Portraying Colorful Places
In May of 2000, Paul and I went to Spain for a Diederich family vacation. On one of our day trips we drove to the city of Ronda and walked over the Puente Nuevo Bridge which was completed in 1793 and spanned the 98 meter gorge. There we learned that “parts of the solid span column interiors were used as a prison and, later, as a bar, but are now a museum dedicated to the old prison and bridge. Both sides of the Civil War used the prison as a torture chamber for opposition captives, who it is said were sometimes dispatched from the balconied windows to the rocks below, although this is disputed as myth by some.”* The view from the bridge was amazing and I could not stop taking pictures. The cliffs on either side were lined with restaurants and there was fabulous shopping.
I chose to focus on the white buildings and terracotta roofs above the rocky cliffs. Repeating colors in the rocks and the building along with the green foliage connected everything. The key compositional decision to capture the feeling of height was simply to choose a vertical format for the painting. I filled three-quarters of the space with the gorge. Texture was significant in this picture and I scraped with a palette knife, repainted and scraped again. You can see the bridge abutment on the far right.
Sincerely,
*Andalucia.com
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Because of Covid 19, I have adjusted my workshop dates and/or locations!
I hope to help you with your painting!
Painting Landscapes in Acrylic – June 9-12 is now at J’s Catering (limit 6 students)
Beginning Watercolor – July 21-24 Fargo (limit 10 students)
Painting Fall Flowers in Watercolor – September 10-11 Minneapolis, MN (limit 12 students)
Building Transparent Layers in Watercolor – September 22-25, Fargo, ND (limit 15 students)
