Cádiz 1 august 2016

I begin to write this diary in Cadiz, while I'm on vacation and where I have brought some small canvases and a sketch pad only for watercolour and another one for sketches and watercolour.

Espiral, 2016. gestodedios

Spiral, first sketch, 2016

Last Saturday after arriving to Huetor-Tajar from Madrid I began drawing a watercolor that I have not finished yet1 . It represents a woman with a background with color spots. There are several contrasts between complementary colors.

I'm still not very happy with this watercolor. It is an idea without much, well, really without any prior analysis, and therefore finally everything gets complicated.

Today I also decided to start one of the canvases I had prepared. Nor have I done any study before I began painting. The process has been a little automatic and I don't know if it will come to fruition. The picture has common elements in my painting2. Several women, although one is the main, the sea and a man in similar pose to the women of "The dilettante turists"


1 The autor refers to watercolor finally called "Thinking colors".

2 The autor refers to an acrilyc finally called "Spiral".


Cádiz 2 august 2016


Today I keept painting the picture of which I spoke yesterday and wich I have still not put name. It is painted with acrylic but I still do not manage very well with this technique. In any case, its resolution is proving difficult. There is a central theme that started with a spiral pattern and several secondary motifs on the sides. As the start was uncertain, now i'm having such a hard time fitting all the parts and giving them a union, a common link.

Today while I was jogging3 I saw a exhibition cartel in the Carcel Real.


3 During these holidays the artist used to run round the old town of Cadiz. The former Real Jail has now turned into a museum.

Cádiz 3 august 2016


Today I went to see two exhibitions. The first of them was of Juan Luis Vassallo Parodi, an sculptor born in Cádiz and I was surprised pleasantly. I was also surprised that the exposure was empty... There was nobody.
I was in what is now called Reina Sofia Cultural Centre, formerly the Military Government. I have seen what I guess it was the original sculpture of Minerva (Athena) that it is currently at the top of Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid

Then we went to the exhibition of Costus, El Valle de los Caídos, which bought the council a few years ago. I had already seen the exhibition at the Castle of Santa Catalina. Again I was surprised that no one was visiting it... Empty.


Cádiz 4 august 2016


Verano de 2016. gestodedios

Summer of 2016, first intention, 2016

Today I continued the picture I've been talking about. The girl in jeans. But at noon I decided to start another square canvas that I also brought for this trip (I have brought three canvases, two of them rectangular and another one square).

The picture has to do with what I've been seeing these days on the beach. Three bathers, a couple and a third boy who is taking a leap in the air4.

 


4 He refers to "Summer of 2016"


Cádiz 5 august 2016


Espiral, 2016. gestodedios

Spiral, 2016

Today I continued with the two tables to which I have been referring in previous days. The two acrylics.

I've been working the bodies but it's difficult, besides I have not brought any anatomy book so I have no references. Another thing I'm working on are the sea waves, ever-present in my last invented pictures.

Well, and nothing else. Today is the penultimate day we are going to spend in Cadiz, so I anticipate I'm not going to finish none of the pictures I have begun here. They will join the lot of unfinished works I have in Madrid.

Well, I'd like to add that Simón5 has bought his first box of watercolours. As he was spending my colors, I advised him to buy his own watercolours and he did. Finally he bought a Windsord and Newton box, as the first one I had and which, incidentally, bought in the same place, a shop on the Mina square that still exists (Piccolita).

5 His son.


Cádiz 6 august 2016

Today I only painted the picture of the bathers as it was my last day in Cadiz. I have advanced in the sky and the characters. In the afternoon I went out with Jesús6 and I brought him to see the exhibitions of Juan Luis Vassallo and Costus

Moreover, after, with my family we went to the House of Iberoamérica (former Real Prison) and we have seen the permanent exhibition of José Félix Llopis that has pleasantly surprised me. The exhibition features abstract and naif paintings. We have also seen two temporary exhibitions, one very colorful of Pablo Siebel and another one of  watercolor portraits of Berta Llonch, an artist from Cádiz although her studio is in Madrid.


