Spain Art Residency Revisit Part 3 - Working in Cádiz

This was my very first sketchbook entry in Cádiz. I already saw something different here. I was jet lagged when I drew it, but I also felt a change in the colors I was using and the abstract feel. I think the colors and lighting of the city had something to do with it. 

The table on a very productive workday

There were days when I just had work everywhere: laid out on the floor, taped to the wall and covering the table. I was experimenting far more here than I had been back home.

Cut-out drawings

Amy Podmore's painter's tape legs

We had a huge rooftop to go out and work on. I didn't spend much time working there, but did take my coffee out there when I arrived each day. One of the other artists in residence, Amy Podmore, created these legs with blue painter's tape. She made one each day. It was really cool to watch this evolve. Her work is amazing. 

Piles and piles of work

I literally could not stop making work while on this residency. The horizon line between the sky and sea endlessly inspired me, as well as random memories of my past. In fact, that was one of the most eye-opening aspects of being out there: being away from home and familiar circumstances causing me to revisit past experiences that I had not thought of in a long time. 

The stone sketch that inspired the life-sized fireplace installation

Dioramas, collage, installations, drawings... Rewriting this post reminds me that I have a lot of unfinished ideas to pursue. 

One thing I loved is how much I painted from my imagination in Cádiz. I often begin a drawing with either a photograph or life reference. The above painting was inspired by the forts I made as a kid, but from my imagination. 

This is one of my diorama ideas that I got really excite about while out there. I had stripes of watercolor that I cut loosely with an X-acto knife. I lay these in front of the Blanket Fort painting and really liked what was happening. I wanted the idea to relate to memory and how it becomes harder to remember the whole picture clearly. 

I'm looking forward to my upcoming show at The Arsenal in February 2016. I think you'll find a lot of influence from this time period. Thanks for following along in this series! It will continue through December. 

Spain Art Residency Revisit Part 2 - Around Cádiz

Cádiz is located on a small strip of land, surround by the sea on three sides. They say it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe. It is one of the safest, prettiest and most magical cities I have been to. The lighting, color and people are enough to make you feel like you stumbled on a different world, one where time has stood still with hints of modernity. While I was there, I decided to see where it was on the latitude compared to here in San Jose. Funny enough, Cádiz is at 36.53 degrees north and San Jose is at 37.33 degrees north. Just about one degree of separation. I ended up drawing a lot of comparisons by location, weather, population and more while I was there and incorporating it in my art work.

There are many streets like this, open to pedestrians and motorcycles, but generally not cars. When you do see cars, they are small and modest.

Balcony and rooftop

Airplant

Apartment courtyard with oh so many plants

The balconies and rooftops alone made me want to live here. Not to mention that everyone decorates their homes with so many plants.

Classic Spain right here. People eating outside in the plaza, random accordion player and cobblestone. I passed this plaza, Plaza del Mentidero, everyday on my way to the art studio. 

A woodshop open to the street. I loved finding artisans working in these arched doorways. This is one of several I passed by.

Citywide, you can walk along the city walls. On sunny days, the water had an aquamarine hue, unlike any other ocean I have seen. 

Along the southern wall, Parque Genoves is a landscaped area and nearby you find checkerboard floors and the balcony that overlooks the ocean. Seeing this everyday made me feel like I was in a lost Bergman film or storybook. 

Just some birds and a walkway to a castle

A sea cat on the city wall looking out at New Town.

Among the blocks, I found dozens of cats living and hunting for food. One day, I smelled something terrible and when I peered over, found the cats eating a sea gull. Live nature show.

The domed Gran Catedral is one of the most notable buildings in Old Town. It was such an icon for me, since I sketched it before I left on my trip. Walking through the city was something I did daily. Things felt very intuitive here. Unplanned and spontaneous. 

More to come...including the food and working in the studio...

Spain Art Residency Revisit Part 1

It's been a year since I spent a November in Cádiz, Spain for an art residency. At that time, I thought I would write about it here, but it ended up that I preferred to spend my time exploring the city or working in the studio rather than be on a computer.

I thought this November would be a good time to share more about this trip in detail. I can't tell you how much I've thought about this time in the past year. Going through the photos actually makes me pine for going going back. Throughout this month, I will be sharing the time I spent in Spain and Morocco.  

From San Francisco, I landed in Madrid. Shortly after, this tiny plane sent me from Madrid to Cádiz, landing me at my destination on November 1st, 2014. From the airport, the landscape looked a bit like the farmland in close by areas of California. The feeling of driving through and wondering what I was in for is the magical thing about travel. 

These are the city walls of old Cádiz. Arriving here and seeing this beautiful old place was the most exciting thing. 

The Gran Catedral along the promenade. Residents walk, run and bike this route around the city. I had many quiet moments wandering along it.

I sketched this painting of Cadiz before I left. You can see the Gran Catedral in the background. 

My welcome tote bag, button and postcard that highlights where I stayed during my residency. You can see the location is right on the Atlantic Ocean. The Espacio de Creación Contemporánea was a former military barrack and now a gorgeous marble-filled museum space. The residency is on the top floor. 

This is the map of where all the Linea de Costa artists came from. You can see that artists have been selected from just about every continent. You can see my flag on the West Coast in California. 

This was my kitchen of the apartment for the month. There was hand painted tile, a washing machine and all the basics one would need. The bathroom also had similar hand painted tile work. 

And the studio view I had everyday. I couldn't ask for anything better. 

More to come next week!