O Ribeiro em Porto (Watercolor)

O Ribeiro em Porto (Watercolor) Originally uploaded by randubnick

Yesterday, I came across some misplaced artwork while I was cleaning the house, drawings and paintings stashed in a bag that I thought held art supplies for the studio. This painting was among them, a watercolor of Portugal, a night view of the river in Porto. One source for this painting was a rough digital sketch on my PDA (handheld computer) that I drew in Portugal during a visit several years ago. I had recently seen the river at night on a drive through Porto, so I was working from recent memory, rather than observation. I was surprised by how well the little digital sketch turned out, so when I got home, I cleaned it up and posted it here. (The title is also O Ribeiro em Porto, posted January 8, 2005.) But I also have painted a series of watercolors of Portugal, and I began this watercolor soon afterwards because I wanted to paint this view in a similar style. I used photos I had taken during the day, as well as what I knew and had seen of Porto and the Douro River to supplement the information in my sketch. This watercolor is the result. When I was painting this, I was happy with it, but didn't think it was as strong as that PDA sketch. (I still think that is true.) However, when I found this watercolor yesterday, I was ready to see on its own terms, and like it much better. Of course, it also brought back great memories of my visits to Portugal, so I was very glad to see this lost souvenir.