Looking towards the Plaza Puerta Cerrada

Still very grateful for some of the time I have right now to produce some personal stuff, this time another watercolor. I've been focusing on the old section of Madrid and yesterday I finished this small piece of a section of the Calle Segovia going up towards the Plaza Puerta Cerrada. The base of the granite cross that was installed there in the 19th C (apparently to conceal a water tank) can be seen in the top half of the painting, at the foot of the buildings. The plaza has this interesting name owing to the fact that the gates of the ancient Christian wall surrounding Madrid were usually kept closed and locked in this area to prevent thieves from victimizing travellers going in and out of the city.

More outdoor sketching

This time, one in watercolor and the other in oil. One in the city and the other in the hills.

I´ve been trying to exploit the old section of Madrid--aside from its rich history and old-world appeal, its numerous squares, labyrinthne streets, and typical architecture all lend themselves well as painting subject matter, whether one's goal is a finished work with a new appraoch or simply just an exercise in observation. This watercolor was more of the latter. The old Puente de Toledo over the Manzanares river in the recently refurbished Madrid Rio area...

Then there's the landscape of the north-northwestern section of the province of Madrid with its hills and valleys, dotted with bushes and juniper trees and holm oaks, all on a vast granite bedrock. This small oil (29 x 32 cms) on mounted canvas I was able to complete in about three hours and am quite pleased with.

...some progress shots of the work that day...

Sketching in Madrid

Had the opportunity to do a quick watercolor sketch today in the city. I found myself in the Retiro park area and decided on a view of a street (Alfonso XII) looking down towards the Puerta de Alcalá. It was a relativley quiet afternoon with not too many passersby. I did have a family with two little girls and a young architecture student from Serbia stop by and chat me up, which is always nice...

...and this is the little preliminary sketch in a smaller notebook...

First for the year

So, it's the new year...quite freaky when you stop to think about it for a second that it's been 19 YEARS SINCE THE TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM!!!! A child born then would now be old enough to drive, drink legally, probably voted already at least once, in his second (?) year in College, etc., etc....it's best to stop thinking about the passage of time this way, so here's the reason for my post. 

Decided to do a watercolor exercise, mostly because I think I've worked so much in oils in 2018 that I'm still de-briefing and watercolor is my go-to medium to "relax". So here....

This is an older theme of the Plaza de Platerias in Santiago de Compostela. I did this in oil some time ago, I think it's in an old post here on this blog, but I like the facade here so much that I decided to render this in watercolor. Rainy day urban scenes are so fascinating to interpret in watercolor (or in oils), just as much as a sunny urban scene with all its cast shadows...

...and this is a primary value study I did in my notebook since I wanted to break the scene down and see where all the values should lie, more or less.

I hope to do more of these watercolors in the coming days, preferably on site, but also from my own photo references if necessary...