills me with joy when I can inspire people or just give them a nice day where daily worries vanish into a wave of colours, relaxation and fun. We said goodbye with a hug and smiles and after having cleared up the studio and the kitchen I came back into my body, the adrenaline subsided and I suddenly walked like a 90 year old with a severe case of arthritis. Every muscle in my body ached and my legs and feet just wanted to be vertical. However, my heart and soul were filled with satisfaction. The smile on my face told me that I would do it again, and again, and again...

Would you like me to proof you wrong? Would you and a group of friends like to surprise yourselves and discover the artist within whilst enjoying a fun day of creativity in La Herradura on the Spanish Costa Tropical, then feel free to contact me via renate@renatevannijen.com for more details. For more information about my art and books you can visit my website www.renatevannijen.com. If you would like infomation about painting holidays click here and for more information about painting workshops and classes click here

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From euthanasia to butterfly

“I really like that about you” said my friend, “you can be so profound but at the same time you can deal with things in life in a really light-hearted way”. The reason for my friend describing me this way was my reaction to a spoken message she left on Whatsapp about seeing the urn of a loved-one when visiting relatives. “It was so big” she said and somewhat apologetic she wondered whether it would bother me that she would talk about something like that. A smile adorned my face when I spoke into my phone, my finger holding the speech button in Whatsapp …”My father and mother used to go for a walk in a beautiful forest and moor area near our home town of Arnhem in The Netherlands. When my mother ‘prepared’ herself to die she expressed the wish to have her ashes scattered on the moor. ALS, a progressive, neurodegenerative disease, had turned her body into a prison and after careful consideration by various medical doctors, and bearing in mind her very short life expectancy, she was allowed euthanasia. We held her when she peacefully went to the other side. Months later my father told me he had been to the moor to find the right place for her ashes. A white butterfly, totally out of season, kept him company, he explained. ‘She’ was fluttering from tree branch to shrub on the side of the path; staying in front of and close to my dad. Then he came to a crossing; it was the exact spot where my parents always stopped to decide to take a longer or a shorter route back to the car. The butterfly landed on a heath bush and did not move again. My father took it as a sign.

Butterfly mandala

A week later, on a beautiful sunny day in October, we walked the same route both my parents had walked so many times. My dad was carrying a very large cardboard cylinder with my mother’s ashes. We stopped at the crossing. Just when my father opened the cylinder and started shaking it to liberate her ashes a strong breeze came up. He was covered from head to toe with her ashes and although I was standing a couple of metres away, my shoes were covered as well. For a split-second we were in shock to then burst out into laughter. It was so funny and through our tears of laughter and farewell we both felt it was my mother who had made it happen. I was sure she was laughing too and saying… ‘cheer up, I escaped my prison, I am happy!’ To this day, almost 16 years later, I am reminded of that special moment, probably on a weekly basis as white butterflies can be seen throughout the year on the Costa Tropical where I live. It is always a nice feeling, triggering a memory or simply ‘love’ when I say hello to the butterfly with a smile on my face.”
I believe there is more after death, but whether that is true or not doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that you can sooth or even change certain feelings, and this can lead to changing situations, through the power of thought and imagination, through visualisation. This has been scientifically proven. Imagining that the butterfly is a sign from my mother changes my state of mind, it makes me smile, calm and happy. I have been fascinated by visualisation for many years and last year I decided to write a series of books with visualisations which I have combined with images of mandalas that I have created. I feel that creating, colouring or simply focusing on a mandala can take you to a meditative place where visualisation becomes powerful. The series of seven books is called ‘The art of feeling better’ and so far I have published three. ‘ I am feeling better’ , relaxing visualisations to make you feel better, ‘I can forgive’ , relaxing visualisations to help you forgive, let go and create and ‘I feel better with astrology’, star sign visualisations for daily use. They are nice give-away books that can help you focus on a perceived problem and whilst doing the visualisation your energy and/or state of mind around it may change.

You can order the books from amazon, or if you like, order a signed copy directly from me via info@renatevannijen.com

In today's blog I also like to offer you a little present. A free butterfly mandala. Do you want to experience the calming effect of colouring a mandala? Then feel free to download my free-hand butterfly mandala here, print it out and start colouring: www.renatevannijen.com/butterflymandala.pdf

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And now what?

So the book is ready for print in two languages, - Reflections from La Herradura, and in Spanish: Reflejos del Paisaje Humano de La Herradura. It’s a story-telling journey through an enchanting village –, and it is good! Not because I say so, but because both my English and the Spanish final proof-readers, who do not know me in person, say so! My confidence is intact, but, I have to admit, the journey to get here was both exhausting and interesting. And now, the final result is a unique combination of guide book, history book and biography rolled into one, offering the reader a privileged, ‘behind the scenes’ look at life in La Herradura and a fascinating glimpse into the minds of its artists and visionaries. I’ve written it in a conversational style that makes it accessible and suitable for all types of readers. I even made a special oil painting for the cover which depicts a flamenco dancer and a white village separated by a horseshoe, as the Spanish word ‘herradura’ means horseshoe in English. To realise this book in both languages I have paid the translator, various proof-readers and other set-up costs, both in cash and with art, and finally the English and the Spanish version are now in the care of the print-on-demand printer that I work with. So far so good! There is that word again…. Good!

