MARBELLA FOR GABRIELA, watercolors on black canvas

MARBELLA FOR GABRIELA, watercolors on black canvas, 16x20 in.

As I said in my previous post: "Sevilla for Gabriela", I prepared these two compositions of small watercolors as a special present for my daughter Gabriela, who lives in Sevilla and vacations in Marbella, Spain. These are watercolors done over several years, on my visits there. The last two, at the bottom of this collection, were done in the airplane one very early morning, leaving to Paris. I had both views, AT THE SAME TIME! to my left: the sky with the moon and an engine, to my right, the sun coming up on the horizon. It was incredible!!! I had to paint it!!!

SEVILLA FOR GABRIELA, watercolors on black canvas

SEVILLA FOR GABRIELA, watercolors on black canvas, 16x20 in. canvas.

I have been visiting my daughter Gabriela in Sevilla, Spain, for over 15-18 years. I sketch and paint small watercolors and "carnet de voyages" wherever I go. A couple of months ago, revisiting my travel sketchbooks I realized I had a good collection of small watercolors done in Sevilla over the years, and decided to put them together in some way. I selected a few, tried different ways, finally deciding on a black canvas background. I glued "photo corners" on the canvas, so each watercolor could be viewed like this, all of them together, but also you could take one out and see the reverse, where typically I write the title and/or date of the painting. I made this one with all paintings done in Sevilla, some inside my grand-daughter's bedroom, and the other canvas are watercolors in Marbella.

CATEDRAL, SEVILLA, watercolor sketch

CATEDRAL, SEVILLA, watercolor sketch, painted on location - plein air- while visiting my daughter Gabriela in Sevilla, a few years ago. It is a very small watercolor sketch, probably 4 or 5 inches long, and 2 inches wide. The view is from an archway nearby, I think it was from El Patio de los Naranjos,  I am not sure. Sevilla, Spain, beautiful city. The Cathedral is gorgeous inside and out. Go visit!

SEVILLA, OLD AND NEW, watercolor sketch

SEVILLA, OLD AND NEW, 4x6 in. watercolor sketch, painted on location six or seven years ago. Each time I visit Sevilla, Spain, I walk around town marveling at the beauty of these old buildings. They have the system of public bicycles, many stations around town where you can rent a bike for an hour or more, and return it in a different location. It is a great system, and very convenient for a city relatively flat,  and so beautiful! Behind the guy is one of the typical old walls, I think it was the wall to the Jardines de Murillo.

EL ALJIBE, MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES DE SEVILLA, watercolor

EL ALJIBE, MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES DE SEVILLA, watercolor in my sketchbook.

It is such a pleasure to visit this art museum, every time I'm in Sevilla, Spain. In my experience, it is always open, free, and with patios to rest between visiting galleries of paintings and standing on your feet for a long period. Then a patio with plants, a water fountain, or an "aljibe"= water well, appears for your rest and comfort. It is walking distance from downtown's El Corte Ingles, from the famous bar "La Campana", and the elegant shopping Calle Sierpes.  When I rest for a few minutes, I do a little sketch or watercolor, like this one painted a few years ago.

SEVILLA, FUENTE AVE. DE LA BORBOLLA, watercolor

SEVILLA, FUENTE AVE. DE LA BORBOLLA, watercolor, 4x6 in. painted in 2012, during a trip to Sevilla, Spain. I love to do small watercolors when traveling. Sometimes I do the drawing with a black ink pen, then watercolor, sometimes I do a quick sketch with a pencil.  It seems that this one didn't have a pen drawing.

SEVILLA, Rio Guadalquivir, watercolor sketch in art notebook

SEVILLA, RIO GUADALQUIVIR, watercolor sketch in art-notebook.
Beautiful river in Sevilla, Spain, where two clubs on the river allow people to do canoeing, kayaking, and other water sports. La Torre del Oro, where once the Spanish conquerors deposited the gold they brought from the Americas, stands still, watching time go by...
I painted this sketch while navigating in a turist cruise along the river at sunset.

Antiquarium Museum, Sevilla, watercolor and ink

Antiquarium Museum, Sevilla, Spain, watercolor of ancient tiles in my art-notebook.

A few years ago, they started excavating in downtown Sevilla to build a much needed underground parking, and found: treasure!!! Ancient ruins from the Phoenicians and Romans dating back more than 2000 years! Among them, beautiful tile floors of ancient homes, workshops, etc. They built a very modern, interactive museum with their findings instead of the proposed parking space.

This is the most comprehensive collection of archaeological treasures from this city. I strongly recommend visiting it. It is underneath "Las Setas", a modern structure in the shape of mushrooms, in front of Plaza de la Encarnacion, downtown Sevilla.

SEVILLA, VISTA DESDE LA CAMPANA, watercolor and ink

SEVILLA, VISTA DESDE LA CAMPANA, watercolor and ink, 6x9 in.
La Campana is a wonderful bar with outdoor tables, in the heart of Sevilla. This is where the classy calle Sierpes ends, and a few steps from this corner you can visit the 5 story high El Corte Inglés, and have a glass of Cava (champagne) in the terrazza, overlooking the city.

Or, from this same corner, you can walk a few steps in the opposite direction, and visit "Las Setas", and its incredible museum: Antiquarium de Sevilla. Either way, Sevilla has it all, ancient, ultramodern, and you hear English, French, and a few other languages as often as Spanish!

