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Everywhere you look there is something to paint here in Madrid. The fountains in Spain are captivating. Atocha Station has a beautiful tropical garden inside.

Atocha 2020

This is the Puerta del Sol. The monumental Tio Pepe sign is an icon here in Madrid. I love the design of the Metro.

Tio Pepe 2020

I know why the Madrilenians say “From Madrid to Heaven“.

The Gardens of El Campo del Moro in Madrid, Spain

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The Garden El Campo del Moro 2020

Here is a little clip of the watercolor and the garden CLICK HERE.

This picture that somebody took of me from above kind of shows the immensity of the garden.

There are lots of Peacocks in this garden.

Its curious name is due to the fact that in 1109 the Muslim leader Ali Ben Yusuf camped his Moorish army in this place. The story is much longer, but I’m going to keep it short.

Have a great day,

Victoria.

The Fountain of the Nymphs

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Fountain of the Nymphs 2019

I really like this fountain a lot. It is incredibly beautiful with the Nymphs holding up the dish with dolphin-like sea creatures at their feet. This fountain has always had water shooting out of the spouts as far as I remember. I was looking forward to painting the doves that bathe on the rim of the dish. When I got there, the water had been turned off for so long that a family of feral cats was hanging around in the pond and there was a recent litter of kittens. I’m almost afraid to see what it looks like now.

Watercolor of Mormon Temple. A white temple with a cloudy carmen and blue sky with puffy clouds. Cypress trees in front of a red brick wall and leaves falling in the foreground on the left.

Temple LDS in Madrid, Spain – Small Plein Air Watercolor.

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I went out to see the LDS Temple in person to do a few quick watercolors to see which one I wanted to paint on a full size sheet.  The facade is beautiful and angel Moroni is on top blowing a trumpet. I painted this before going into the courtyard.

Watercolor of Mormon Temple. A white temple with a cloudy carmen and blue sky with puffy clouds. Cypress trees in front of a red brick wall and leaves falling in the foreground on the left.

Templo LDS 2016 

 Inside the courtyard the Garden, El Jardín de las Novias, is symmetrical. There is a beautiful flower garden with white, pink and red flowers flanking a double dish water fountain with a round pond.  That side of the Temple contrasts with this serious solemn side with inviting cypress trees.

 

A photograph of me sitting on the edge of the Narciso fountain with a watercolor of the fountain in my hand.

Fuente de Narciso in Parque del Príncipe. A small watercolor in Aranjuez, Spain.

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La Fuente de Narciso in Aranjuez is a beautiful fountain hidden away in the Parque del Príncipe.  I’ve been there many times to paint on site.

A watercolor of the Fuente de Narciso in Aranjuez, Spain. The fountain is of mythological motif. Four figures of Atlas holds up the dish. On top of the dish is a statue of Narciso. He is looking down at the pond below. In the pond are creatures like frogs and crocodile heads that are not clear in the watercolor. The fountain is dry. There are trees in the background against a clear blue sky.

Fuente de Narciso June 2018 Small watercolor 14x19cm 5.5×7.5 in

Mythology:   Narciso was a very attractive young man who had all the attention of all the girls, but he ignored them all.  One, The nimph Eco, came out of the forest with her open arms, he cruelly shunned her so she hid away in a cave until all that was left of her was the eco of her voice.

The goddess of vengeance,  Nemesis, punished Narciso by making him fall in love with his own image reflecting in a fountain.  Unable to separate from his reflection, he threw himself  into the water.  And from the very place he fell a beautiful flower grew to honor him.

The watercolor of Fuente de Narciso held in my hand to see the size.

Here you can see the size. It’s a small watercolor.

Yes, indeed, this fountain is amazing to paint.  That day the fountain was off. It’s even more amazing when it’s on.

 

La Rosalera del Buen Retiro 2017

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Madrid, is where I always wanted to paint, especially in the June light.  This fountain below, Fuente del Faunito, is one of my fountain favorites for painting.
The Retiro Rose Garden 2017
La Rosalera del Buen Retiro 2017 – Egg tempera on stretched linen canvas – 33 x 41 cm 

I started this painting last week. It belongs to a new series of Madrilenian cityscapes I’ve been putting together.

The technique is egg tempera on stretched linen canvas 33 x 41 cm