Healing the Soul through Drawing

CONCHA CÔRTE-REAL IS AN URBAN SKETCHER AND ARCHITECT FROM LISBON. SHE PARTICIPATED IN RITA SABLER’S WORKSHOP, VIGNETTES OF THE MARKET, AT COMPOSTELA ILUSTRADA.

It was with great enthusiasm that I enrolled in the 5th meeting of “Compostela Ilustrada”. It was August and I was dealing with the loss of my mom, with whom I was very close, who had passed away the previous October. The perspective of this meeting lifted my spirits.

The enrolment included the opportunity to participate in two workshops. I didn’ t have any second thoughts: I chose Rita Sabler’s and Marielle Durand’s – two very different artists, whose work I have been following and admiring. I arrived on 3 November in the late morning, in time to join my fellow friends for lunch. Contrary to the forecast, the weather was splendid and continued like that until the very last day of the event. Walking to the Auditorio de Galicia for the welcoming reception, we noticed the beautiful landscape with its vibrant autumn colors.

The reception went very well and there was a good vibe in the air. MarÙ Godas, with her contagious energy, welcomed everybody and talked about the program of events, which was very intense and diverse, with talks, exhibitions, and so on. Rita Sabler’ s workshop was at Mercado de Abastos – “How to make a drawing that is not only beautiful but also tells a story”. We learned how to do a series of small drawings to illustrate the essence of a busy place. It was very interesting, but totally different from what I usually do, so I ended the workshop somehow frustrated because I couldn’t achieve its objective. On the other hand, it was good because I felt challenged. And later that afternoon, having in mind Rita’s teachings, I made a drawing of the cathedral which I really like.

At the closing dinner, several gifts were raffled among the participants, creating an atmosphere of joy and relaxation. One of these went to a friend of ours that got sick and couldn’ t make it to the event. We were very happy for her.

I had a wonderful time in which I drew intensely in good company, met lovely new people and deepened friendships. These four days helped heal my soul and will forever have a special place in my heart.

“Standingon the shore of the river

Síl in the town of O Barco de Valdeorras in Galicia, I looked at the hillside scorched by recent wildfires, reflecting on the summer forest fires that were plaguing my own home in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

I was at the starting point of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, a project commissioned by Compostela Ilustrada with help from Turismo de Galicia.”