A few shots of what’s been keeping me busy lately!
Brainstorming and initial sketches
Final Composition
The painting part is all done! Now all that’s left is adding the ink details. Easier said than done as this piece is tiny, only 15 x 15 cm. I’ll keep you updated on how it goes! Can you guess what it represents / what it’s for…? All will be revealed soon!
Granada is a place of extremes, the weather included. There are really only two seasons: summer and winter. Spring and autumn are generally three days in between where it either goes from freezing cold to boiling hot or vice-versa. Of course there are weeks when it is that little bit hotter or colder than the others but in general, that’s it.
I have to admit it’s a climate that takes a bit of getting used to. In the winter it’s cold. I mean, not like Russia or anything. As long as you go out sensibly dressed with your winter warmers on, it’s fine. There are usually a few weeks in which the wind is really biting, blowing down off the snow-covered Sierra Nevada. During those periods you would not recognise me in the street. In fact, the best way to pick me out in a crowd would be by searching for the person wearing 12 layers, a massive coat, 2 scarves, a hat, gloves, leg warmers and big boots. Of course once you start moving you’re absolutely boiling and going for a drink in a bar means rapidly stripping off and piling all your garments up in a precarious pile wherever you can find a space (usually on top of the cigarette machine).
As I said, Granada is a land of extremes. Something that continues to surprise me every year is just how quickly you are thrown from one to the next. Get a sunny day in winter and you’ll be sweating in a T-shirt under the rays but step into the shade or get caught out without a coat when the sun goes down and it’ll definitely feel a bit nippy! In the winter it seems impossible that it could ever be so hot in the summer and in the summer you completely forget about the winter chills. It’s so different that you literally can’t imagine the opposing season could ever exist in the same place.
Look at me being all British and writing up a storm about the weather! You can take the girl out of England… What got me started on all of this was that today is officially the first day of spring! I’m so excited for Granada to realise and get its spring on! Once spring melts into summer you can walk around day and night in shorts and T-shirt, go sit in a square with friends in the evening with a few bottles of vino and snacks or terrace hop, enjoying a different tapa with your drink at each bar along the way. Life here is lived outside or, as a Spanish friend said the other day while practising his English, “In Granada, we all live on the street”!
To celebrate and encourage the arrival of spring I’m offering a 5 euro discount on all my art in my Etsy shop until 20 April! I hope to add some new prints as well as bigger sizes in the next few weeks so keep on the lookout! Just enter the coupon code PRIMAVERA2013 at the checkout to get your 5€ off! If you have any problems or queries at all, just get in touch with me. Enjoy!
I’m a featured artist in Alberta Gallery, an online art gallery curated by Russian photographer Serge Kireev. When he accepted my submission and published my page I laughed so hard when I saw the phrase he’d chosen from my “about me” for the huge white header: “I am always up for a game of Pooh Sticks!” Most of the other artists had much more serious sounding headers and bios, I realised as I clicked through. However, upon reflection I decided it was actually perfect and really sums me and my art up pretty well! Excellent choice, Serge!
For those of you who don’t know what Pooh Sticks are, first of all I find it extremely sad that you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Winnie the Pooh and experiencing A.A.Milne’s fantastic world and E.H.Shepherd’s beautifully charming and endearing illustrations. You must go out and get yourself a copy right now! It doesn’t matter how old you are or where you’re from, these books’ innocent little pearls of wisdom will come in handy at some point, guaranteed. Who knows when you might meet a heffalump, set out to discover the North pole or get stuck in a rabbit hole after visiting a friend for tea?
I read these books all the time as a child, together with my Mum doing the voices, or just me! I still have all my copies and get one out every now and again if I need a laugh or want to escape the world for a little while. Perhaps the greatest gift of all was learning about Pooh Sticks and the hours and days of fun spent outside playing on various bridges dotted around the countryside where I lived.
In fact, just the other day I went on a family walk around Padul, a town a little outside of Granada on the way to the coast, and what did we happen upon but a marsh and some sticks! A great time was had by all and I also managed to pick myself up a classy new extra-tall walking stick perfect for marshland and high jumping. Bonus!
Tag, you’re it! If you don’t know how to play Pooh Sticks, click here to find out. Now the weekend is upon us, get some friends together, go find yourself a bridge with running water, gather a few sticks and let the fun commence! Happy weekend everyone! Natasha x
