¡Me Voy a España!

Our local lake in the Winter

So as time is ticking on, I find myself packing boxes, ordering extra sheets of paper and saying good bye to Brick Lane. It's been an emotional few months that is for sure. There has been a lot of retrospection and tying up of loose ends as I prepare myself for the next step. It's a bold one - Inky Leaves is moving studio to Spain! I have been very lucky in that my mother and stepfather have offered a place for me to stay while I work towards building a portfolio of work and learn what it is really like to paint full-time. This is a tad scary, as I have never painted full time and I might end up falling out of love with it, but then you never know how it will go unless you try. I'd much rather give it a try than regret not having tried at all when I am on my death bed. 

The Almond fields near our house in Spring

With all of this in mind, I have also taken the plunge and booked some driving lessons. My test is scheduled for August. Fingers crossed. I am also picking up my Spanish lessons again and going for a little holiday to Galacia with my house mate. We have both been through the wars, so it'll be a time of healing for both of us and hopefully a lot of fun!  So at this rate my 30th birthday will be in Andalucia, and maybe a rather quiet affair. Might have a trip to the cemetery with all the locals as it is right next to the day of the dead and it's tradition to have a trip to the cemetery in the night.

One of the local lakes in Summer

Along with my portfolio work I hope to do a series of paintings for a book that will be published by Kew Gardens and my mother and I are looking at the possibility of running some courses. I really hope the funding comes through for this book, as it would be such a good experience for me and I believe something rather lovely to have on a bookshelf. Even if I do say so myself!

The Sierra Nevada in Autumn

So yes - ¡Adiós Amigos! I will be blogging again once I am on tierra española