6 A good friend of the artist

Madrid 7 august 2016

Today I travelled from Cadiz to Madrid. Tired, when I arrived in Madrid I have returned to the picture Summer of 16 (the one of the bathers, that now already has title). I have not been able to do much. I have gone over the anatomy with the help of books and the Internet.


Madrid 8 august 2016


Verano de 2016. gestodedios

Summer of 16, after the airplain was included.

Today I've only been able to work in the afternoon. I continued with the painting Summer of 16 and I have included an airplane to reinforce the diagonal of the square, because it seemed too static before.

I have also made a little progress in the other picture that I started in Cadiz. I started with the spiral ornaments.


Madrid 9 august 2016


Verano de 2016. gestodedios

Pencil study for Summer of 16

Today I reviewed the figures that are moving towards the interior of the sea in Summer of the 16. I did a pencil study and then I tried to take it to the canvas.


Madrid 10 august 2016


Verano de 2016. gestodedios

Study of Summer of 2016

Today I have only been able to do a study of the character that appears in the foreground in Summer of 2016.


Madrid 11 august 2016


Today I spent my afternoon continuing with the watercolor I started on vacation. It is very colorful and although it was initially figurative, the abstract background has been gaining ground. I think it's almost finished.


Madrid 12 august 2016


Verano de 2016. gestodedios

Thinking in colors, 2016

Today has been one of those days without almost production. I have finished the watercolor which I titled "Thinking in colors". Then I have dedicated to upload pictures to Saatchi, the online gallery and to retouch my website. Let's hope it works.


Madrid 13 august 2016


Verano de 2016. gestodedios

The scream, 2016

Today I have retouched in the own picture of Summer of 16 the initial character who is doing a pirouette.

At night I wanted to do a watercolor so I got down to work and came out a little romantic seascape (David Friedrichk). A woman, on her back, and before her an infinite sea opening.7.



7 The artist refers to the watercolor entitled The scream.

Madrid 14 august 2016


Precipicio. gestodedios

Precipice, 2016

Today I could not work during the day, so the same as yesterday, at night, I started a watercolor in the same romantic line of the previous day.

As in the picture of "Summer of 16" where I placed an airplane in the sky to complete the composition, in this case I painted a woman on a cliff, a Precipice 8 and to complete the composition I added a bird.


7 That is precisely the title of the watercolor.

Madrid 15 august 2016


Today I finished the watercolour Precipice. I have specially retouched the sea with a few brushstrokes of white acrylic. I have also worked a little more the contorted boy of Summer of 16. I have blurred the muscles and it has been better.


Madrid 16 august 2016


Study for Spiral. gestodedios

Study for Spiral, 2016

Since I have classes now, I have not been able to work as much as I would like. This morning I dedicated a little time to the contorted boy in the picture of the woman in jeans that I started in Cadiz9. Then, at night I did a study of this girl in graphite pencil, to try to improve her.

9 He refers to Spiral.

Madrid 17 august 2016


Precipicio. gestodedios

Hot-air balloon, 2016

Today I could hardly work because I had a bad day of preparing classes. Even though, I did not want to miss any day without painting so at night I started a small book of watercolor that I bought before vacations and tried to make a watercolor10 playing with a harmony of complementary blue-orange. For this I checked a Horadam color chart out and used the 485 (blue) and the 224 (orange yellow), 218 (orange) and 363 (red-carmine).

I did not finish it ... I drew a landscape with a woman in the foreground, a tree, a cliff and in the background the sea and the horizon (follows the trail of "Precipice"). Instead of a bird, this time I put a balloon ..Instead of a bird, this time I put a hot-air balloon.


10 The artist refers to Hot-air balloon

Madrid 18 august 2016


Precipicio. gestodedios

No sign, 2016

Today I finished the watercolor of yesterday. I called it Hot-air balloon. Then, for lack of more time, I decided to start another11 of similar size, for ease.

This time the original theme was a girl in dance attitude, but little by little, as I began to give color, appeared spots and lines in the background and became disfigured. I was familiar with Thinking colors ... How things are, how the painters repeat their paintings ... It does not bother me. On the contrary, it is pleasing to see themes or recognizable figures.

