Pollensa

This was our last day in Puerta Pollensa so we took the bus to the main town of Pollensa, about 5 kilometres inland. I love this town with it's narrow streets and old buildings, a fine piazza in front of a small cathedral. But what I like most is it's artistic atmosphere. This ancient town has become over the years a centre for the arts with working artists, writers, and musicians. There are many galleries which I like but my favourite place is the Club Pollensa
( http://www.club-pollensa.com/ca/index.html ) where generations of artists have met for years and has developed a rich and still active festival life for itself. I love to walk in the main door and feel the atmosphere, imagining what it must be like to be part of it. Around the walls hang some terrific artwork none better than that by an artist I like very much - Dionis Bennassar ( http://www.museudionisbennassar.com/coleccion.html ) He lived and worked through my favourite artistic period: the 1950's and 60's. After lunch in the cool interior bar I wandered around stopping at this little watercolour painting of his and made my own copy in pastels:

Pastels on ingres paper, 15x22cm: Although I could find no title for it I would call it "The Dance". I like the way the figures have been treated as simplified shapes brought together in a semi-abstract manner.

Leaving the Club Pollensa we made our way up through the town stopping firstly at the studio of an artist I met a few years ago on a previous visit: Matthias Schürle (http://www.macias555.de/) Happily he was still there and the door was open, so I walked in and re-aquainted ourselves. Matthais's work is fascinating and nothing like anyone elses that I have seen. Quite idosyncratic. He paints in oils but it looks like encaustic with a very smooth glazed appearance. His subject matter is also very strange but you could never accuse him of painting for the masses. And good on him. I'm happy to report he is well and still working though I'm not sure who is buying his work to keep him alive. A pleasure to meet him again.
After exchanging business cards I continued along heading towards the an galleria where I met and spoke with another artist all those years ago: Marquet Pasqual (http://marquetpasqual.com/). Unfortunately Marquet wasn't in this time but I spoke with the gallery owner who took my card to pass on my good wishes to him. I love Marquet's work. It is figurative and lyrical. The last time we met our initial difficulty was that he only spoke Spanish and I know nothing apart from ordering coffees or wine! I found a way round this barrier by communicating in Italian, which as a latin language is very close to Spanish, so we could make ouselves understood.
Finally, on return to Puerta Pollensa, I went down to the beach for a bit of snorkelling, and afterwards, while soaking up the last rays of the sun, I made this little pastel painting:

Pastels on paper, 30x22cm: "Sierra del Cavall Bernat"; purple in the distance with it's ragged edge it makes a great backdrop to, and protects, the beach and bay.