Old brick archway in Portugal

I have put together a whole lot of reference pictures that I want to use as a base for the paintings for my exhibition in March! I am possibly going to focus on boats, old windows and doors and arches! This was a wonderful old fort we visited in Portugal. I loved the red bricks and the picture it made with a bit of the overhanging tree, the sunlit spaces and shadows! The picture is an A4 size and I have used a rough paper! It added to the picture!

Boats in Cochin!

The exciting thing is that I have booked a gallery for my first ever exhibition! I am doing it jointly with Jyoti David. She is a more experienced artist and we try and get together every Saturday to paint! Now that we have committed ourselves I have 8 months to get some decent work done!
An artist friend said that one should only paint something when it moves you and touches your heart! These boats in Kerala certainly did! There is something fascinating about boats, especially the country ones we have in India.... of so many varieties as well! The combination of the water and the boat, the stillness and calm of the moment, filled me with a feeling of wanting to capture the moment....so here it is....