Lisbon, Portugal

Nov 25

Portugal:

I painted this neighborhood called Alfama in Lisbon, Portugal right after working on the Spain Collection because I was in a really good rhythm of building shapes upon shapes- some as translucent layers, others opaque. Adding details to roofs and windows was a happy place. When I came across an image reference of Lisbon, I immediately knew this would be a perfect continuation of Mediterranean towns for me to capture! As with all my work, I’ve added my own interpretation to travel destinations, but I use photographs to help ground important landmarks.

THE PROCESS:

Many details go into my Travel Series, some requiring more time than others. Painting Portugal took about 4 weeks to complete. As part of my creative process, I typically work on 5-10 paintings at any given time. This allows me to add a layer of detail, let it dry, work on a different artwork (sometimes within the same theme, sometimes not), then come back to it, and repeat! I’ve tried focusing on 1 artwork from start to finish, but it has never worked for me. My creative brain is too energized with ideas as I paint different shapes or mix new colors. For instance, after adding 3 new buildings into Portugal, I often find myself imagining an abstract piece inspired by the same colors and overlapping shapes!

With this approach, it can be challenging to know when a work is truly “finished”. I could easily keep going on repeat if I didn’t intentionally step away. Time is a helpful tool for this part of the process. When I feel uncertain about when to stop, I’ll walk away or distract myself by working on other paintings. For example, it has been over 6 months since I last worked on my Cinque Terre, Italy artwork! This distance helps me gain perspective and return with fresh eyes.

Once I’ve decided on a good stopping point, I digitize the artwork using a customized process that preserves my brush strokes and the texture of the cold-press watercolor paper. I do not alter the artwork in any significant way, though. It is important to me that the creative work remains in the actual painting process, and not in the digitizing. Once I feel that the painting has been properly preserved and digitalized, it is ready to be shared.

Shop this print here!

“I typically work on 5-10 paintings at any given time. This allows me to add a layer of detail, let it dry, work on a different artwork (sometimes within the same theme, sometimes not), then come back to it, and repeat!”