We’re just back from Barcelona and, as much as we have a wonderful city and home to return too… I’m still in denial that we’ve had to leave wonderful Barcelona.
It hit 37 degrees in Barcelona on the day we left, and we arrived home to the hottest day of the year in the UK so far! Even though this was around the 30 degree mark, I still really missed the air conditioning of our Barcelona apartment!
The heat did affect what we were able to do and experience a little, and it took us a day or two to adjust. I had hoped to do more on the spot sketching, but it just wasn’t really possible. Instead, I tried to capture as many references as possible and to sketch from them when we were back in the apartment in the afternoons while seeking refuge from the hottest part of the day.
I did a number of these sketches but for today and brevity’s sake, I hope you won’t mind if I just share my pick of the bunch:
It’s a simple scene but I think it captures the intense light that almost illuminates the greens of the trees before casting wonderfully dark shadows.
What I was particularly pleased about with this sketch was the figures, which I tried to spend a little more time on than I often do but without overworking them.
I daresay this trip will continue to influence the subject matter of my paintings for a long time to come. Most of the photos I took were on my camera rather than my phone and I’ve yet to download them to have a proper look through them. Fingers crossed there’ll be a few pearls amongst the inevitable duds!!