Paseo por Sevilla, Spain, watercolor

Paseo por Sevilla, Spain, watercolor, 6x12 cm (2x5 in)
Typical stroll in downtown Sevilla's "Barrio Santa Cruz", very romantic. Sevilla is a wonderful city to visit any time of the year, but in the Spring, it is especially attractive, when all the orange trees in the city are in bloom. The perfume of the orange blossoms goes to your head and makes you dizzy with pleasure and delight. Sometimes, you can even smell it as far as the airport, as soon as you get off your plane. In the past two years, downtown Sevilla is particularly attractive, since you can ride a very modern and silent tramway, which slithers through the ancient buildings. This sleek  tramway has very wide and high glass sides, which allows for a perfect view of the buildings, parks, cyclists, horse-drawn carriages, etc. Enjoy!

Plaza de Espana, Sevilla

Plaza de Espana, Sevilla, watercolor, 11x14", available. Sevilla a beautiful city in Andalucia, where the mood is joyful, musical, full of energy.

Felix Ziem (1821-1911)  was one of the first artists to make the notion of "series" systematic, an idea prevalent in modern art. Ziem learned the representation of light from the Venitian artists Guardi and Canaleto.

Alcazar de Sevilla, watercolor alla prima

Alcazar de Sevilla, Spain, watercolor alla prima, 4x6" (10x15cm.) Available.
When the king and queen of Spain visit Sevilla, they stay here. Over 700 years ago, the Moors lived here, and they had built this palace with lavish gardens, water-fountains, and beautifully decorated walls, ceilings, gates and patios. It's an amazing place to visit and spend an entire day immersed in centuries old beauty. When I go to Sevilla, I love to spend at least an afternoon in the Alcazar, and paint a couple of watercolors. This one is a small sketch from 2010.

Iglesia de Alex, Sevilla, Spain

Iglesia de Alex, watercolor, 7x5", available. This is a church in Sevilla, Spain, where Alex did her first communion a few years ago.
Art history began to be established in the 18th C. In A BRIEF HISTORY OF PAINTING by Roy Bolton, I've read: "The history of painting is the history of humanity's struggle to come to terms with its predicament. The reasons we're interested in art are the same reasons why we are interested in religion, philosophy or science. This is why great art is never only about beauty; it is also about the recognizably valuable human experience that it transfers from one person to another."

Sevilla!

Sevilla! watercolor on Yupo, 17x23" (43x57cm.) framed, $200 US at SDAI: Museum of the Living Artist, Balboa Park, San Diego, California. Opening Reception Saturday November 26th, 5:00-8:00pm. This show is called: "C-NOTE", because all the paintings in this show are either 100, 200 or 300 dollars, and you take the painting you like off the wall, walk to the tables set up at the exit, pay and take the painting home with you. It's a fun and very popular show. People wait in line before doors open, so come early!!
Sevilla! acuarela sobre papel Yupo. Esta pintura esta por $200 dolares en SDAI: Museo del Artista Viviente, Balboa Park, San Diego, California. La recepcion de apertura es el sabado 26 de noviembre, de 5:00 a 8:00 de la tarde. Este show se llama "C-Note" porque todas las pinturas en este show valen 100, 200 o 300 dolares, y tu sacas la pintura de la pared, vas a las mesas dispuestas a la salida, pagas y te llevas la pintura a casa contigo. Es un sistema divertido y muy popular. La gente espera en cola antes de que abran las puertas, asi que ven temprano!

432 years later...

432 Years Later, watercolor, 14x21cm. The Iglesia de la Anunciacion, in Sevilla, was built 432 years ago. Like all churches, it was intended for people to look up, to God and what The Church represented at that time. Today in Sevilla, they've recently inaugurated a very modern building in the shape of a champignon, or umbrella, with a wonderful view of all Sevilla from a pathway on the top. Among other things, you can see the Church of the Anunciation's rooftops. It's a very interesting view. At the bottom of this exotic building, there is a museum of roman ruins from around two thousand years ago. The museum has been set with good lighting, explanations, short videos telling the different stories. You need an hour and a half for a complete tour of the underground museum.
432 Anos Mas Tarde, acuarela, 14x21 cm. La Iglesia de la Anunciacion, en Sevilla, fue construida hace 432 anos. Como todas las iglesias, la intencion era que la gente mirara hacia arriba, a Dios y todo lo que la Iglesia representaba. Hoy en Sevilla, acaban de inaugurar un edificio moderno, en forma de hongo o sombrilla, con una vista maravillosa de toda Sevilla desde el camino ondulante de arriba. Entre otras cosas, puedes ver los techos de la Iglesia de la Anunciacion. Una vista muy interesante. En el subsuelo de este edificio exotico, hay un museo de ruinas romanas de hace unos dos mil anos. Este museo ha sido preparado con buena luz y explicaciones, videos cortos contando las distintas historias. Necesitas una hora y media para hacer el tour completo del museo bajo tierra.

Sketch-La Pila del Pato

La Pila del Pato, watercolor in my sketchbook. This is a fountain in the Plaza San Leandro, in Sevilla. The "plaza " surrounded by buildings hosting apartments, Manuel's Restaurant, the Arco Iris Foundation, and Galeria Murnau, is shaded by beautiful trees, and the sound of the water in the fountain adds to a feeling of peace and rest.
La Pila del Pato, acuarela en mi cuadernillo de viajes. Esta fuente esta en al Plaza San Leandro, en Sevilla. La plaza, rodeada de edificios de departamentos, el Restaurante de Manuel, la Fundacion Arco Iris, y la Galeria Murnau, esta sombreada por hermosos arboles, y el sonido del agua de la fuente contribuye a una sensacion de paz y descanso.