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.

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

Wells - Somerset - 16th to 18th August

I went with my friend Pam to this excellent city in Somerset, the smallest city in UK and we spend two and a bit days painting there - it was a rather gloomy most of the time - and it rained and rained, luckily there is plenty to admire and rejoice of in the Cathedral. The Vicars close was our first point of call - people who live there are linked with the city's music school - there is no other way - the street is amazing with the uprights of the chimneys creating a very quick rythm.
The Cathedral is set on a Green so there is enough space for its facade (full of figures) to be appreciated. Inside it has the most modern look despite all the work dating from medieval times - the double scissor arch solution to the weight of the central tower is a very clever solution and geometrically very simple and beautiful.
The Lady chapel has a green and red theme and glass windows that are in different stages of repair - quite beautiful.
The access to the chapter house is by a stair that has a complex geometry and it is very beautiful as well.
The chapter house is an octogonal room with a central column.
The back of the cathedral connects to the Bishop's palace that has a complete moat - but we left the views from its garden/orchard for another time.

 

Chapel Row - The Avenue crossroads - Bladebone pub - 360 degrees

I have done this 360 degrees sketch in three sittings (22nd June, 28th June and 6th July 2011) - the first day it was a Newbury Art Group painting day when I started it and did about 1 hour before it started to rain.
The second day I did a session of 2 hours and the third day another hour.
It is about 4 metres long so my speed is about an hour per metre.
All in black and white pencil but two types (HB the first day, very pale) and softer the other two.
What is interesting in such a long drawing is that as cars come and go and light changes all the time, one is choosing what to put in or leave out. As you turn around you are adjusting the perspective and varying the point of view. The three or four buildings at this crossroads are singular (a butcher's, a pub, a thatched cottage and a little shop). To complete the English tradition there is the typical phonebox and postbox on the wall. And magnificent trees all around that give The Avenue its explendid presence.

I show below the whole length as well as the daily outputs and a video of the whole drawing.

4m long - 360 degrees view

Day one

Day two

Day three