Something completely different to start off – some crazy modern architecture drawn in Inma Monster style (see here if you don’t know what I mean!)

The morning I spent with Marc and Laurel Holmes. I love being around these two! They are very special people – lots of fun to hang out and explore places with them … and  of course Marc is such an inspiring artist! He was drawing black and white using a clipboard and was unstoppable. You can see the pile of his work here.

It was such a privilege to have spent so much time with them this year and Marc and I had had numerous occasions sketching alongside each other and chatting about ideas and projects and theories and all kinds of stuff. This last morning we were going flat out….both talking and sketching. So my cathedral sketches were a little distracted… but still fun to do.
 

Despite hanging out in the gothic area a lot there was still a lot in the cathedral zone to sketch including the BCN bridge of sighs (not sure of its real name), Laurel found a very weird jewelery shop (Marc was sketching inside there too!) and then I took them to Placa dei Rei .. for my third or is it 4th sketch (it is my favourite public space in BCN) Sigh – then we had to say goodbye!
 
 

Spent the afternoon with Lapin and Jason. First a very nice Vegan lunch (which I had to sketch… not sketching much food this trip!) and getting Lapin to sketch my portrait in my copy of his book. Then Lapin took us to on a tour of la Barceloneta and beyond…including where he lived when he first moved to BCN and we even made it to the beach (so not dressed for it!)

Finally we stopped to sketch something modern – Torre de Gas Building by Miralles.  I normally don’t enjoy sketching slick glassy modern buildings but I will admit that I did enjoy this! Soon it was time to say goodbye to these two (the last USKers that I saw in BCN)

Yes- highly risky to take my sketchbook with me into the ocean…. and yes, this was just a photo opportunity!

 

I had quite a long walk back….but it was through my favourite place (as opposed to space mentioned above!) – Parc de la Ciutadella. I had spent some really special time in the park on both Sundays and not only is it very beautiful and with a stunning collection of buildings, but in some ways it connects me with the rest of Spain as I experienced in 2003. I had a made flurry of sketches (stupid to attempt) as I walked back…..

And finally as I walked past the cathedral I had to do one final sketch. I had intended to do a ‘proper’ slow-ish sketch of the cathedral front but the light was fading and I desperately needed to get back to my room to pack and get some sleep before a 3.30am wake up. So I used a little water soluble ink over the top of my normal (noodlers bulletproof ink)…

and well… that is it! Cardiff next stop (for another conference!!!)