Spanish Art Residency - Pre Game Plan

A huge part of the fun of any adventure is the anticipation that fills the gap between deciding to go and getting on the plane.  Well, I’m happy to announce that I’ve entered that phase.  My art residency in Spain is booked!  I’ll be leaving on February 16^th, spending 2 weeks sketching and traveling with my favourite trip buddy/husband, then spending all of March at Estudio Nomada on the outskirts of Barcelona exploring different methods and creating a new body of work.  I've confirmed with Estudio Nomada who offered the residency through www.resartis.org, we booked an adorable flat in Madrid through www.airbnb.com, and traded our house with a couple who live in the heart of Barcelona through www.homeexchange.com.  How did we do these things before the magical interweb?!

So here’s how the pre-game goes for me: First  I do up a reading list.  It’ll cover some history, geography, culture, travelogues and the like.  This time it includes lots of Hemingway and Michener, and books on Dali, Velasquez and Picasso.   I started chipping my way through it  when I first got the invite from the residency, so I’ve already hit some big stuff like Don Quixote (it may be heralded as the first modern novel, but it’s still a bit of a slog in spots).

Then I make a language study plan.  In this case it’s easier than past trips, since Spanish is my strongest ‘non-english’ language.  I’ve been reading my fave Spanish books (el Alquemista, Cuentos de Eva Luna) and listening to audio books in Spanish like ‘El Monje Que Vendio Su Ferrari’.  I’m also using www.notesinspanish.com audio podcasts and worksheets from Marina Diaz and Ben Curtis.  They’re an adorable Spanish/British couple who make great learning tools at all levels.  They discuss really interesting topics, anything from environmental concerns to the Heroes TV Show.  She corrects him when his Spanish isn’t perfect, and  together they explain any unusual terms or idioms.  Super effective.  I’m watching my way through every Spanish movie Netflix has to offer.   There is a January session at www.holaspanishcentre.com  right around the corner from my house that I'll be attending, and www.meetup.com has Spanish meet-up sessions at the bar a few blocks in the other direction.  Que conveniente!  I know when I get there there’ll be lots of people who speak English everywhere, but it’s far more fun to torture them in their own language J

Now I get to plan the art part: what supplies to take and what tech-y tools I’ll need.  I'm envisioning tucking into the streetscape, capturing wild Gaudi structures, old Moorish buildings and contemporary marvels all jumbled together.  I'm so excited about this destination!

Then comes the promo stuff.  This time I’ll be using something like Indiegogo to raise funds to cover the trip.  I’ll do up a video sharing my dream, showing my methods and what people will get if they invest in my adventure. 

So, I hope you’ll follow along.  Empazamos!