Sunday, April 24, 2011

Amarante, Portugal

Amarante Cathedral, 18 x 24

One of the most beautiful cities visited on my recent European trip was the town of Amarante, Portugal, built in 1790. This painting is a study piece of Amarante's main church and bridge. To obtain the photo, I walked into the middle of the river on a small cement drainage platform. Although a few onlookers thought I was crazy, as an artist, I knew it was worth the risk to obtain the right photo.  

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Douro Valley, Portugal

Vintage House View, 6 x 8

I just returned from a European painting trip. I plan on a making several posts on the experience. For port wine lovers, the Douro Valley in Portugal is a must see trip. This plein air piece was painted one morning from the balcony of my CS Vintage House hotel room which I recommend wholeheartedly.
As you can see from the photo of me painting this scene, it was a true paradise. As I've mentioned in other posts, a scene is open to interpretation and artist license. In this instance, I changed the pillars in the pool house to an arch and made the pool into a garden area.