Taking a Break – the Real Thing

Thought you might be interested in seeing the subject of my previous post – this was him paddling in the Mediterranean on the La Manga Strip in Southern Spain – just prior to sitting on the beach and resting. That island in the background is Isla Grosa.

Taking a Break

First attempt at working up a sketch made on the beach on La Manga strip. The unwitting subject had been walking up and down the beach for hours in scorching temperatures trying to sell trinkets. Here he is taking a break after a quick paddle in the Mediterranean. Unfinished masterpiece!

Off Cartagena

I still use this shot as the wallpaper on my Macbook. Although I’d been sailing in a yacht in these waters off Cartagena in southern Spain, I was actually on a short cruise this particular day, exploring the historic port and it’s surroundings, hence the churn of the boat’s wake.

Temperatures were soaring and the sea was a sparkling, vibrant blue as you can see. In contrast, the bright colours of a beached pedalo on the beach at La Manga, just around the coast. Can’t wait for summer!

Mar de Cristal

I’d spotted this view driving the hire car over to Mar de Cristal, near La Manga in southern Spain last summer. Figured it would make an interesting place to draw.

Took myself over there late in the afternoon. The sun was still scorching and the ground was parched. In the distance, a herd of goats was kicking up a dust storm. Wispy clouds dotted the big blue sky and no hint of a breeze.

This was the end result. A sketch in pencil and charcoal. Basis for a painting maybe, although clearly no threat to David Hockney just yet.

Isla Grosa

This is Isla Grosa. It’s a little way offshore from the beach on the La Manga strip in Murcia, Spain. Probably one of my favourite beaches and the perfect place to unwind. How blue is that sky? Tried many times to sketch and paint it. Nowhere near as straightforward as it looks.