Spain – Page 3 – Frames of Reference

Circles In Toledo

Manhole Cover

When I read what Robert Newton said in his post My Work about how he can get ecstatic with excitement when his particular method of painting works, it made me think about that feeling when a painting is all of a sudden finished, as if by magic, even though you’ve maybe spent weeks and weeks or months even, working on it. Continue reading “Waiting For Inspiration”

Wind Comb

Another type of Comb. Not the hollow in the hills of Combe, sheltered from the wind, but here is a place to witness the wind. Eduardo Chillida’s Wind Comb. Three steel sculptures anchored to the rocks at the western end of San Sebastian bay. There are also some quite effective blow-holes beneath the pavement. Continue reading “Wind Comb”

Making Paper In Andalucia

At this time of year, when the almond blossom is in full bloom and it’s often windy my terrace gets covered with blossom and I like to incorporate it into my papermaking process. Continue reading “Making Paper In Andalucia”

My Life As A Tree

Last summer on holiday in Catalonia, we visited Girona where we chanced upon this striking installation by Àlex Nogué. It occupied one room of a small municipal exhibition space, Bolit-La Rambla. It consisted of 28 sheets of paper with ink and pencil drawings on the back wall, 56 trays filled with water on the floor, 2 digital second counters on the ceiling, one counting forwards and one counting backwards. It was possible to step through the hole in the wall and walk around the installation, but really best viewed from this position where it appears framed. It seemed to be an archetype, a symbol of time & place, heaven & earth, shadow & light, growth & decay. It was so simple and elegant and memorable, and more perfect for being found by accident. Continue reading “My Life As A Tree”

A Studio With A View

A few weeks ago a friend came to see me here in Southern Spain. She told me on her last evening that one of the highlights of her stay had been making her way up the dangerously windy, steep and bumpy track to my house, which sits on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean, and seeing the view. It surprised me, although it shouldn’t have done, she’s an artist after all, and it’s true, the view from here is spectacular. Driving back down, what you see, although it’s a bit of a risk looking too much if you’re the one driving, is a huge uninterrupted expanse of blue sea and sky. And driving up it’s fields and mountains and on arrival the snow-capped Sierra Nevada. Continue reading “A Studio With A View”