My Balinese Children's Book: Next project

This is a picture book I wrote and illustrated based on a mythological
little Balinese fairy living in Bali and a girl, named Wardani who found her.

I started this book while living in the Island of Bali, Indonesia.
Whenever I am in Bali, I try to stay in the same town called Ubud
This is the view from the porch in front of my bungalow:


I got the inspiration from one of the sketches of a particular Balinese lantern in
front of my porch which looks like this:


I imagined the little fairy living in this lantern that looks like a small Balinese temple.
The setting for my story started with this image:





Below is the porch where I sometimes wake up just before dawn ( yes--that early!)
 and I start to sketch the Balinese lantern below in the dark :

I love to wake up very early and sketch or write in my journal until
I hear the cock crows.
In Bali, you will always hear them crow when the sun rises.
They are actually music to my ears.

Here you can see one of my sketches while drinking coffee. 






Another illustration of my fairy character living in the lantern house:
More on my Little Girl in Bali story next time--to be continued....

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!

Happy New Year to Everyone!

Below are some highlights of the year 2009 for me:


1.Vietnam Trip: Bart & I went to Hanoi Vietnam  and also did the Ha long Bay Cruise.     

 
  We also did some Museum tours in Hanoi and watched the traditional Vietnamese Water Puppet s  
                          
2. Bali, Indonesia Trip: I stayed in Ubud, Bali and had my palm read by Ketut Iyer.


  


3. Philippine trip: Family reunion with my 90 yrs. old Dad and
meeting the youngest addition to our clan, Laz.
  


4. Singapore Trip: I revisited our home in Singapore where we used to live
    called the Bencoolen Residence:


   

3. San Francsico trip where I attended a childhood friend's wedding in Marin County.
  






.4 Las Vegas trip where I re-united with another childhood friend.








5. Hamburg, Germany trip:  Bart & I had a blast during the Christmas Season in Hamburg Germany:




6. Sweden Trip. I really enjoyed Stockholm!




7. I launched my online Art Shop wheer I sold some paintings and cards:

 
 8. I also launched my Creative Shake illustration Portfolio:



 9. I illustrated and wrote my first Balinese Childrens book entitled: Fairy in Bali.



10. As a member & Officer of CBIG ( childrens Book illustrators Group NYC) I designed the annual members promo postcard.





Hamburg, Germany trip 2009




Madonna Davidoff at the Winter Market in Hamburg, Germany:




I bought some real delicious german fruitcakes in this stall:











 More German Goodies:







Madonna Davidoff Shopping:













Some Hamburg Street scene:





Madonna Davidoff snacking and drinking German mulled wine:





More German snacks:




      







The night Market, Hamburg, Germany:








Some street performers:



Madonna and Bart Davidoff at night (Hamburg, Germany 2009)





At the Diechgraf Restaurant:








Another Restaurant:





Madonna Davidoff at Freiser Heller:

Stockholm Xmas Holiday trip 2009




My plane arrives in Stockholm via Amsterdam




Madonna Davidoff in Stockholm Airport



Welcome to Stockholm!



Grand Hotel Stockholm


Boat Tour Stockholm
Some Stockholm Harbor scenes from the boat:











Getting out of the boat to bus tour Stockholm:



 Bus tour Stockholm on to the Famous Vasa Museum:



In the Vasa Museum:






Swedish Winter Night market:


Buying some x'mas gifts:



Starting to Snow!!


looking for directions in Stockholm:


Found a quaint Swedish Cafe Cellar in the Old Town Stockholm:


Going down the cellar cafe:



Inside the cellar cafe:



Traditional Swedish drink and cookies:




At the Ice Bar in Sweden:







Swedish Spa overlooking the city of Stockholm:



My Nordic Hat and Mittens:




I am leaving this week for Europe and Scandinavia


I am traveling again: 
This time to Europe and Scandinavia:
below, my travel checklist:






So far, here is my European trip itenerary: Hamburg, Switzerland, Stockholm, Finland and Norway. I will be going to Scandinavia with my Swiss best friend Rose Hansen of Zurich. I am truly going " North" this time. Will be keeping warm with Schnaps on the way.