But now what?
Now I need to get the book to as many readers as possible in order to help turn this special village, (the place I fell in love with on my first visit in 2004), into a cultural hotspot, as that is my dream and that of many of the artists, musicians, writers, painters and other interesting souls who have participated in the book. Launching a book costs money. In order to do it well I need a considerable amount and my pockets are now empty.

Why do I care?
Well apart from having invested about a year and a half of my life and a lot of money in this project, I also care about this village that is my home. It deserves to have its cultural agenda more widely known. Many interesting things are happening here and you might want to know about them when you get a chance to visit La Herradura, which quite frankly, is a must.

So I have to find a solution. After having studied crowdfunding sites I realise that I do not have enough followers on social media or personal email contacts to organise a successful crowdfunding project. It has to be more personal. I have to put on a brave face and ask for help.

I NEED YOUR HELP!

Angel Galdo F. and Mercedes Rubio (the first sponsors)

To make things interesting for any potential sponsors out there, I will be offering an incentive - call it a ‘Thank You!’ in the form of a raffle. Every donation of 10 € will be allocated a raffle number. So if you donate 50 €, for example, you will get 5 raffle tickets. On the day of the launch of the book, which will be on 17th of April 2016 in La Cochera in La Herradura, the prizes will be drawn by someone who has not been involved in the process of creating this book. Don’t worry if you do not live in the neighbourhood. If you win, your prize will be shipped to you the following week.

In order to cover the costs of the English and Spanish book and the cultural website that I am currently working on I will need your help! Whatever I can raise will be invested in the launch and to pay off expenses incurred along the way. So whatever you would like to donate, please feel free…every little helps!

I am offering a range of prizes for the raffle - big ones and not so big ones. These will include:
• 3 flamenco hangers worth 15 € each
• 2 sets of 20 postcards worth 25 € per set
• 2 sets of 12 mandala cards with envelopes worth 30 € per set
• 2 sets of 3 books – Cheers, Secret Thoughts and Reflections from La Herradura, in English or Spanish worth 49.50€ per set
• 2 sets of 4 mandala prints worth 60 € per set
• 2 wooden flamenco wall-hangers each worth 95 €
• a ‘surrender’ ceramic statue worth 235.00 €
• an original mandala painting worth 375.00 €
• an original flamenco painting worth 900.00 €

Front and back of surrender statue (9x9x9cm)

Sponsors are important
Your money counts and as a token of appreciation, everyone who has donated 100 € or more, will be named as a sponsor on the special cultural La Herradura website that is in the making, with, if desired, a photo with a caption and/or business link (optional) to a website. Sponsors of more than 250 € will be mentioned both on the website, see above, and in the book.

Sponsors go into a separate raffle for the oil painting (Seaside Reflections) used for the cover of the book, worth 2,500 €.

‘Seaside Reflections’

So would you like to be part of this interesting cultural project? If so, please send your donation via PayPal to renate@renate-kunst.nl / Opt for donation and write down your name. Any amount is welcome but for raffle tickets the minimum amount is 10 €. You can also transfer your donation directly into my bank account in The Netherlands, Arnhem

IBAN number NL71 INGB 0005 541225 in the name of R.H. van Nijen
Or into my bank account in Spain, La Herradura:
ES04 0487 3219 2790 0001 0003 BIC GBMNE SMMXXX in the name of Renate Henriet van Nijen
Please state your name and email address and ‘La Herradura project’!
As soon as I am notified of your donation you will receive an email with your raffle ticket number(s).

Thank you so much - here’s to helping to put La Herradura firmly on the cultural map!

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A Food artist in Spain

What does food have to do with living as an artist in Spain I hear you wonder? Well, I like cooking, I enjoy writing about food, I tend to slightly change recipes that I find online or hear about and I even like to create my own recipes. I think that means that I am creative with food, in other words, I am a food artist. Living in Spain means you have access to wonderful indoor and outdoor markets with an abundance of vegetables and fruits. Needless to say that the produce freshly picked from nearby lands are usually very tasty as they have had plenty of sunshine. My weekly shopping list always includes a colourful palette of fruit and vegies such as tomatoes, cucumbers, papaya, broccoli, and artichokes when in season, and much more. I am in the lucky position to not having to buy avocados, nor quite a few types of fruits as Miguel, my husband, owns a small farm where he commercially grows avocados,

