Tuesday, 19 January 2010


A watercolour / gouache sketch looking across the valley to the village of Los Berchules. Looking west through pines and evergreen oaks, the musical sound of deep cowbells rises up from the valley below.

Monday, 18 January 2010


Very strange weather. It has now turned very warm, melting all the snow and allowing me to get out and do a bit of sketching. This small pen and wash sketch in my tiny watercolour moleskin, is the view looking back across the valley to the Barrio Alto of Trevelez where I live. The GR7 footpath, that I was following, ends here as there has been a major landslide during the recent heavy rains. We are checking the state of this long distance footpath, as it passes through the Alpujarra, before our first walking clients arrive in March. So most of my sketches will be done from locations along this footpath between Yegen and Capileira.

Tuesday, 12 January 2010


Looking south from my window, across the snow covered roofs of my neighbours. The light grey shadows are a lovely pale-indigo blue. This sketch was drawn on hot-pressed watercolour paper using HB and 2B graphite sticks.

Sunday, 10 January 2010


This is a watercolour sketch of the view down the Trevelez Valley from my house. I am confined to the house as snow and below freezing temperatures have made the steep paths and roads of Trevelez treacherous for walking without crampons. So I shall put another log on the fire and sketch from the window.