sexta-feira, 20 de dezembro de 2019

Sketching along the pista #8



I cycled to the hilltop of Monsaraz (OK, in 1st gear with a few stops) so it was great to refresh at the top. Monsaraz in autumn is best between 4 30 in the afternoon (when most tourists drive home to the east) and sunset, when fabulous views to the west over the Alentejo countryside make you glad that Portuguese rule was restored in 1640! (Hello Spain, just joking.)


The restaurants along the main street of Monsaraz have great views east, but after dark the interiors also make great urban sketching subjects. Most Portuguese restaurants have a trove of decorative objects and here wild boar and deer heads, a boar plate by a local artist, and the ever-present TV screens were softened by neatly laid tables and timber panelling. Restaurant sketches are always interrupted by the arrival of food, so I completed the sketch later with a typical paper doily collaged in the bottom right hand corner to balance the composition.

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