School Girl Memories: Las Vegas trip, Day 1

There is nothing like re-uniting with childhood friends and schoolmates again. I sketched this inside the plane bound for Las Vegas where my Friend, Gochi, now lives. We were classmates in a school called Maryknoll, an all girls-private school in the Philippines. Maryknoll is now called " Miriam College" but I, of course, prefer the old name Maryknoll. I have lots of good memories from that School and as an illustrator, lots of nostalgic images appear in my sketches:

This is how our Maryknoll Uniform looked like:
We were such a disciplined bunch!



Oh the Joys of Lunch break:



That's me in our grade school picture below- what a hair!


And here is Gochi:


And here we are at present: Taken in Las Vegas:


Gochi and Mado( my nickname then)





Ha Long Bay Cruise, Vietnam

Our Cruise to Ha Long Bay, From Start to Finish


Bart & I waiting for our car service to take us to our crusie ship to Ha Long Bay,
A three hour drive from our Intercon Hotel Hanoi. Ha Long Bay is a world Heritage site
and is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.



The traffic in Vietnam--filled with motorcycles, some carrying stuffs you cannot imagine:
The drive is an experience in itself.

More Motorcycles:



Stopping at a ceramic workshop where you can buy souveniers done by the disabled:




Some rural scene on the way to Ha Long Bay:




Beautiful sculptures:





The ceramic workshop:





Madonna Davidoff in the middle of two buddhas:



Finally, we reached the port to board our ship to Ha Long Bay:






Our ship the Ha Long Ginger has only 10 cabins plus an interior made up of all wood .
It resembles an old Asian sail ship. Really beautiful and cozy, plus romantic:





Having my first Vietnamese beer while waiting to board:




The captain of our ship The Ha Long Ginger





Our ship The Ha Long Ginger:



The Ship's bar:



Our Ship Guide named SON




My lifesaver--I made sure I know where it is...



Our cabin:


Our cabin bathroom:all marble


The ship dining area:


More views of Ha Long Bay( lime stone islands, lots of them)











Bart getting his coffee:






Stopping at a beach at Ha long Bay:


Another cruise ship The Indochine: a view from the beach
Madonna Davidoff at the beach in Ha Long Bay:

Bart swimming at Ha Long Bay beach:


Again, yours truly after a swim in the water:


Back again in our ship:

Bart enjoying the breeze at the top deck of the ship:
Madonna Davidoff on the top deck of Ha Long Ginger:



Approaching the Fisherman's Village: some of the fisherman's kids selling shells:


Fisherman's Village homes: All of them have TV and electrical power:













After seeing the Fisherman's village, we are now visiting the Ha Long Bay National Park:






Waiting for dinner at sunset:




Our dinner at the ship: giant prawn, Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, crab soup, grilled fish, calamari and of course dessert
The Morning after: before breakfast in the ship, more vendors -
I bought a sea shell from one of them:
Bart & I before breakfast:


This is a typical Mini Mart vendor in the sea:

After breakfast, we are now visiting one of the famous caves in Ha Long Bay:


Madonna & Bart inside the caves:


Going back to our ship after the caves:

Madonna Davidoff in a tradti0nal Vietnamese dress:
Our last lunch buffet at the ship:


An unforgetable cruise of the Ha Long Bay:
Bart and Madonna Davidoff 2009, Vietnam



Hello Hanoi, Vietnam

April 21, 2009

Landed in Hanoi, Vietnam and meeting my hubby Bart,

we checked in at The Intercontinental Hotel Westlake, Hanoi:
These are the rooms at the Intercontinental above the Westlake:



Our Bedroom at the hotel:





Below , infront of the rooms:

Bart:



Our first breakfast Breakfast in Hanoi, Vietnam: Great Buffet,
a selection of Vietnamese, French and other international dishes.









Touring the Old City , Hanoi:
The Old Twon of Hanoi, is very colorful, lots of motorbikes,
peddlers, vendors, little shops and markets:


Bart looking for directions:








I am in one of the traditional shops in the old town:







Below, I bought a custom made stamp with my signature in it:



Inside one of the small temples in the old city:




School children in the Old town:

In the French Town, Hanoi ( Influence of French Colonial time)


We had to take the motorbike: what an experience: whew! they go very fast .