chirimoyas* and nispolas*.
He has also planted a few banana, orange, lemon and mango trees for family consumption only. Great news for a foody, with a preference for healthy foods, like me. However, I do tend to eat more than my body can process. Having inherited a thyroid problem and fat genes instead of money means it certainly is a challenge to keep my body in shape. In fact, I have failed miserably and now that menopause has been added into the mix I often see myself reflected in the shape of a tele tubby, with bingo-wings both above and below the elbow, when passing a shop window. My body is screaming at me with aches and pains as soon as I move and a blood test I took six weeks ago showed that my cholesterol was too high. That and the shrunken clothes in my walk-in wardrobe made me decide to sort myself out. But how? I have never been much of a meat eater and the biggest part of my life I was a vegetarian, and eggs, milky coffees and most of all cheese and yoghurt were part of my diet, more so than carbohydrates and recently I also ate the odd piece of fish. It did not turn my body into a healthy vehicle and meant I had to make a drastic change, so the past six weeks I have spent as a vegan. Although I thoroughly enjoy my smoothie of banana, orange and spinach and cleverly create vegetable spreads and super delicious sweets made of dates, nuts and coconut I now am back in the world of carbohydrates. Potatoes with vegetables or wholemeal bread with home-made humus and crunchy salad leaves, tomatoes and some avocado slices easily replace cheesy pastas. So how come I still have all these aches and pains and am not even slightly going in the direction of being the stick-insect that I perceive most vegans to be? What am I doing wrong? OK it doesn’t help that my aching temple, as some people refer to their body, is rather incapable of doing intensive sport activities, but even so I feel rather frustrated that I haven’t shed some weight at least. I do not want my life to be about food but here I am, writing about it in my blog with yet another resolution to cut out half of my healthy fat consumption and reduce my carbohydrate intake again. And the artistic part of all this? Well, perhaps I have to find a way to get my body back into shape with extreme measures. That does not mean that you have to as well and I still enjoy writing about food. Thus I have decided to share recipes that I have created or heard of and especially loved, over the past twenty years or so, on my new blog. I will add snacks and dishes regularly and you can expect to find quick and easy to make dishes with an Italian or Spanish flavour, original recipes that people eat in their homes and are usually not served in restaurants, as well as dishes you have perhaps heard of and recipes you have never heard of. Feel free to check it out here.
www.renartsworld-food-artist.blogspot.com

• The chirimoya is thought to be a fruit native to some parts of Southern America, but it was then transported to many places including Andalusia in Southern Spain. It has a creamy texture and is very sweet and is often referred to as a custard apple.
• Nispola refers to a Spanish exotic fruit. Nispolas were imported from the Far East in the 18th century grown for the Spanish market. Its flavour is a blend of peach and pear but can be somewhat sharp. It is known as a Japanese medlar pear.

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Gnomes with an opinion

A few years ago on a very hot summer’s day my telephone rang. Hi Renate, how are you says Monica, a German lady who I had met years earlier at an art fair. Monica asks me whether we could meet up, as her partner Gerda had 'been told' that we had to exhibit our work together in a village along the coast. I was curious and the next day I drive down the long winding mountain road to visit the remote cottage tucked away in a sea of green avocado plantations and silver-green olive trees. I turn right into a dirt track which leads to the house of Monica and Gerda and am greeted by big smiles on their round faces. It feels as if I am entering a delusional world and I suddenly think… They are going to eat me! However, I am warmly welcomed by the two very big ‘white witches’ as they call themselves. They are both wearing the same big blue dress without sleeves with a Kangaroo type pocket on the front. Their huge breasts are dangling clearly visible and freely under the thin cotton fabric. It feels soft, hot and humid during the awkwardly long hug. Messy long, grey hair is framing their white, sweaty faces, completing the picture. Makeup doesn’t fit into their world. Gerda looks somewhat wild with her watery blue eyes. They tell me that she is the creative mind and the healer of the two. I am invited into their home, an oasis of calm in a wonderfully warm atmosphere. Everywhere I look I see angels, Tutankhamun replicas, ceramic sculptures and buddha images.

