I have just returned from an amazing 3 week trip abroad, drawing and traveling through London and Spain. I thought I would make a little more detailed post, in order to share both some of the work and some of the sights from the past few weeks.
Work Day 1, in London. This was a trade show inside the Tower Bridge hotel in London, with the beautiful Tower Bridge in the background.
A night shot from the hotel.
A few sketches from the event...
Both with, and without hair ;)
While in London I got a chance to visit the Cartoon Museum, one block from the British Museum. This is one of many, many drawings by Ronald Searle on view. They were done for his wife, who had been diagnosed with cancer and given months to live. Each time he would visit her in the hospital, he would bring along a little drawing of her as a mole, enjoying the new home they had bought in the country. Now in her 80's, she lent the works to the museum to show how her husband's love and artwork helped to pull her through!
The interior of the British Museum. You can see almost anything here, from Greek Marbles, to Duckbilled Platypus, real mummies, samurai swords, paintings, sculptures, rare gems, truly the world's most precious artifacts, even the Rosetta Stone!
After London, I flew to Madrid!
Basque Tapas, called pinxto's. MMmmmmmm!
Guernica. It is truly enormous in every sense of the word. You can only photograph it from the previous room, but it dwarfs a human in scale. It feels like seeing an egyptian pyramid, a work of art that transcends painting.
While in Madrid, I went to the offices of Denodo and drew them up for fun as a thank you. Then they took me out for more delicious tapas and canas (small beers).
Next, Barcelona! This is La Sagrada Familia (the Sacred Family) which was begun in 1880 and worked on by Gaudi until his death. It's stunning to see such an endeavor in a contemporary time in the format of a Cathedral. Many of the craftsmen who have dedicated their lives to this building will never see the final result. They plan to finish it in 30 years from now, when I will have to make another trip to see one of the great buildings on Earth.
Interior of La Sagrada Familia...
The food markets in Barcelona are amazing!
Barcelona also holds the Picasso Museum, which owns many of his earliest works. I think he was about 6 weeks old when he penned this masterpiece.... hah, but really, amazing work done by a teenaged boy here! The first fully developed oils were from a 15 year old!
Next, Valencia! The Aquarium, designed by Santiago Calatrava! There are many amazing buildings in this park in Valencia, surrounded by 13th and 14th century architecture which makes up the living city.
Some sketches done while in the Picaso Museum.
Some sketches from Velazquez masterpiece, Las Meninas, the painting some critics consider the greatest painting ever. Seeing Goya and Velazquez at the Prado Museum in Madrid was one of the trip's highlights and something I'll never forget!
A few more sketches done in Madrid...
And now I'm back to San Francisco! I had a great time, a really wonderful experience. Much thanks to Leticia and the team at Denodo!!!!!!
