The found feather

This feather was found on one of many lovely walks in the area. It is a just quick sketch using pencil.

I like to think it belonged to a Griffin Vulture, or similar large bird. It IS quite a large feather, and these birds are nearly always around, sitting on the rocks in the sun, or soaring above you on a hot air thermal. I managed to snap these with my new whizzy camera.

 

I have been very busy with my course, doing lots of sketching and painting but nothing really to put up on here. But I have been missed by at least one person, so thank you, the amazing Jo Freehand – always worth checking out what she has done each day! https://dailyrecord365.wordpress.com/ I am trying to keep up with all your blogs but with some of you posting daily, even several times a day, it can get overwhelming! But I am still here and will come and visit you soon 🙂

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Chumbas!

On the Atlantic coastline is a beautiful place called Bolonia.We met some family there last weekend to look around the visitor centre and Roman ruins (well worth a visit by the way). But I was fascinated with the cacti or chumbas as they are called here. Where we live they have all died from an awful blight and look like they have melted; a very sad sight indeed. However, these are green and full and glorious! A joy to see – so I thought I’d try and paint some. Watercolour and ink working from sketches and my  photos.

Oranges and lemons…

When we bought our house we inherited a lemon tree with an orange branch grafted onto it. It is very strange, and many people do not believe such a thing is possible 🙂 It is a magnificent tree, providing us with nearly a year round supply of lemons and Seville oranges. Well, we think they are Seville, they are quite tart but very nice added to juices.  They are full of pips though! The leaves and blossom are quite different too; the orange blossom smells glorious when it is out. The ones I picked today for this picture found the lemon leaves quite pale and yellow in comparison to the orange leaves.  Having arranged them nicely to sketch and paint, I found the leaves seem to move on their own! Most strange…..Watercolour and ink.

Our tree, just outside the back door.

Deer antler and flamenco rose

I have started my art course;  the first introductory part is really looking at HOW to study at higher level. I hadn’t picked up my pencils all week, which was most frustrating. However, at the end you choose a subject to research and I choose Georgia O’Keeffe, because her work is AMAZING and I particularly love her skulls and bones juxtaposed with flowers. So this was an excuse to do an homage to her… deer antler found by my man up in the woods and a black, silk and net rose of the sort worn by flamenco dancers. Yes, I have worn it….

Ink pot and brushes used.  Not a patch on Georgia, of course (!) but I was not too unhappy with it. 🙂

The walk up to Vulture Rock

At the north end of the village, past the campsite, is the start of a walk that can take you way up into the hills, with amazing views back of the village. It starts off as a cobble path, then the cobbles are just sort of dumped and then it’s just a rough track. I  plan to get up there with my paints and do some painting ‘plein air’ soon. It’s not really called ‘Vulture Rock’ but I call it that after a close encounter with a large eagle vulture I once had up there! (pencil sketch from my own photos)

Two days ago I got notification that I had been blogging for a year! A whole year! I now have over 240 followers (including e mail followers) which is amazing. Thank you all for your encouragement over the year. My news is that I am now officially a student and studying online to work towards getting an art degree. I may not have so much time for blogging and may not always be drawing Jimena but we’ll see how it all works out!  🙂

Flowers from the Friday market

I bought these daisies down the Jimena Friday market and started a rough sketch that afternoon. It is a real treat to get fresh flowers most weeks and they only cost a few euros. I then came down with a hideous cold and have not felt like doing anything until today, by which time a lot of the leaves were dying and the flowers had opened up…it all looked very different! Anyway, I inked it over as a fast sketch and then used some watercolour to add a splash of colour.

By the way, cold definitely caught on the plane flying back from the UK on Wednesday. I am unbearable when ill, as my poor husband will surely testify… 😉

The cork oak clings on…more adventures with my ink pot

This cork oak tree is valiantly clinging onto a collapsing bank, it is actually tilting at quite an angle and I will add some photos to show you. The cork bark has been harvested off the main trunk but not the branches, which is why they look thicker. This tree is up a steep hill over the river to the south of Jimena. I am enjoying working with my ink pot and brushes! I love the drama and simplicity of black and white with shades of grey.

I am currently in England with my parents so WiFi is limited to my Dad’s wind up machine 😉 so please forgive me if I don’t get to answer any comments quickly. I’ll catch up with you all very soon. Wendy x

The way into the woods

At the north end of Jimena de la Frontera is a lovely wooded area, with some wooden platforms/viewing points that afford amazing  views down into the river valley or back over the town. I snapped a photo of the stone steps leading up into the woods and worked from that using a pot of black ink and a couple of brushes. New year, new things to try! 🙂

Happy 2015! New Year grapes…a Spanish tradition

It is the tradition here in Spain, to eat a single grape at each chime of the clock as we move into a new year. I believe it is meant to bring luck/ward off evil/ the usual! It is actually easier if you buy the tinned ones, as they come peeled and pipless. These are neither, but temptingly lush (I confess to having a mouth watering moment and pinched one from the back of the bunch 🙂 ) You are also meant to wear red knickers so I’d better go and have a rummage through my drawers later 😉

I wish you all happiness and only good things in 2015, love from Wendy x

Bullock!

The fields around Jimena are often full of bullocks. I spotted this handsome fellow last weekend in his rather fetching yellow earrings. As a vegan, I find it best not to think about what life he will have but to focus on the fact that he is free to roam a large field and has his friends for company here and now.

This is most likely my last post of 2014. We have guests coming for the festive season so I’d better get my head out of blogging and be sociable 😉 I would like to say a big thanks to all of you for following me and for your words of encouragement. I have big plans for next year! So I wish you a peaceful solstice, a cool yule, a merry Christmas and happy holidays! See you all next year x