Spain

We just returned from a wonderful 10 days in Madrid and Barcelona.

Everything went smoothly and we enjoyed every minute. We met some dearly loved old friends in Madrid. They hang out at the Prado Museum. Goya, Velasquez, Bosch, El Greco, etc. were all there to greet us. We became reacquainted with some at the Thyssen Museum. Picasso had "Guernica" waiting for us at Reina Sofia Museum. What a strong statement he made about the horrors of war.
In Barcelona we really got to understand and appreciate Gaudi. We hung out with him for quite sometime and were amazed with his work and his creativity. The Picasso Museum showcased a lot of his early work since he grew up there. He was a visual genius which was apparent in his painting ability at 15. Joan Miro's museum give us more insight into his images proving how far ahead of the time he was. At the Catalan National Art Museum we met some new friends and fell in love with the whole experience. We felt as though we had earned at least one new degree with all we learned.

Acrylic painting

I finished this painting for my brother before we left to go on our trip to Spain. He had wanted it for his office. He had specified that he would like for me to paint some of my wildflowers. After going through many of my photographs, I settled on some photos of the trilliums that grow on our property in the mountains. I had not painted with acrylics in several years because my medium of choice is watercolor. The painting was slow to come to completion mainly because of the mental anquish rather than the difficulty of the work. I sent him a note with it telling how the flower appears in the spring for such a short time that you must enjoy every moment of it. It is very much like his visits to the mountains. I have to enjoy every moment because when they leave I know they will not return until next year.