I feel relaxed and at ease. Whilst Monica is giving me a cup of herbal tea Gerda tells me about the gnomes and fairies that are invisible to most people. With a mysterious smile she explains that many think she is crazy, but continues very seriously that gnomes and fairies have told her that it is time for a joint exhibition of my art and their dresses. Monica, who seems to attend to all Gerda’s wishes listens. There is a fairy-tale atmosphere and their strange harmonious relationship seems to work perfectly. Gerda pours me another cup of tea whilst Monica enters the living room with a large number of sweaters, jackets and dresses hand-knitted by her. I am totally amazed when I see the beautiful colours and motifs used. The cardigans and dresses have long pointed hoods that perfectly fit their pyramid-like shape. Gerda then explains that she has received a message from her gnomes to create square dresses. Monica leaves the room to get them and shows me a variety of thin one-size-fits-all square dresses made of thin cotton fabric, beautifully hand-painted by Gerda with colourful symbols and flowers, birds of paradise and Egyptian motifs on the square dresses. They tell me to try one on and I am pleasantly surprised as for someone who never wears a dress I am filled with enthusiasm. I very much admire the work of Monica and Gerda and tell them that I feel their clothing is certainly worthy of an exhibition. They don’t sell their work to the public but Monica and Gerda like to exhibit their dresses and cardigans along with my paintings and ceramic sculptures. It seems like a good plan and I feel optimistic and happy when I drive back home; the exhibition date set.
Two days later my phone rings... I am very sorry Renate, says Monica, unfortunately the gnomes have told Gerda that after all it isn’t the right time for an exhibition
I cannot help but feeling disappointed!

Talking about angels, feel free to check out my designs on environment-friendly tote bags (no more plastic bags floating in the oceans) in RedBubble

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A smoky adventure

Last Friday I was shaking whilst sitting on a cold iron bench at the bus stop, waiting for my bus to my ceramic class. It wasn’t an earthquake but an elegantly dressed Spanish lady. Her leg was nervously making rapid movements which made the bench vibrate. My fantasy took her along on a journey of possibilities. From a dentist visit to an appointment with her lover to tell him that she was going to leave him. I was soon distracted from my thoughts by the spring bird song in the tall trees on the small roundabout in front of the bus stop. It was 22 January and rather worrying to hear these migrating birds singing their beautiful song. A far too mild winter, with far too little rain is confusing the local flora and fauna. I didn’t get much time to think about that as the bus arrived and I had to prepare myself for my weekly discussion with the bus driver. I have to get off at a bus stop that is not very familiar to most drivers and for some reason I have seen a different bus driver every week, which means I have to explain, plead and put my foot down to be allowed on the bus. This day was no exception. When I mentioned my destination the initial reaction from the bus driver, like most weeks, was “I don’t stop there”. I then insisted and explained where it was and mentioned some landmarks. This usually does the trick, but this time it didn’t. The bus driver wasn’t having it and told me there was no such bus stop. The queue behind me was growing but I remained calm and friendly telling him that I was taken there every week and that he could check the existence of the bus stop on his digital ticket machine. Reluctantly he did and I was allowed on the bus. I sat down on one of the faded chairs and looked at the chair in front of me which said “fasten seat belt” a reminder of the long-distance international trips of these now local buses. The seat belts had been taken out and nobody, apart from me, seemed to think that this half an hour journey, for some even longer, along a bendy road and often next to sheer drops down to the sea, with, it has to be said, breathtaking views, is a good enough reason to fasten a seat belt. I said a little prayer and sent some white light to the grumpy driver to get me safely to my destination. It worked, and I walked into the ceramic studio all in one piece. It was a special day and I was nervous. I have done ceramics for many years but I had not experimented much with glazing and had never done Raku. This was my main reason to join the ceramics class with a nice mixed group of people, (English and Spanish, me being the only Dutch person) both beginners and professional artists.

It was my very first Raku firing experience and I came prepared with a mask as I was told it would be a smoky event. Our teacher is an interesting, very knowledgeable, sweet bodybuilder, usually scarcely dressed in shorts and a vest, both summer and winter, and most nights delighting us with the smell of his four boiled egg whites that he brings along in a Tupperware box and consumes during the ceramic class. For the occasion he wore some highly flammable sports trousers, which I found rather worrying. He had been firing up a kiln earlier that day, filled with the statues that had been painted with special Raku glaze. After the class, when most of my classmates had left, the kiln was opened. It was an amazing spectacle. The red-hot statues were taken out with a special tool and then dropped into an old oil barrel filled with sawdust. Every time the teacher had dropped a ceramic object into the barrel we rapidly added a few handfuls of sawdust, which of course took fire immediately. As soon as all the statues were in the barrel it was topped up with even more of the stuff. Then the lid was quickly put on the barrel and subsequently covered with a wet cloth. There was smoke, a lot of smoke, so we made sure to wait at a safe distance.

Approximately 15 minutes later the statues were taken out of the barrel and put into a big basin filled with cold water, to then be cleaned with a hard brush under a running tap, revealing the end result. The colours were stunning, a mixture of purple, blue and copper with silver and turquoise touches, reminding me of the colours of an oil leak on a puddle of water. They were better than I could have hoped for, it was a magic moment.

My hair, my skin and clothes were smelling like a wood log burned in an open fire, but I didn’t care. With my statues safely wrapped up for the journey back, I returned home. It had been a great and satisfying adventure. Three days later I was lying in bed and shaking. There was no Spanish lady to be seen. It was an earthquake, 6.5 on the Richter scale, which had woken up the entire Malaga and Granada coast region!

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