After a three year postponement due to covid, our Portugal workshop finally went ahead. We were joined by our guides Amanda and Gordon and around twenty keen painters. The workshop started in Lisbon where we all got to know each other and some great friendships were formed. A mixture of painting, sightseeing, shopping, wining and dining kept us all very busy.

The view from the rooftop bar at our hotel in Lisbon was stunning. It’s a densely packed city and most of the population seem to be out walking.

Most towns we visited in Portugal had beautifully tiled streets and pavements – time consuming work to lay all these tiny stone blocks by hand but it looks fantastic.

Lisbon’s vintage trams move people around the city centre pretty efficiently but walking seems to be the preferred mode of transport.

Fancy neon

The streets and alleyways are a great place to take photographs. There is always somewhere catching just the right light and the bends, twists and undulations make interesting compositions.

Stacked wine glasses in a restaurant window

Interesting machine parked outside a high end store

Porto was clouded in smoke from nearby bushfires. It was hard to breathe, it stung your eyes, but looked fantastic

Strange red sun as it set through a curtain of smoke

Traditional river boats in Porto are still built and maintained on the riverside slipway

Fantastic old buildings perched along the riverside in Porto

Washing day

…Cant resist a pink wall

We toured the palace in Sintra then painted in the town square.

This beautiful building was tucked into the hillside above the town of Sintra

Azenhas do Mar was a beautiful seaside town where we spent a day painting and enjoying the warm coastal weather.

Lunch on the beach with Amanda and Gordon – Azenhas do Mar

Most abandoned buildings eventually attract a coating of graffiti

Dried, salted Cod waiting to be turned into a tasty delicacy.

Bridge over the Douro River in Porto.