Sketches of Spain

A few days ago I posted some watercolor postcards painted while on holiday, cruising the coast of Spain. A mentioned in other posts, sketching while on vacation is a great way for me to keep working, doing my best to not only sight-see but also to look while seeing. And the sketches can serve as fodder for more ambitious works later. This time I'm posting a few more sketches, both watercolor and ink and ink along. I did these (as well as others) during the same trip.

The first is a view of La Rambla, the well-known pedestrian boulevard in Barcelona. We spent several days there (in the midst of political turmoil), including some great times in the outdoor cafes that line the street. The light is soft and dappled, owing to the enormous plane trees that provide welcome shade. Some may remember the terrible carnage of a terrorist attack there a few weeks ago. You wouldn't know it today; the streets are peaceful and filled with walkers. Terrorism simply doesn't work.

The next is a sketch of the roofline of one of Antoni Gaudi's famous designs from over a century ago, Casa Mila or La Pedrera ("the open quarry"), which was shockingly new and even ridiculed when built. Time didn't permit a visit to the interior but you can see a great deal more of Gaudi's aestheic in the museum it houses. It was originally built as a residence for a wealthy couple. You can read all about it, and see some great photos, here.

From Barcelona we sailed along the Spanish coast to Tarragona and then Cartagena, with a stop in to the famous Balearic Island, Ibiza, aboard a big contemporary four-master. The two cities are ancient, dating to pre-Roman times with heft overlays of Roman, Visigoth, Islamic and other civilizations in over two millennia of existence. Each of the two was beautiful and fascinating, and we regretted only having a day in each port--they merit longer.

Tarragona is perched on the coast and was an important Roman town. The ruined amphitheater that overlooks the sea. You can visit the theater or simply look down into it from a beautiful esplanade above. We spent some time up there, taking in the Mediterranean view. Tarragona is much smaller than Barcelona, but even in the fall of the year there are many visitors.

Although much of our visit in Cartagena was spent visiting a succession of tapas bars and restaurants--tapas being a wonderful Spanish tradition, along with a glass of wine--I did manage to visit a recently-excavated Roman theater. The theater was discovered beneath several other layers of the city. The theater dates to the time of Augustus but was covered by a later Roman market (burned by conquerers), then a Byzantine market and then a 13th century church. According to our guide, the whole thing was forgotten beneath a hillside that was eventually excavated in the late 20th century. I took some time to sketch a part of the theater.

Sketches like these can accumulate quickly. They're small but preserve enough color and detail (along with judicious reference snapshots) to provide fodder for larger work.