Asian Trip 2009 First Destination: Bali

APRIL 9, 2009:


Here I am waiting to board the plane at JFK airport:





I'm now waiting for my flight to Singapore with stop over in Frankfurt, Germany. I'm writing this at the gate, waiting to board my plane. I've been lucky so far. I was able to get a window exit seat from my flight from NYC to Singapore. Although I checked in only one luggage, I'm glad that the lady in the Singapore Air counter was able to let my luggage go directly to Bali so that I didn't have to haul it the whole time I am in Singapore Changi Airport. Hopefully, if my plane is on time, I expect to land in Singapore very early in the morning and my flight for Bali won't be until night at 7:30 pm.

I got a window seat:







A Stop-over in Frankfurt, Germany. It will be an 11 hour flight from Germany to Singapore, where I will take another plane for my first destination -- Bali.
Arrived in Germany watching the screen for my connecting flight to Singapore:



My plane in Frankfurt:




Waiting in the boarding gate: I changed into my capri pants since
I know that when I in land in Singapore, it will be very hot and humid.



How I amuse myself during the long flight,
I did a drawing of a girl I saw traveling with her parents:






Below is my miniature art studio which I used inside the plane: The size of the sketch pad is 2x 3 inches, the colored pencil set is the size of a business card and the mechanical pencil is only 3 inches long. I also have a portable brush pen where I can put water inside: no used dipping it in water.



An aerial view of Europe:



Traveling Paper Doll

Two days from now, I'll be leaving for Asia.
I've created A Traveling Paper Doll just for you:



I used to play and make my own paper dolls when I was a kid . I still enjoy making them for my daughter Bianca to amuse herself during long trips. Now that I will be flying solo for the first leg of my trip to Singapore and Bali, I have to amuse myself for the long flight by:


Drawing...... Journaling.... finishing a draft of a picture book dummy I'm working on:


Stretching and Walking around the plane ( when there's no turbulance):



Chatting with friendly passengers (I always meet interesting people on board) :


Meditating......

Watching lots of Movies, ...


Listening to good music....Drinking lots of water so I don't get dehydatred......

and of course Reading.....


Here's my travel reading list:

See you on board!

Travel CheckList by My Fairy Talisman

For me part of the fun of traveling is the preparation and packing. Fortunately, I have my traveling Fairy friend to help me out with my checklist:

Here she is with my long list of things to pack.





Together with packing, I got my necessary vaccinations and that was part of the preparation that I didn't like since it gave me an "achy' feeling for a few days.

Then I made sure I bought enough reading materials and snacks for the long plane ride. I also packed an extra change of clothing in my handcarry backpack because when I reach South East Asia ,its going to be very hot in humid there . I will have a whole day to visit the city of Singapore before I continue my journey to Bali., my first destination. After that, it's Hanoi and then Manila.

I reserved a room at the Transit Hotel at Changi Airport in Singapore . That way I can take a nap when I arrive. I also intend to use the rooftop pool soI made sure I also packed my swimsuit and a mini sublock stick.

Of course, I haven't forgotten my mini art studio( art supplies) and my Moleskine art book.
Well, I hope I haven't forgotten anything.

My Asian Trip 2009(Bali,Hanoi,Manila)

In a few weeks, I will be boarding once again SingaporeAir . This is my favorite airline because of the superb service and comfort. I will be away for a month starting in Bali, Indonesia followed by Hanoi, Vietnam and then on to Manila, Philippines.

In Bali, I always stay in Ubud. which is considered the centre of Bali's arts and culture. It is a remarkable town in the middle of the island of Bali and the climate is a lot cooler than the rest of the island. Once a refuge for scruffy backpackers, mystics, artists and bohemians, Ubud is now home for a lot of international as well as local artists. I like staying in Ubud, because there I can paint in peace ,but at the same time have enough social interaction with other artists if I want to. At the outskirt of Ubud are beautiful ricefields, village life and local scenes where one can have a glympse of the true Balinese way of living.


The second part of my trip will be in Hanoi,Vietnam. It will be my first time in Vietnam and I'm excited about it because my hubby, Bart Davidoff ,will already be there to meet me.
Below is a Computer World article that covers a seminar in Singapore in which he moderated a discussion on information management.






The last part of my trip will be Manila, Philippines. There, I will visit my father, Jose L. Angeles who will be turning 90 years old next year and my brother Jolan and his wife Tonette, together with their daughters Amanda and Anna .