The small picture, which I signed on the 19th, was curious.

Ah! I forgot it. I had the inspiration of a magnificent painting by Van Gogh12 that I do not remember ever seeing before. Some houses in Arles, where a tree in violet and green carmine stands out magnificent of a blue sky and houses with cold pastel colors are stimulating next to several green of grass.


11 The artist refers to No sign.

12 The artirs refers to the painting of Van Gogh "The red tree house" (1890).


Madrid 19 august 2016


Precipicio. gestodedios

Análogos, 2016

Today at night I made a small watercolor that I called "Analogs" because I worked with three similar colors: green, green yellow and green blue.

Also, in spite of being very small, I worked with the musical proportions of 9, 12 and 16 according to references of the old painting and that arrived at me through the book The Painter's Secret Geometry 13.


13 The artist refers to the Charles Bouleau's book "The Painter's Secret Geometry".

Madrid 20 august 2016


Precipicio. gestodedios

Spiral, 20 august 2016

Today I was working on the painting that I started in the summer, the one of the girl in jeans14. As the central figure did not finish convincing , I ended up changing the position of the head, more inclined. As a result of this changed the face completely and well, I am happy although it will have to be retouched.

 


14 The artist refers to Spiral.

Madrid 21 august 2016


Spiral, 21 august 2016. gestodedios

Spiral, 21 august 2016

Today was Sunday and I had some more time to devote to painting. In spite of this I have not been able to advance much. I put the picture of the girl with the jeans back on15. I re-touched this figure and also some of the background where I used a red with white (pink) and an olive green.


15 The artist refers again to Spiral, that still did not have title.

Madrid 22 august 2016


Precipicio. gestodedios

Spiral, with generative logarithmic spirals.

Today was a difficult day, I had to go to the doctor and I had complicated classes... It was also a very hot day. I have only been able to rethink the composition of the picture where the girl in jeans.
I have thought of a set of logarithmic spirals that, in a way, was the original idea. And for the title, it could be "Spiral".

Madrid 23 august 2016

Today again I had little time available to work. I was a bit tired so I finally decided to do a watercolor studio for the girl in jeans that already has a title: "Spiral". I did not finish it, I had to leave it.


Madrid 24 august 2016


Study for Spiral. gestodedios

Study for Spiral

Today I finished the small watercolour studio for Spiral. In the end it is almost a "picture" with its own personality. To paint this watercolor I used only the three primary colors (I am testing with different palettes). I used a blue (480 Horadam), a magenta (353 Horadam) and a yellow (224 Horadam). I miss some colors like more intense blues but it is fun to work with blends.


Madrid. August, 25th 2016


Cage. gestodedios

Jaula, 2016

Today I was painting a small watercolor (all of this watercolors are made in the same blue paste drawing pad). It is a girl in the attitude of being scared or caged, hence the title "Cage". It is the opus 45/2016. I used a palette of six colors: two yellow, two blue and two red. One cold and the other warm.

Madrid. August 26th 2016

Today I began to paint at night and started a watercolor16 where a girl raises her arms as if she were shaking off her guilt, while at the same time she has a mocking smile. I did not finish it. The format is larger than the previous ones (31x41 cm).


16 It refers to the watercolor that was finally called "Blue dress with flowers".

Madrid. August, 27th 2016


Spiral. gestodedios

Spiral. August, 27th 2016

Today, in the morning, I could go to buy some materials. I have bought some watercolor Schminke tubes to test them. Only primary colors. Also, I have bought two acrylic colors, the burnt umber, that was in bad condition (it had been done grains) and make me difficult to do the mixtures and a lemon yellow.

In the afternoon and in the evening I was improving one of the figures of the picture "Spiral". It is the one that is at the botom on the left of the main girl. I Por la tarde y por la noche estuve mejorando una de las figuras del cuadro de "Espiral". La que está debajo a la izquierda de la chica principal. I also enhanced the Archimedes's spiral effect.