Rewind! Lisbon Symposium July 2011

September 2, 2014 | Leave your thoughts

As it is too hard to post to my blog while I am in Brazil, I thought it would be a good chance to revisit the previous Urban Sketchers (USK)Symposiums – I have been to all of them. These Rewind! posts are my own reflection on what I got out of the events at the time and/or the impact on my work now. It is not a full description so please excuse the lack of links to the names referred to. Please look up the Archive section on the side bar to read the full descriptions that I wrote at the time 


Lisbon was a lot bigger and more sophisticated event – run by the amazing Lisbon USK group. The special quality of this symposium for me was

  • first: the beautiful city and
  • second: meeting so many sketchers whose work I had been following for years.

If you want to see a video from this event check out the video section of my blog


My goal was to improve my watercolour and I was so happy that I was able to hang out with two painters before and after the symposium – Omar Jaramillo and Marc Holmes.

Looking back, I think it was here at Lisbon that I realised that I had a developed a way of working that was suiting me and with that came a certain acceptance and satisfaction with my work in general. Of course there are still many sketches I wasn’t happy with and much I wanted to improve… but I was having fun – and lots of it!


Great way to ground myself in a new place by doing my first sketch… and in the great inspiring company of Omar (omar paint)


A ratty page that I did later in the day which has become one of my favourite – read more about it here


Quick sketch during the opening workshop – a stunning location – Marc doing a demo and meeting the Spanish gang for the first time. I did a number other pages during the workshop and a lot of chatting!


During the afternoon workshop with Nina and Joao, I was told by J to only to do a single sketch! ha ha! I spent the first 20 minutes walking around the square and then came up with this unusual view that developed into this page. Very good for me to slow down and think!


I am not going through every workshop… but on the second day I had a ‘medical adventure'(nothing  serious but I had to go to a local hospital) which meant I missed most of Mario and Norberto’s workshop. I arrived at the end and sat quietly on the steps and drew this bookshop. I was happy that despite being a little shaky from the recent dramas I was able to capture the essence of this delightful store.


I did a lot of non stop sketching in Lisbon… including one very late night… oh! too tired for this one!


The Monday after I spent a day with Marc Holmes (and his lovely wife Laurel) in Belem. These before or after days having a good art talk and sketching alongside fellow USKers are my favourite part of the symposiums.


A few very quick final sketch of the view of Lisbon only minutes before I headed to get a taxi to the airport.


This sketch from the week afterwards when I was in London says a lot – as does my notes down the side.

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