Salamanca Old Cathedral, Spain

At this point in the Spain trip I my confidence was such that I was not afraid to take on a scene with a lot of detail. This was perhaps one of the most elaborate cathedrals I had encountered, with the sun pouring down on its reflective dome, the rich shadows and intricate detailing on the spires, and the beautiful, open square in front of the cathedral, laid with interlocking brick and ornate lamp posts. Somehow all that is captured on a small painting in about an hour or so, just missing the crowds of people that were actually there taking pictures and asking me if I was Spanish or not (I was wearing plaid and a baseball cap at the time...). To paint this work I sat in the sun. It is important to have real sunlight on the paper in order to accurately judge the colours and values you are applying to the work. If you sit in shadow the colours end up looking washed out and the values kind of monotone. In Spain it was so hot that sometimes I had to sit in the shade anyways, counting on the strong light to come through. Notice that in the shadowed face of the cathedral, there are several details (windows etc.) that are done with simple , dark brushwork. Keeping it simple is important for a small painting like this, to keep it fresh and easy to look at. 

Salamanca Old Cathedral, watercolour, 5 x 7" cold press, June 1998 (No. 0955)