Sketching Europe
Hello, friends and family!
Delighted to share with you this month my sketchbook from our trip to Europe. We were so excited to head to Spain and France. Our son Sebastian had been studying in Spain for a year, and we were heading to pick him up. We had missed him sorely.
It also happened to be the occasion of my 60th birthday and my husband’s 64th birthday. We love to do something special for our big birthdays, and my husband surprised me by arranging this fabulous trip to Europe. And because my son’s school was so close to France, Vern delighted me by arranging for us to travel to the southern tip of France on the Mediterranean coast.
Quelle Surprise! I lived in France for one year way back in the ‘80s. I’ve loved all things French and have adored Europe ever since, so you can only imagine my combined ecstasy at seeing my son and getting to travel Europe at the same time.
The other delightful part of this joy was that my other two adult children were able to figure out their busy schedules to come with us. What a miracle! I can’t even adequately express just how wonderful it was to have the entire family together on this trip.
Of course, I wanted to capture my emotions on paper. I’m still relatively new to travel sketching, so I’m still learning what supplies are the best to take. And, I must admit, my style and capabilities are growing as well, but I was determined to do the best I could.
The first step was finding a sketchbook worthy of the trip. I have enjoyed the ones I’ve taken in the past, but I wanted to have a companion with me that increased my pleasure and, thereby, increased my desire to make the time to work in it.
I stumbled online into a brand of sketchbook with a leather cover and real 100 percent cotton rag watercolor paper. Just perfect! It is beautiful and was exactly what I hoped for.
The name of the company is Arkademie. These sketchbooks are created in Singapore. I love the way they feel in the hand, I love the leather, I love the paper. I also love the ability to work across the page.
Their website is on the card pictured above. But in case you missed it, you can find these gorgeous sketchbooks at www.arkademie.com I encourage you to check it out.
For me it’s a bit intimidating to share my sketchbook with you. I find sketching on a trip to be a real challenge. I want to be spending each treasured minute experiencing the delights around me and not head down trying to create art; so I hope that you will enter into the joy of the experience and not judge me on the quality of the work.
I also hope that by being brave and sharing with you my artistic journey, once again, it will inspire you to give a go at trying this yourself. While it’s not easy to find moments to create, moments can be found if you’re determined to find them.
For example, the first entry that I’m choosing to share with you is from a painting on the wall in a hotel room. This was done after a long day of travel. I was exhausted. Somehow this butterfly was easy enough to capture and stimulated a creative moment.
This is a quick sketch out my hotel window in Barcelona, Spain. Vern and Madeline had gone to the airport to arrange for our rental car, the boys were resting, and I chose art! Spending time studying a subject, creates a whole new dimension of memory.
I absolutely adore the detail of the windows and doors in Spain and France. This is a very quick sketch of a window in Madrid, Spain. I didn’t have the time to capture the architectural detail precisely, but the sketch does capture my joy and the essence of the moment.
I can’t even adequately express to you the joy this sketch brings. After crossing over into France, we spent a day in Banyuls-sur-Mer. This is a small commune in the Pyrenees-Orientales department in Southern France. It was first settled by Greeks in 400 BCE, and I was there!
While some of the family took the time to swim in the Mediterranean Sea, I rented a beach chair and umbrella and soaked in some me time with my sketchbook. What joy! This sketch is a quick collage of what I was looking at. The sights and sounds and feelings are flooding back to me. What a moment in time.
This sketch is another good example of how this particular sketchbook allowed me to work flat across the page. This is the view out the back window of our VRBO in Saint-Cyprien. This was our home for several days, and I’m so glad I took the time to capture this.
There are memories that are not photography subjects or fine art subjects, but what sketching does for me is it allows for memories to be captured that otherwise could be forgotten. This sketch brings back memories of grocery shopping, fixing meals together, the washing machine whirring away while the suds sloshed in the kitchen. But most of all, it brings back the memory of hanging out laundry in the sun-drenched dreamland of Occitanie, France.
Zaragoza, Spain. What a place! This was by far my favorite hotel. Hotel Sauce. I recommend this boutique hotel in Spain. Pure joy!
This is a quick sketch I did of a gateway in Montpellier, France. We were so lucky. Sebastian had a friend whose family lives here, and they gave us a personal tour of this lovely city.
Every corner was amazing. We stood with our heads tilted back most of the day gazing at the marvels of architecture that surrounded us every moment. I had to steal some time, when I got back to our lodging, to at least capture some of the light I had experienced this marvelous day.
You can tell this was a fast one. Lol! This is a sketch from Collioure, France. And if you think I’ve raved about our trip so far…
This was definitely the place of my dreams. This charming French village nestles in a valley on the Mediterranean. It sparkles and dances in the light.
This sketch is of the bridge that leads to the castle that looms high over the commune. My senses were on overdrive here. I was ready to drop anchor and move in, for sure.
“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”
I have been guilty of saying, “Europe is my Disneyland!” Nothing illustrates my meaning better than the city of Carcassone. This place is magical, simply put.
Here is a city entirely functioning still within ramparts. Its spires and turrets are many. We were encouraged to go here by friends, and we in turn encourage you. Definitely a memory to treasure.
All good things must come to an end. It was time to wend our way home, but we have one more exquisite delight before heading out.
We made our way back to Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, and spent a glorious afternoon enjoying La Sagrada Familia. This cathedral in the heart of Barcelona has made its reputation as being the cathedral that has never been finished. It’s the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church. It was designed by Antoni Gaudi, who passed away in 1926!
Its style is hard to pinpoint. It’s a combination of Gothic Revival, Art Nouveau, and Modernista design. Its groundbreaking was in March of 1882, 140 years ago.
This sketch was a copy of something someone else had done. Madeline purchased a darling bag in the gift shop that had this famous sketch. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the artist, but I had a fun time sitting in our hotel room trying to capture its essence.
Well, friends, no explanation needed. A random moment in the airport as we awaited our flight. Flights sometimes delay. We had an extra day on our vacation and another stolen moment for the sketchbook.
Thanks for joining me. I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into my sketchbook and heart. We had a fabulous once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was fun to share it with you.
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