A plein-air way of living, Entry 2
Day 4
My first day painting en plein-air in Barcelona! Finally with a full night of rest I awoke this morning feeling back to myself. The weather told me that the sun was going to peak out later in the day so I didn’t feel too rushed to get out there. I slowly awoke around 8am. I do have to mention that sleepy time tea and ambient music may have done the trick to keeping me asleep. As I took my time getting out of bed, I made my way to have a small snack, coffee and journal before I got ready to head to the gym. Having a routine is huge when you go on a long trip. Even for a two week trip, having a routine similar to home can keep everything grooving. When I went for my two week plein-air trip in California, from San Fran to San Diego, I learned that pretty quickly. For me, a good night's sleep, morning snack, journal and a workout of some sort keeps me on a harmonious path for the rest of the day. As for today, I took the rest of this morning to get a good workout in and eat a solid bowl of yogurt before I left the hostel. I definitely should’ve eaten more but my stomach was a little off due to my nerves. I did bring an apple, nuts, and water with me just in case I needed something.
Walking out the door today, I planned to stay pretty close and head to a new-ish cafe 2 blocks away from the hostel. I already said hello to the employees the day before, just in case I had some sort of emergency. They were very kind and welcoming.
As I arrived at the spot, I remember taking a deep breath while getting myself going. As I unzipped my bag, body slightly shaky, I said to myself “here we go!.” Not sure if I mentioned this already, but it felt like it was my first time at this plein-air thing, lol. Before you know it, I got all set up, completed the drawing and already noticed a familiar feeling. People, walking by, curiously looking, taking a peak, and while grabbing more brushes, I moved onto COLOR!
It started happening, a flow of paint, a flow of passers-by and not expecting anything, my heart began to fill up, and fill up more as I got my first, then my second, third, fourth and so on “Muy Bien!” Not too far in a few ladies walked up to me, also said muy bien, however continued on speaking in spanish. I responded “habla engles por favor.” They laughed and said “Oh you speak English, ha ha ha! I giggled with them. They kindly switched over and there I was having a wonderful conversation with them. We spoke of my painting, they questioned what medium, and as most, surprised I was working in oils. This is my question: why does everyone seem so surprised that I am working in oils? I ask this and may you feel open to reply.
The two ladies I've been speaking to, Marianna and Lucia, continued to connect with me through art, life obstacles and age.
In the middle of the conversation we brought up our age. I told them I was 37 and they were surprised that I was the same age as them. I did have to mention laughing, “I am actually 36 and not sure why I rushed to 37 lol.” We all giggled some more. After a little more chatter, they admitted that they thought I was much younger. I said “Well that feels fucking good.” We laughed some more as I thought about my mothers age when she passed at 60, as many of us are still so young. My father is 70 now and to me that is still very young!
They proceeded to share their artistry, social and while moving along, kindly mentioned they would stay connected. The painting moved forward with the day and I enjoyed everyone stopping to take a look. There were so many new faces, new voices, and just pleasant energy around me. Feeling the city of Barcelona, hearing it while I paint, and knowing that I am doing this while on the other side of the world placed me in such a beautiful presence of painting and genuine conversations.
I turned back to my painting, noticing the quick change in sunlight and knew I had to move along pretty quickly. 5-6 hours I came close to finishing the painting, just leaving the name of the cafe sketch out to complete once it's back at home. “Camelia Art Cafe” as my first painting in Barcelona was a great experience. After packing up, and shivering as I was standing all day and not moving much, I made my way into the cafe to say hello to the staff and share the painting with them. They were kind enough to offer me a coffee and I proceeded to add on a piece of carrot cake. This would be my ideal celebration anyways. I looove carrot cake!! As I sat to enjoy this moment, and take this first day of plein-air painting all into my heart, I gathered my things and went back over to the staff to say thank you, and ask for their names one more time. A big thank you Perscilla and Genosis. I look forward to seeing their smiles again and letting them meet my partner, and telling them once again, how kind they were to me.