Unfortuntaley, my daughter Bianca is in College now in Florida and won't be able to come with us for this trip. The last time Bianca was with us was in Singapore and Thailand two years ago :

Bianca in Thailand :

Bianca will be missed especially by her grandfather. Our plan is to take the whole family next year to Manila again for my father's 90th birthday.

I will be in Bali, Vietnam & Manila soon!

I will be in Asia soon!


I haven't posted for awhile because I am busy arranging my next trip to Asia.
I've finally booked my flights. Next month , I will be going back to my beloved Bali, Indonesia



Then on to Vietnam to be with my hubby in Hanoi :




Lastly, I will be in Manila to visit my family before going back to the States .
Below is an original painting I did of Old Intramuros, Manila which was published as a book cover
entitled" The West & the World" written by Kevin Reilly and published by Markus Wiener Publishers

Swiss Children's Books

Goodies from Switzerland! Thank You Rose Hansen.

I had a wonderful suprise yesterday- I recieved a package from my dear friend, Rose Hansen from Switzerland. Rose sent me some vintage Swiss childrens books! I love them because I collect vintage childrens books as well as greeting cards which I have written about in my earlier posts. I love looking at the retro style illustrations from the 60's and 70's. My favorite is the Balerina, die cut book.

Below are the Swiss books she sent me:



Here are some with the black & white Illustrations by Swiss artist Godi Hofman:




Rose and I met in Fribourg, Switzerland and she has been one of my first closest friends while I was living there. It was in Fribourg where my daughter Bianca was born . We lived in Switzerland until we moved back to the States when Bianca was nine years old. Below is La Vielle Ville or the Old Town in Fribourg where we used to live in a street called Rue de la Samaritaine:



My Batik Painting in Bali, Indonesia

Batik Painting by Maria Madonna Davidoff


This is my enrty for Illustration Friday Theme Intricate.

What can be more intricate than a batik painting. Two years ago, I decided to spend
a few months in the Island of Bali , in Indonesia, to study Batik painting.



This is one of my first batik paintings of a Balinese dancer. Batik is a wax resist dyeing technique used on textile. Batik is considered as national art in Indonesia.
I've been to several Balinese performances and I was really mesmerized. It was such a mystical and wonderful experience. The dancer were almost trancelike because in Bali, everything they do creatively are offered to the gods and godesses.



Here is where I set up studio in Ubud, Bali 2007



I was taught by a Balinese teacher who held classes in his own home.
Here I am in one of my classes:




Below, I am painting my first batik with my Balinese Batik teacher Wayan:
Here you can see me applying the wax resist first:




With my Balinese Batik teacher Wayan:



Below are some of the traditional dyes I used in Bali:






This is how I use colored dyes for my batik :





This is how I dry my batik--outdoor under the sun, the natural way:
It can get very hot in Bali--As you can see in my face full of perspiration:



Finally, after a hard days work painting, here I am relaxing in front of my Bali bungalow:


This is my walkway towards the Bunglaow:





Relaxing in Ubud:




Below, I am in front of one of the Balinese temples:



Portable studio around the world (Austria)

In Austria, I was invited to participate in an International Art Symposium entitled:"Freistat Burgestein 2005" (International Art Symposium) from July 9-18, 2005 at Laengenfeld, Tirol, Austria. I had to create works which will later be exhibited in Vienna, Telfs, Miemig, :Laegenfeld


Below is where I stayed among other International artists:



And here is my small but efficient studio in Langelfeld, Austria provided by Provita Alpina.




Here I am printing in my studio-
and getting ready for the exhibit in the Tyrolean Alps:






I created my Traveling scroll series here as shown below and also participated in the outdoor exhibit as well as in the Austrian WerkMuseum in the city.






Finally, one of the reviews in an Austrian Newspaper in Tyrol. ( in German)



Portable Studio Around the World (Bali)

As I've mentioned in my previous post, I keep a portable studio that contains mini tools and materials. In Bali, I had a folding easel and stool that has a backpack attached to it . I love this piece of equipment because it is lightweight and foldable plus Ican carry my materials in it as well:




My portable easel and stool/backpack in Bali, Indonesia.
I rented a small bungalow in Ubud, Bali last 2007. I will be going back there again this year. This is me painting in front of my bungalow:


A view from my Bali Bungalow



and my Bali landscape painting: