Rent a Car office, Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote

Landscape Watercolour of Lanzarote, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

Steps leading up to a Rent-a-Car office along the main coastal road in Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote.  The subject attracted me for the geometric patterns of the steps and the shadow cast across them, and also for a slight change in perspective looking up to the focal point of interest rather than it being at sort of eye level.  The deep red terracotta tiles of the steps were also quite striking.

Potato Fields, Lanzarote

Landscape Watercolour of Lanzarote, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

A quick study of a typical potato field on the Island of Lanzarote.  Potatoes are one of the main crops on Lanzarote and they're a great local specialty tapas - Canarian Potatoes or wrinkly potatoes, served with spicy mojo sauce.  Because the whole island is a series of dormant volcanoes, lava rock is in plentiful supply as a crushed black mulch for the crops, keeping the moisture in, and a building material for the boundary walls around the fields.

Hotel Playa Sol, Cadeques

Landscape Watercolour of Cadeques, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

One of the many little secluded beaches to be found along the coast of Cadeques, and a great location for this Hotel with its' balconies overlooking the bay in front.  Known as the Spanish Saint Tropez, it's not too far from the French border, but has still been able to maintain it's Mediterranean 'fishing village' charm without feeling like a resort.

Arrecife Promenade, Lanzarote

Landscape Watercolour of Lanzarote, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

A scene of the long promenade running along the coast of the capital 'town/city' of Arrecife, and here, just by the marina, it's constructed of wooden boards, aged and worn by probably the foot traffic and winds off the sea.  The pyramid roof on the right is a popular bar frequented mainly by the locals.

Municipal Market in Lagos Portugal

Landscape Watercolour of Lagos, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

Located facing the fishing port, this building was built in 1924 to originally house just the towns fruit and veg market but was also devoted to selling fish in the last 1950's. The wonderful selection of freshly caught seafood is housed on the ground floor while fruit, vegetables, freshly baked bread, and an open-air terrace with restaurant can be found upstairs.

Staithes, North Yorkshire

Landscape Watercolour of Staithes, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

This is the quant little footbridge joining the two halves of Staithes Town on the beautiful North Yorkshire coast.  I was lucky enough to have pleasant sunshine when I was there last year.  The river here is the primary subject for many visiting artists, especially at low tide and featuring the old rowing boats which are almost a trademark of the town.

#saunderswaterford

Cadeques Town Centre looking towards the hills

Landscape Watercolour of Cadeques, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

Cadeques on the Costa Brava, looking towards the centre of this town and the hills beyond that surround and shelter the location.  I think the church tower silhouetted against the darker mountains worked well as do the understated white washed buildings in the middle ground left.  Might have controlled the washes or altered the timings on the clouds ad mist coming into the hill tops.

Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem

Landscape Watercolour of Jerusalem, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lb

The Via Dolorosa (Path of Sorrow or "Way of the Cross") in Jerusalem is the route tradition says that Jesus followed from his condemnation by the Romans to the spot where he was buried after the crucifixion.  Now you’ll find the street can be noisy – with venders vying for your attention calling out their wares. Old stone buildings rise up on either side, and instead of a tree-lined country lane, seemingly endless stone steps ascend through the city. 

Fishermen, Alexandria Egypt

Landscape Watercolour of Alexandria, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

A study of some fishermen attending their nets or maybe discussing the day's campaign.  Close to the main harbour in Alexandria and towards the citadel there's many types of boats congregated together, maybe for the shelter here or maybe it's proximity to the markets nearby.  I tried to convey the heat here of the midday sun and the not so blue colour of the sky, which many times in Egypt has an ochre tinge to it maybe because of sands blown in from the South.

Ilfracombe Harbour, North Devon

Landscape Watercolour of Ilfracombe, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

Ilfracombe harbour is the largest harbour on the North Devon coast and has been an important port for several centuries. It's a busy place with still some small commercial trawlers coming in and ferries off to other Bristol Channel locations. This view is looking up the hill (that shelters the harbour from southerly winds) and the town centre to the West.

Olhao Marina, Algarve, Portugal

Landscape Watercolour of the Algarve, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

The busy marina at Olhao (pronounced "oll Yow") on the Algarve and the pier stretching out to the main ferry point for the islands in the Ria Formosa natural park. Olhao. This is the biggest fishing port on the Algarve, and if you ignore the shabby appearance of the town centre there's a great daily fish market here on the waterfront and loads of restaurants along the Outubro Promenade serving fish and shell fish dishes.  I am gradually getting used to the Saunders paper now away from my usual Bockingford and doing wet in wet on Saunders is a hell of a lot easier.

Alexandria Street 13, Egypt

Landscape Watercolour of Alexandria, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

Alexandria has to be one of my favourite subjects for watercolour - it's perfect for the medium with the light, the contrasts between light and dark, and perfect compositions with the typical street scenes.  I'll have to go back some time and take hundreds more reference photos cuz I'm running out.

Cadeques 5

Landscape Watercolour of Cadeques, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

The Casino L'Amistat in Cadeques, a cultural and heritage centre for the town. And more of an unusual view, looking at the side of this large square white neoclassical building from across the square, and the dominating bell tower of the Santa Maria church high up on the hill in the background.

Santa Maria Church, Cadeques

Landscape Watercolour of Cadeques, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

With a commanding view over Cadeques, stands the 16th century white-washed Santa Maria Church.  The original church was destroyed by the infamous Turkish pirate Barbarossa.  The 'new' church has many ties with Salvador Dali with pieces of his work inside.  And being so high up above the town, there's a pretty challenging walk up to it through the narrow streets, but the views are well worth it.

Piazza Yenne, Cagliari, 2

Landscape Watercolour of Cagliari, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

The Piazza Yenne is one of the most important squares of Cagliari located at the end of the Largo Carlo Felice in the centre of town. By day it's a popular spot for tourists visiting the citadel or the old town and by night it's a busy meeting place for locals.