ArtTraveler's love for Spain pours out in paintings and photography

When walking in the mountains, you come upon ruins everywhere.

This is the first painting I sold. I gave it to our CAT charity (Canillas Animal Trust), which I co-founded with Kate Morris. I painted it quickly (maybe two or three days), almost as a frenetic acrylic sketch. Problem I faced and I still don't know the answer: Did I finish it? I had no foto or model. All in the head. (Acrylic on canvass; 52 cm X 62 cm).

As I walked along the goat trail from Canillas to Competa, a 25-minute journey within oneself, along paths taken by the Moors, perhaps even the Romans, I came upon five men and a live sheep in deep repose (only the sheep was sleeping, looking quite dead), very contented. I photographed them and then over 10 months attempted to recreate the visual impact using pointalism and a few van Gogh-like brush strokes. It's acrylic on canvass, 130 cm X 100 cm.

Competa

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 I shot these fotos during the past two years observing nature and local religious fiestas. I have many more. These offer a better context about my life here. Nature's a very personal connection. The campesinos in Andalusia, at least in my area of the mountains (Canillas de Albaida and Competa) exhibit a rugged love for the land; the earth is their domain.

Fairly typical scene when walking.

It is what it is.

And vast expanses of nature's pallettes abound

A 15-minute walk from my door, this intact Roman bridge.

A 300-year-old olive tree below Corumbela.

Sign near Torre del Mar marking entrance to moto cemetery.

Somewhere in the mountains.

Man, mule, dog: a common sight.

Atop Bentomiz, the Moorish fortress controlling my area up until about 1487. The Moors first occupied parts of Spain in 711.

This is San Anton, patron saint of animals and also one of two saints most revered by Canillas de Albaida. About 10 village men and women walk in perfect precision in a procession or walk through the main streets of the village as part of the religious fiesta, which includes the local priest blessing animals. You can have a ride by blessing or present your favorite sheep for spiritual renewal, or dog, or cat, mule, burro, bird and on and on.

There's a reason to love Spain.

 I really don't know where this blog's going. I seem visually fixated and for me, that's a normal state of mind. As I said in an earlier post, "Art is a state of mind."

Rock on and practice peace.Also see some of my funky videos: http://bit.ly/h1vruw

Stefan, the ArtTraveler (TM)