FELIZ 2012 - HAPPY NEW YEAR

Feliz 2012! - .Happy 2012!Repasando lo que he hice en el 2011, aqui va un cuadernillo que llene este verano, es un librillo que me hice donde las hojas se doblan en tres y poder tener un formato alargado.
Looking back to my work in 2011, I found this little sketchbook I did this summer, with sheets that fold in three so that I can have a long landscape format to draw on.

Son seis dibujos de Segovia para celebrar el 2012 - these are six drawings of Segovia to celebrate 2012.

SEGOVIA desde el Pinarillo

SEGOVIA desde la Vera Cruz

ACUEDUCTO SEGOVIA

SAN LORENZO

PLAZA DE SAN LORENZO

Portal de SAN LORENZO

Flowers, more flowers and some pomegranates

Lately I have been painting flowers, anywhere around me, pots or bunches is the same. Here go some African Violets, some Paphiopedium Orchids, Agapanthus with another mysterious flower I don't know the name of, and some Hydrangeas with Orange Rosebuds. Also some Pomegranates as they are in season.
They fill with colour these cloudy days ... and while I recover from this wintery cold, I share them with you.

Ultimamente me ha dado por pintar flores, cualquiera que este a mi alrededor, en ramos o tiestos.
Aqui van unas Violetas africanas, unas Orquideas Paphiopedium, Agapanthus con otra flor rara que no se el nombre y unas Hortensias con centros de rosa (naranjas). Tambien unas Granadas que es epoca.
Todas ellas llenan de color estos dias mas bien nublados....y ahora mientras me recupero de este catarrillo invernal las comparto con vosotros.

Venezia - 11th October 2011

Venice in October - there i was a bit jelaous of the sketcrawls around the world that i was missing but here I was in Venice where I manage to escape from the family group and spend a whole day sketching - what a luxury. Here go the sketches. Enjoy
Estaba yo un poco envidiosa de todos los que podian ir al sketchcrawl en Octubre pero un poco antes estaba en Venezia donde me pude escapar un dia del grupo familiar para dibujar. Me lo pase en grande.
Aqui van mis sketches.

Un lujo para la vista y con suerte el tiempo estaba templado y con buena luz.
Para empezar unas vistas de canales.
A luxury and with good weather - to start with a view canal views.

El Gran Canal (arriba) como siempre a tope de trafico de barcazas y gondolas.

Grand Canal (above) as usual with busy traffic of boats and gondolas

Scala del Bovolo (abajo) - espiral exterior - el palacio esta en reconstruccion.

Scala Bovolo (below) - with its external spiral staircase - the palace is under refurbishment.



Atardecer en la plaza de San Marcos - la luz disminuia ya y las sombras cambiaban rapidamente.

Late afternoon in San Marcos piazza - the sun was settign and the shadows quickly changing.



Lake Garda Marathon

Estuve en Malcesine (Lago de Garda, Italia) este fin de semana esperando a que mi suegra acabara la maraton. Mientras haciamos tiempo fuimos al castillo, y desde la torre dibuje los tejadillos.Aqui van.
We were in Malcesine (Lake Garda, Italy) last weekend to support my mother in law who was running the marathon. While we waited for her arrival we went to the castle and from the tower i drew the rooftops.

Antes del maraton vimos prepararse a los corredores, estirandose, las bicis de mano calentando, los del puesto de ambulancia esperando, los corredores esperando la salida...
Before the marathon we saw the runners getting ready, the hand cycles warming up, the ambulance crew at the ready, the runners waiting to start...

Y luego ya corriendo durante los ultimos km - dificil coger el movimiento. Despues de llegar envueltos en papel de aluminio.
And running during the last few miles, quite difficult to catch them whilst moving. And after the arrival runners were covered in aluminium sheets.

i phone boggle

Hoy me he levantado oyendo la noticia de la muerte de Steve Jobs y me he dado cuenta que estaba jugando al Boggle en mi iphone. Era una partida buena asi que aqui va en homenaje a Mr Jobbs que ha hecho nuestro mundo mucho mas movil - ya veremos si para mejor. La foto tambien la hice en el iphone pero el posting no me temo que es desde mi hp pc.El dibujo Bic cuatro colores - el clasico.
La partida de Boggle - hay mas de 300 palabras de tres letras o mas (en ingles) en esta partida.

I got up today to the news of the death of Steve Jobs and realized i was playing boggle on my iphone. It was a good game so in homage to Mr Jobs who made our lives much more mobile, not sure if that is a good thing, here it goes. The photo also done with my mobile but i am afraid the post is from my hp pc.
The drawing with 4 colour Bic pen - the classic.
On the Boggle game there are over 300 words of 3 or more letters in this game - enjoy.

Saltaire - Yorkshire - September 2011

Saltaire is one of my favourite towns where i keep returning through the years. Near Shipley in Yorkshire it was once part of the industrial revolution that brought textile industry to the area. Titus Salt created a model village for his workers in the 1850s and Salts Mill opened in 1853 - this is now the name of the gallery in the same space which is a showcase of David Hockney's work through his life - there are etchings and photographs and opera sets and faxed pieces and paintings and videos and digital paintings (created in photoshop or ipad). The building also houses a bookshop and a dinner, florist, kitchen shop, antique shop and restaurant.
Below some drawings of the exhibition space on the third floor and views from the restaurant.

This year I walked around in the park and got some distant views - this one combines the bandstand, dome of the church and sculpture of Titus salt. The bandstand is pink!

And I discovered the New Mill just next to Salts Mill which has a very attractive tower. Along the canal one gets the force of the towering buildings.

We also visited Leeds where there is a new cafe in the old Library which is decorated all with tiles of various colours - mainly green.

 At my friends house she had some amazing dried alliums so i could not resist them.

North Spain August/September

Finally we visited the North of Spain, after many years thinking about it - we decided to draw a triangle - from Segovia to Coruna and Santiago - Galicia has plenty of windmills and some lovely lonely beaches , then Asturias (Aviles, Gijon, Picos de Europa - where we did a 15km walk), Santillana del Mar in Cantabria - visited the reproduction of Altamira caves - and then Bilbao (the Guggenheim has transformed it) and La Rioja - with a very interesting little church in La Guardia - painted stone portico (as Santiago would have been) but in good condition as it is protected from rain and wind. Santo Domingo de La Calzada - a non stop stream of pilgrims to Santiago - and Burgos with a very modern Evolution Museum that exhibits rest of the local Homo Antecesor species a mere 1million years old.And back to Segovia.
I am a little glad to resume the routine and not sleep in a different town each day. Despite the rain and autumn feeling spreading over Newbury.

Below some sketches done along the way:
Galicia - Windmills

Beaches in Galicia.

Gijon - San Pedro and Palacio Revillajijedo

Cangas de Onis and Picos de Europa

Santillana del Mar

Bilbao - Guggenheim - inside (pencil) - it is a very complex building and difficult to sketch - people give and idea of scale - especially liked the Richard Serra sculptures which are simple and playful and explore spacial relationships.
outside - two watercolours - interesting to capture the light that changes the building (reflections and shades) all the time.

La Guardia and Santo Domingo de la Calzada