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I have no idea how to order coffee in Portuguese, there are so many kinds and they take their coffee seriously. So I took a cue from an American friend who has lived there for a year — she ordered "white coffee" and so did I. Maybe it's a latte? Maybe cafe au lait? Cappuccino? All I know is, it was delicious every day with my pastel de nata, the traditional Portuguese egg custard tart dusted with cinnamon. Oh. My. God.
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So why didn't I get to do as much as I wanted to do while I was in Portugal?
You guessed it. I got Covid.
I did get to do some of that stuff. (Mostly the coffee and pastries.) But I also spent some unanticipated time in bed, canceled yoga in favor of seaching for doctors and farmacias, and generally felt like not moving much. Thank goodness my sister was with me to get out to a pharmacy, help me find an urgent care, bring me tea and ham and cheese croissants (the only things I could think of eating), and generally take care of things while I recuperated.
Alas, my sketchbook is not as full as I had hoped. But I did get in a bit of sketching before I got sick, and I found the energy for one drawing after, so, as promised, here you go!
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Our first town was Tavira, in the east near Spain. The beaches are wide and fabulous, with comfortable cabanas and loads of great restaurants right at the beach.
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I visited the Algarve area of Portugal, the southernmost region. I chose it because of the history as well as the warm weather and beaches, and I was not disappointed. Stunningly beautiful, historic, friendly, comfortable, easy, fun, and fantastic food. My reservations for next spring are already set!
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I love the architecture in Portugal. The buildings are so interesting and so much fun to draw. I had to stand in the middle of the street in Tavira to catch this scene — there isn't often a bench right where I need one!
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What I love about sketching is that I can often get a "feel" of the place in a quick sketch that I can't get in a photo. It's my personal memory that can't be found on a postcard. I can leave things out — like the ugly modern buildings that kind of ruin the picturesque look of the scene, and I can change the weather and the light if I want to! I think a sketch adds so much personality to a location, it's just addicting to me.
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Every flat we stayed in had a rooftop terrace, so fabulous for beginning and ending our days. The views from our terrace in Tavira were excellent, with a 360 degree view of the old historic center of town. In the above drawing I chose not to include the modern apartment buildings in the distance, and you can't really tell that the day is overcast, which I think makes the photo look a bit depressing.
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This quick sketch, above, is of Tavira's famous Roman footbridge, also viewed from our terrace.
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After standing for a few of the drawings, I finally got smart and brought a folding chair from our apartment to this street scene in Alvor. (Okay, it was actually my sister who thought of bringing the chair!)
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This rocky beach below is along the cliff walk on the way to Ponta da Piedade in Lagos.
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We didn't make it all the way to the end of the point as I didn't have the energy post-Covid, but we did find a lovely spot to make a quick sketch.
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| Cobblestone street patterns from Tavira, Alvor, and Lagos, below. |
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These sketches, both prints and originals, as with all my artwork, are for sale. They're not on my website, so please email me if interested.
Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my art (and my trip!),
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Recently sold:
"I won't hesitate," 20 x 20" mixed media on gallery wrapped canvas.
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