New West Seattle Watercolor Paintings for My Columbia City Gallery Feature Show
Our time in Spain has come to an end for this year. We packed in a lot of Spanish over the last few months—so much that my brain feels like it’s bursting at the seams. Most weekdays followed a steady rhythm: Spanish classes in the mornings, painting in the afternoons, and longer stretches of studio time on Saturdays. Sundays were reserved for exploring Granada, and evenings were often spent with friends over tapas and usually a glass of vermú.
As much as I wanted to be fully immersed in Spain, there was also work waiting for me on the other side of the Atlantic. I have an upcoming show next month, so much of my studio time in Granada was spent painting images of West Seattle.
There’s something a little strange about spending your afternoons painting familiar Seattle streets while church bells ring outside your window and the light falling across your workspace is unmistakably Spanish. My reference photos were filled with Seattle skies, local businesses, and neighborhood scenes, while just outside the door was an entirely different landscape.
Some days were productive and focused. Other days felt slower. There were sketches, false starts, and plenty of time spent looking and thinking. When you’re working toward a deadline, it’s easy to feel guilty about those quieter days, but I’ve learned they’re often part of the process too.
Many of the paintings I’ve been working on here in Granada are headed to my upcoming feature exhibition at Columbia City Gallery. The show opens Saturday, July 18, from 5–7 p.m., and all of the original paintings will be available for purchase at that time. If you’d like a preview, reproductions of the work are already available in the Gallery section of my website and can be purchased now. Orders will begin shipping on June 25.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to have had this time Granada. Now it’s time to head home, regroup, and prepare for the final stretch before the exhibition opens next month.
