A Day Trip to Tossa de Mar

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A view of The castle of Tossa de Mar known as Vila Velha from an apartment.

A friend of mine invited me to stay with her at her place in Catalonia. We visited her friend at Tossa and went swimming at Little Beach. The Mediterranean is known to be warm, but I didn’t know what that meant until I went into the water; it really was warm. We checked out the pretty little town and then ventured up to the top of the hill along the castle wall. I remember standing here on this balcony with my friends, looking across the water, drying off in our bathing suits, on this magical, sunny day.

Thank you for reading my little story.

Plaza de los Pintores

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At Plaza de los Pintores, also known as Plaza Conde de Barajas, you can see original handmade paintings by local artists. It’s a fun activity on a Sunday morning. One of my favorite themes to paint is Paisaje de la Luz.

I added a little video clip of the Plaza de los Pintores in the photo above so you can check it out.

Have a lovely Sunday.

Victoria

TIO PEPE Puerta del Sol Madrid, Spain

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This photo was taken on New Year’s Day 2021.

This Plaza always has a lot of foot traffic. The only day I felt comfortable painting here was when most of Madrid was sleeping. You can see from the picture that the plaza is empty.

It was freezing cold; it really was. I had always wanted to paint the iconic TIO PEPE. I’m so glad I did. I am really happy with the result. I am keeping the watercolor for myself. However, I found a cute, useful way that I could share this image with others who are also fond of the TIO PEPE icon.

This cute zipper handbag comes in three sizes. It could be used as a change purse for men or women. It could also be used as a makeup bag to carry lipstick and keys. I just think it’s cute. It would make a nice gift for anyone who knows Madrid.

Here is a size reference. For more information about materials, sizes, and prices, you can click on this link.

Thank you for reading my little story.

Victoria

La Plaza de los Pintores (The Painter’s Plaza) Madrid, Spain

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Come to the Plaza de los Pintores. Here at Plaza Conde de Barajas, you can see original work by 35 artists.

We are here in the heart of Madrid every Sunday from 10am to 3 pm. Here are some of the watercolors I am bringing this Sunday, February 26th.

One of my themes is Paisaje de la Luz. Here is a watercolor of El Palacio de Cristal.

I also like Vintage objects and I pretty them up with flowers that I grow myself.

I have fun painting a Menina now and then.

The wild flowers grow like weeds in the summer. I paint them every year.

Epic literature is my favorite genre and a lot of my paintings are born from my favorite stories.

Poppies are my favorite flower because they are so vibrant and red. They grow out of the cracks in the summer.

Sometimes you can find me painting in Retiro Park, I also like painting in the city.

So, come see us at Plaza de los Pintores, also known as Plaza Conde de Barajas. We are there every Sunday from 10 to 3.

Thank you for reading my little story,

Victoria

La Fuente de Neptuno Paisaje de la Luz (Neptune Fountain Landscape of Light) Madrid, Spain.

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I painted this watercolor of Neptune Fountain on-site, in Madrid, in the hot summer heat of August. Here is a picture of the outcome.

The day before starting this watercolor, I looked for a shady place with a view of Neptune Fountain. For me, making a painting requires standing or sitting in the same place for many hours. I need to be careful with the heat. If you have been to Madrid in the summer, you know exactly what I mean.

Looking around for the perfect spot, I found it next to the bus shelter. There was just enough shade for one person and that person was me. I had a view of Neptune Fountain with lots of trees in the background. The yellow flowers circling the pond add to the summery scene, all sunny and upbeat.

I wanted to finish the watercolor in the same day, but the light started to change so I left and came back the following day. Neptune Fountain was granted World Heritage status by UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) on July 25th, 2021. This world heritage collection is called Paisaje de la Luz (Landscape of Light). Painting Neptune Fountain was an awesome experience.

Thank you for reading my little story,

Victoria

Arco de los Cuchilleros

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This watercolor depicts Arco de Cuchilleros. This very tall arch is a Madrilenian icon. Before I painted this interesting facade, I painted the same arch from the Plaza Mayor.

This is a view of the Arch from Plaza Mayor

This is how the painting turned out.

When I finished these two paintings, I showed them at the Plaza de los Pintores.

My Art Stand is located in the heart of Madrid.

This really nice guy, S, came by and chose Arco de Cuchilleros to add to his travel collection.

I was so happy to get a photo of the framed watercolor showing off in its new home with S. It looks so nice in a frame. 🙂

Thank you for supporting the Arts!

Victoria

Autumn Plein Air Painting in Madrid

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The leaves on the trees are a light luminous green color in autumn. This light reaches out to infinity on the horizon. It’s pretty cold, but a coat, gloves, and hat will do the trick to be almost warm.

I like the benches on this path. You can’t see them because my body is blocking them, but that’s alright because you can see them in the watercolor below.

I have to laugh because I remember telling myself to paint the benches off to the side, not in the middle. I guess the benches wanted to be in the middle of the paper regardless.

Autumn Leaves in the Retiro Park

I think the element of surprise is what I like about art making.

Thank you for reading my little story,

Victoria

Plein Air Painting in Madrid

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An early cold morning is a good time to paint in the park.

I went to the plaza de Marmol because I was there the day before. The previous day, this beautiful little plaza was full of bright red geraniums. When I got there the next day, the gardeners had pulled all the flowers and I had a completely different scene to paint.

Watercolor of Fuente en la Plaza del Marmol

Although I was really looking forward to painting this fountain with red flowers, I decided that the Retiro Park gardeners would be fun to paint. While I was painting, it started drizzling more and more. I hurriedly finished the watercolor with pen and ink and decided I would come back another day.

Thank you for reading my little story.

Victoria

XVIII Certamen Nacional de Pintura Rápida de El Capricho en Otoño 2022

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Capricho park in Madrid is a gorgeous historic park. I signed up for this fast-painting competition because I like to paint in the parks here in Madrid and this one is fabulous.

I set up in front of a fountain. Painting fountains are my favorite subject matter in the park. I like to hear the water trickling and try to capture the look of it as it falls. The water sparkles and glitters as it falls and this is what I like. Here is a picture of the fountain. It’s a simple, yet beautiful fountain.

The photograph doesn’t even come close to the stunning variety of green colors.

The painting competition was from 9 to 2. Usually, I can never finish a painting in such a short time. I tried really hard to finish this time or a least to make it look finished. Below is a photo of my painting.

I turned in the painting on time and although I didn’t win any prizes, I am happy to say that my painting was selected for the exhibition.

I was number 40.

Here it is hanging on the wall at Cultural Center Gloria Fuertes in Madrid. It will be hanging there until the 25th of November 2022.

Here is a little clip so you can see the ambiance of the Capricho Park Fast Painting Competition.

Thank you for reading my little story.