Walking through the blue, white & yellow painted streets with its cottages and lemon trees and on past the Village Square in Ferragudo, with its beautiful local stone footpaths. Here, I am laden with my plein air art kit, I recognize a familiar wolf whistle and a friendly wave enticing me to accept their invite to join friends for a freshly made coffee. How can I refuse? The golden rays of the morning sunshine will still be there in an hour’s time!
These friends include local fishermen, waiters, businessmen …–and one gentleman, the bold Jorge, holding court over the square, watching the continual movement of people around him as he sits enjoying either a morning coffee or the beginning of his daily beer and calling out banter to all, no one is safe from his quick wit and verbal observations !
Their children play football on the square their laughter adding to the ambience that is all around in the bright sunshine that adorns the blue azure sky above, whist the coffee can quickly turns in to a beer or two and where everyone nearby keeps an eye on the playing children and are quick to correct behaviors when and if needed.
That’s what this village’s life in Portugal is like, where the people and its community still live and cares for each other.
These friends include local fishermen, waiters, businessmen …–and one gentleman, the bold Jorge, holding court over the square, watching the continual movement of people around him as he sits enjoying either a morning coffee or the beginning of his daily beer and calling out banter to all, no one is safe from his quick wit and verbal observations !
Their children play football on the square their laughter adding to the ambience that is all around in the bright sunshine that adorns the blue azure sky above, whist the coffee can quickly turns in to a beer or two and where everyone nearby keeps an eye on the playing children and are quick to correct behaviors when and if needed.
That’s what this village’s life in Portugal is like, where the people and its community still live and cares for each other.
The light is perfect for artists and inspiration is round every corner in this old fisherman’s village.
I began by painting the red and white lifeboat house, that sits perched at the edge of the beach their community house / art gallery, the harbour with its sandy beach, the BBQ chef at his work creating fabulous food and filling the air with the smell of produce, grown, and produced locally and the yellow and white church with its stained-glass windows and cast-iron bell.
I began by painting the red and white lifeboat house, that sits perched at the edge of the beach their community house / art gallery, the harbour with its sandy beach, the BBQ chef at his work creating fabulous food and filling the air with the smell of produce, grown, and produced locally and the yellow and white church with its stained-glass windows and cast-iron bell.
These sights and sounds echoing of these buildings that surround me capturing what these people call home and what I have learned to call my other home. I love giving them my finished work to them as a gift in appreciation of them and how they welcomed my husband and myself to their village and the beauty of the place.
The community association immediately offered their space for an exhibition of my work and that began my sales of work in the village! My husband and myself have had a holiday home there for the past six years. Six years of being surrounded by wonderful welcoming people and their beautiful country full of people who care for each other.
While I am there, I enjoy doing exhibitions, as part of the community while providing bespoke gift cards for businesses, do commissions, and take a stall in the monthly street market with my friend-a local talented amateur photographer. I love doing the Street Market as it allows me to meet tourists, ex-pats and locals alike and enjoying hearing and getting their friendly feedback on their art tastes and needs.
While I am there, I enjoy doing exhibitions, as part of the community while providing bespoke gift cards for businesses, do commissions, and take a stall in the monthly street market with my friend-a local talented amateur photographer. I love doing the Street Market as it allows me to meet tourists, ex-pats and locals alike and enjoying hearing and getting their friendly feedback on their art tastes and needs.
One of the things I do regularly is to take myself off to paint solo” en plein air” around the village-spoiled for choice of views: from the maze of narrow, hill side ancient streets with their brightness of colour and the different palette of colourful flowers and plants growing up against the brick and white painted plastered walls that wind down to the sea with its sandy beach and it’s rugged cliffs and caves that sit bordered by the edge of the blueness of the sea These views and the local characters, that live within the village and events that they take part in , as part of their life, keep me busy and painting.
Arco Iris is the local art shop in Portimao (5 mins away) and provides a great array of materials and printing services enabling me to sell prints as well as cards and originals at events. I am enjoying using my pastels and watercolours for outdoors and acrylic for indoors as the heat dries the acrylics too fast! I regularly run out of Ceruleaun blue paint-such is the sky hue each and every day!
In the future, I hope to able to have members of our local Ballymena Vis Art club, to visit me for a painting holiday in 2024-a perfect venue for painting and holidaying…if we could just get past that café!!
Arco Iris is the local art shop in Portimao (5 mins away) and provides a great array of materials and printing services enabling me to sell prints as well as cards and originals at events. I am enjoying using my pastels and watercolours for outdoors and acrylic for indoors as the heat dries the acrylics too fast! I regularly run out of Ceruleaun blue paint-such is the sky hue each and every day!
In the future, I hope to able to have members of our local Ballymena Vis Art club, to visit me for a painting holiday in 2024-a perfect venue for painting and holidaying…if we could just get past that café!!
All pictures are Copyright of U Fitz Art