Walking to Stop

– a sketch pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago

BY RITA SABLER

amino de Santiago is an ancient route that pilgrims have walked for centuries in the hope of having their sins pardoned on arrival at the ornate Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. These days, the walk is done mostly by tourists, those celebrating life’s milestones, and as a physical challenge.

The idea for my project “Camiñar para Parar” or “Walk to Stop” was to take in the sights slowly and with intention. For Galician artist Migualntxo Prado and I, it also meant leaving a record of illustrated vignettes of this journey. For 10 days and 184 kilometers we were drawing and walking, side by side.

As I look through the 40 postcard drawings (below) commissioned by Compostela Ilustrada that I made along the path, and my own accordion five meter-long sketchbook (right), all of the memories come rushing back. I can still hear the barking dogs who greeted us along the way as we passed the fences of their homes. I can taste the sweet grapes that we snacked on while walking through multiple vineyards along the way, and I hear the sound of the mighty bell startling us from the red stoned facade of the tiny Iglesia de San Marino de Viloira in O Barco. I remember the warm coziness offered by “gallerias,” the typical ornate covered balconies designed as extra protection from the wind for the residents of Galician towns. I feel the stinging bites of hundreds of ants on my legs. It felt like I was almost eaten alive as I sketched from Ponte Vella, an old footbridge over Minho River, with the town of Petin above it.

One of the favorite parts of the walk was crossing the border from Ourense into Lugo provinces. The very first pueblo in Lugo – Os Alvaredos – greeted us with colorful wooden artifacts attached to its walls. There was a special refueling station for the pilgrims, with coffee and fresh fruit. I would have happily spent a few hours sketching here but since we were just starting our day of walking, we plowed on ahead. Most of these villages felt almost deserted, with only a few older residents, chickens, and dogs keeping guard. As we left Os Alvaredos we walked through a fragrant pine grove and an orchard of silvery olive trees.

As I arrived at the vast Obradoiro plaza in Santiago I was struck by several things at once. The west-facing facade of the cathedral appeared to glow in the rays of the setting sun, as if promising eternal salvation to all the pilgrims who had completed their arduous journey. Hundreds of modern day pilgrims were resting on the bare cool cobblestones of the square. As I surveyed the crowd of tired people I tried to guess if anyone there came to seek eternal salvation. There were a lot of outdoorsy types equipped with the latest athletic gear. Many took off their shoes exposing multiple blisters and calluses. I noticed a man on his knees and elbows bowing toward the cathedral. At last, I thought, a pious type, repenting his sins. Once I got closer, however, I realized that he was just trying to get a better photo with his phone.

Typical

RITA’S MATERIALS

• ARTIST PITT PENS BY FABERCASTELL

• GRAPHITE PENCIL

• WATERCOLOR POSTCARDS BY HAHNEMÜHLE

• WATERCOLORS BY WHITE NIGHTS, OTHER MAKERS

• ACCORDION STYLE SKETCHBOOK

BY SEAWHITE BY BRIGHTON

A few hours before I was scheduled to go back home I put all of the postcards I made during the Camino in a little metal tin box in order to hand them over to the producer, Gemma. It was hard to part with these originals, but

I knew I would have a chance to see them again in exactly one month at the Pilgrimage Museum in Santiago de Compostela, which staged the exhibition in November 2022.