I know the Brazil posts have been mammoth… so I thought it might be convenient to summarise them all in the one spot:

Initial Reflections
Two big ideas to develop which are opposite in a number of ways:
1. Shape over line
2. Architect over Painter
And some other random thoughts (such as not using my sketching stool once during the whole trip!)

The Journey
Sydney – Auckland – Santiago – Sao Paulo
A shorter trip then normal for me (under 30 hours is very good going!) Sketching on the plane and in the airports are usual…

Sao Paulo – Day 1
Totally hit the ground running – hanging out with Marc Holmes and his wife Laurel exploring lots of grand buildings in Centro.
In the afternoon we met up with a local sketching workshop and other USKers who had just arrived as well.

Sao Paulo – Day 2
More exploring of the grand buildings Sao Paulo with Marc and Paulista/Sydneysider Claudia as our guide.
Ended up at some non standard tourists spots – including the amazing Consolacao Cemetery.
Dinner with a large group of USKers in the evening.

First 36 hours in Paraty
Exploring the historic town of Paraty – the picturesque streets, white buildings, colourful doors and USkers at every corner!
Also our first experience of the high tide flooding the streets.
Suhita and I did dry runs of our workshops

Symposium Wednesday – the day before
Of course the highlight was finding a good cup of tea!! In fact the whole day was pretty special  – hanging out and sketching with all different USKers in the streets of Paraty, sketching with the threat of a storm and then worrying whether we would get wet feet as the high tide kept rising higher and higher!

Early Morning Sketching Symposium Thursday
Carving a little me time but in the company of some great sketching friends – getting up early to do a sketch before the start of the symposium day.

Symposium Workshop A: The Joy of Movement
Wonderful workshop run by Behzad Bagheri having fun with pigments on the page, creating unexpected shapes and then trying to incorporate them into a scene.

Unfolding a Sketch Story
Fantastic ‘lightbulb moment’ activity by Richard Alomar. Recording in note-taking form – maps/ notes/ diagrams/ sketches the full length of Comercio Street.

Symposium Happenings
All the other things that I did and sketched when not in a workshop or activity… sketching with friends, sketching while waiting for lunch, sketching at dinner, being part of the Big Crit and the closing ceremony.

More early morning sketches
Returning to sketch riverside each morning – more chats and an unexpected tea adventure!

My workshop: Feeling the Edges
An extensive account of my workshop and how each of the three occasions I taught it we had a different adventure. Not only was each group varied but the weather played a major factor!

From Paraty to Rio
Long bus trip with USKers and then straight into sketching on our arrival in Rio. A complicated building and then a very ornate over the top tearoom!

Sugarloaf and Copocabana
Doing the big two sightseeing things on the one day. A wonderful 6.5 hours on the top of Sugarloaf mountain with 7 other Urban Sketchers – sketching every view and inspiring each other.

Workshop for Rio University architecture students
Giving a workshop/demo (alongside Marc Holmes) to  a group of students from the College of Architecture and Urbanism – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in the stunning Parque Das Ruinas in the Santa Teresa area.

Quiet Days In Rio
I got sick and spent 3 days confined to my hotel… but still managed a few sketches each day to record my adventures!

Last relaxing Day in Rio
In a cafe drinking tea and eating cake, sketching the cafe and the view… and hanging out with local and international USKers.
Last views of Sugarloaf from the plane as I headed back to Sao Paulo for a few days

Back to Sao Paulo
A few famous modern buildings to sketch – MASP by Bo Bardi and two buildings by Niemeyer. A couple sketches recording the Jardin area where I stayed and then a visit to a great tearoom!

Final Day!
Spent the day at buildings by Lina Bo Bardi (who should be better known outside of Brazil)
A morning at SESC Pompéia – cultural centre with lots of bold concrete, dramatic forms and detail detailings.
Afternoon at Lina’s house- The Glass House.
And then the long flight home….