sketcher spotlight
A dream come true: sketching solo in Andalusia
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POLISH SKETCHER KATARZYNA KOSIAK SHARES THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF HER JOYFUL TRIP TO SPAIN.
y trip started quite dramatically with me being late for a plane... The original plan for my long awaited, one-month autumn trip was to start in Switzerland, spend around a week there and then fly to Andalusia. But I didn’t get through security in time for my flight to Switzerland, so I changed plans – I would fly to Andalusia a few days earlier, directly from Poland, and add Cádiz to my trip. The first official three days of my solo sketch trip found me in Cádiz, a gem that surprised me with the architecture, the weather changing every five minutes, and mostly the people. Wherever I was sketching, people were coming to me commenting pleasantly with “¡qué guay!”, giving me hints about interesting places for sketching in the city, and sharing their experiences with art. One woman invited me for a coffee and sketch if I visit Santander again. Over the next couple of days I sketched on the streets in the old part of the city, sometimes in scorching sun, sometimes under a light rain. I fell in love with those streets and towers everywhere. I also learned to never leave sketching a carousel for later, because it may be gone soon! I was commissioned by two restaurants to sketch their fronts, and the owners and their staff jokingly posed for me to include them, which I did – to their amusement. It always amazes me how a simple
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sketch can connect people and start a conversation. It turned out that one of the owners was an amateur artist in the past, but his workload hadn’t allowed him to draw recently. I left Cádiz with a bit of sadness but also excitement; I was to spend the next five days in Seville, the sunny capital of Andalusia, and meet the local USk chapter. I got in contact with them earlier (bless Instagram) and knew their schedule. I spent mornings walking around the city centre and stopping at every corner. What beauty! There were just too many things to sketch. Sketching the alleged tomb of Columbus filled me with wonder. Finding a perfect spot on the patio to paint the cathedral’s Giralda tower between the orange trees was a satisfying challenge. I visited Setas de Sevilla and sketched the panorama from there while talking to other tourists about watercolour. I loved their enthusiasm about art, It really surprised me how many people came to me and started conversations about art and their cities during my trip, making me feel welcome there. As for the urban sketchers meeting, it was held in Triana district on Wednesday afternoon, where I joined a group of five or six people. We talked about art materials, and looked through our sketchbooks. I got educated on the superiority of vino tinto over sangria, struggled a bit with understanding
