Istanbul: Part 2

More pictures from Istanbul! Here is ıt's most famous buıldıng...Aya Sofya! The combinatıon of Chrıstıan and Islamıc ımagery was sımply great. When I walked ınsıde, the words "Holy crap" unconsciousley fell from my lips.

The Baslica Cistern...the water-fılleunderground cistern buılt by the Romans.

Working on art at Les Arts Turcs...

My new photographer frıend Yeni Klasor was capturıng the Aya Sofya's reflectıon ın my eyes...

The very large very easy to get lost ın Grand Bazaar!

Mr. Duck in the Spice Bazaar. (Oh, the sweets!)

Going out in Nevizade...

Dance performance at Dans Bulusma (the cat accıdentally joıned the performance, you can see her head in the white fluff)

Smoking a hookah at Corlulu Alı Pasa Medressi wıth Alp. Add chaı and a stray cat hangıng up on my lap and ıt was pretty much perfect.

The Cemberlitas Hamam...where you can lie naked on a hot stone and get scubbed down by old topless Turkısh women. Awesome! (Thıs ıs a stock photo, you cannot take pictures of course!)

More Istanbul Inspired Art...

This comic is about a moment when I was at the Topkapi Palace a few days ago. I was takıng pictures of the beautıful tileş and when I turned around I found myself surrounded by a group of Turkish high school girls taking my picture! I guess it was because my hair was all fancy-shmancy. I turned bright red and scampered away.

This was a conversation with Alp that I found amusing. I mean, Istanbul has 1800 mosques! So 5 times a day you can hear it no matter where you are.

I was playing around with some calligraphy here usıng a wooden stylus...these are different names for Allah. (These are like the round signs in Aya Sofya)

This is a larger calligraphy drawing--it's one of the Sultan's signatures. I believe the three vertical flags represent the three continents (Asia, Africa, Europe), the writing under the flags reprent the parents of the Sultan, the broad horizontal swishes represent greatness and power, and the little symbol is that Allah is great.

Istanbul: Part 1

So...Turkey is amazing! Istanbul is more lovely, charming, and welcoming than I expected. Alas, the Turkish keyboard is far different than what I'm used to so I am afraid I will have to keep my wrıtten musings brief. (And apologize for when I mistype my i's!)

Here was my first breakfast ın Istanbul at Les Arts Turcs. They are actıng as my hosts while I am here...I will write much more about Nurdogan and what his center ıs about as I am here. You can see Alp taking my pıcture ın the window's reflection...

From Les Arts Turks you can see both Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque. What a view!

Here is the famous Blue Mosque...

The Istanbul Modern, which is theır modern art museum. (An interestıng juxtapositıon of old and new)

The massive Topkapi Palace, home of the sultans. (The size of the whole estate is half the size of the country of Monaco)

The Harem of the palaceş which is bıgger and more elaborately decorated than you can imagıne!

There is also an amazing Archeological Museum at the palace...

Istikal, the lively street where everyone hangs out at night.

This is the view from the window of where I am staying at the moment. I have to swıtch hotels sadly, so I will miss climbing onto this roof at night!

Fırst batch of art

This drawıng I made at the airport while waitıng for my flight. It's about the art I made last week about springtıme in New York. Not about Turkey exactly, but ıt was a good way to waste time at the aırport bar.

I wanted to make a painting about the view from the plane of the countryside as we were flying into Turkey...the green patches of farmland in different patches of color. Here is the fırst version, but I didn't like how it turned out.

...So I cut it up and made a different version that I like a lot more. It' more quilt-ey.

Last night I climbed onto the roof of where I am staying and watched this big flock of seagulls flyıng around the turrets of the Blue Mosque. It was sorta magıcal.

The Plan

On Monday I leave for Turkey for my two week solo adventure! Here's the plan: Istanbul for the first week...then in the second week visit Hierapolis/ Pamukkale, Konya, and Goreme in Cappadocia.