Art Trips

I had the pleasure of taking a Plein Air painting course in Porto, Portugal, in May 2023. It was enlightening and inspiring which was exactly what I needed in my first travel since COVID. The people and environment were phenomenal. We painted in urban squares with the most incredible architecture, and exquisite tile-covered buildings, surrounded by Portuguese people, the sound of their wonderful and complex language, the smell of coffee, and pastel de nata, and in parks while our easels and feet were not always firmly stood on dusty ochre soil…and all while Portuguese university students were graduating and celebrating the week of the Top Hats. Such an incredible gift! One of my highlights was when a boy around 12 stood behind me and watched me paint for at least 15 minutes. He did not speak English, but before he left, he gave me a wink and a smile and both his thumbs were pointed toward the sky. Any doubts I may have about my painting at that moment vanished in the same air.

The Douro River from the Atlantic through the Douro Valley. Porto, Portugal.