I’ve recently been commissioned to paint a client’s holiday home in Mallorca, a very attractive Mediterranean island. To be able to paint the property with greater insight, we felt it would be best to stay for several days to enable me to do some sketchbook watercolours, not just of the property, but also the small town of Pollenca.
We’d never been to Mallorca before, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect. However as soon as we arrived we were very impressed. The people were very friendly and helpful and the places we visited were very clean and attractive. There was some stunning scenery and the food and wine was lovely.
Calvari Steps, Pollenca
The first watercolour I did was from the top of the 365 Calvari steps with the town of Pollenca in the distance. The steps are lined with picturesque properties and cypress trees which cast shadows across the steps.
I wasted no time in producing a second sketchbook painting, this time of the client’s property. Mid morning sunlight created interesting shadows to help frame the building.
The next watercolour was painted from the lower part of the steps. I was able to bring in some of the interesting architecture.
Again, long shadows helped to focus the eye on the main parts of interest. A few figures helped to bring life and scale to the scene. Once I was back in my studio I was able to go through my reference material and come up with a small A4 preliminary watercolour. This is going to be worked up into a larger watercolour for the client too.
I don’t like to miss an opportunity to paint outdoors in the sun. One more sketchbook study was needed before we left for Palma. This one sits halfway between the first and second studies of the steps and the town.