One day in Havana
Posted: June 1, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized 29 CommentsA few years ago we spent a day in Havana. It wasn’t nearly long enough to see everything there is to see in that fascinating city. Instead of sticking with the group from our hotel, we chose instead to wander through the streets of the old colonial centre. That’s always the best way to see a city, isn’t it? I hadn’t gotten back into sketching at that time, but I did take a lot of photos, and I go back through them from time to time. This week, when I was looking for a reference image for a large format gouache experiment, I happened upon this one and it seemed just right. A tree-lined square, plenty of locals hanging around in the shade, some exotic yellow Cassia trees and of course good shadows. Painted in gouache on a half sheet of Fabriano CP paper, 15″ x 20″.
Shari Blaukopf's Sketchbook 
Love your trees!
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Thanks Ann!
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What a lovely painting. Can’t wait to start the gouache workshop( have bought it) and can’t wait to get back to Cuba.
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Thanks Irene! I would love to go back too, this time with my sketchbook of course, and for a longer time.
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Ahhhhh……large-scale gouache……Fantastic – I shall be watching this very carefully 🙂 🙂 🙂 :).
The trees are especially lovely, and the bright colours.
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Thanks so much Mary. I’ve been waiting to have time to try this out. There will be more large ones coming!!
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I would love to visit Cuba! This is a beautiful painting- is it as satisfactory to paint from a photo as on location? I’ve not tried it much, fearing the result would lack emotion.
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Hi. I would love to go back to Cuba too!
In answer to your question, no, it is not as satisfying to paint from a photo but this has been an unusual year. For lack of options during this pandemic, I have travelled to many places through photos, especially back to places I have visited myself. It’s been a great year to learn, and to practice stuff that I’ve been wanting to try. You have to make the best of it, right? And hopefully one day soon we will be travelling to amazing cities like Havana once again.
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Terrific atmosphere, love all the mark-making and textures.
Glad to see you got to do a large format painting!
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Thanks Alison! It was fun to work large like this!
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I feel like I’m back in Havana, looking at your painting.
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Glad I brought you back Leslie!
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Hokey smokes that is nice.
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Wayne, thank you!!
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Beautiful! I’m waiting for my paints and palette to arrive so I can start the skies class. I hope you will add more gouache classes along with new watercolor classes!
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Thanks Tracy. That is my intention. Goauche classes seem to be popular these days.
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Magnificent! I have such trouble w/complex scenes. The people, signs, shadows, trees and so much more all included without being overcrowded or confusing. I LOVE it. It is my new favorite of all your works!
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Wow, thanks Bernadette!! Much appreciated.
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Ditto, what Bernadette said. There is so much to see in the painting, and I love how I can go in and look at everything without getting lost. Just beautiful and not too busy at all. Great painting, Shari!
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Thanks so much Linda. I did enjoy the process.
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Love the sunshine and shadow in this! Great job on this!!
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Thanks so much Joan!
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Nice view of Havanna, I’ve never been there, but I could probually sketch it for months on end. It has to be full of interesting scenes.
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Yes, it’s full of interesting spots and I could sketch it for months too!
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I like how you added the bright sunlight leaves it gives the trees a lot of character.
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Thanks so much Shawn.
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This is so lovely. It has convinced me to try gouache again. Thanks for the inspiration.
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I’m glad you’re giving it a try. I am loving it. It’s just a different way of working, but also the same in many ways.
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I always like wandering without a guide. You see so much more of what you want to see. This is really lovely.
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