 |
| Iglesia de Santa Ana © Sue Pownall 2011 |
The other town I visited in Cuba was Trinidad, where I ended up spending 10 very relaxed days. Apart from having a sketchbook in some form always with me, I was not actually very disciplined with my art whilst I was there. The first morning, after a downpour, I walked through the steaming and rapidly drying streets to the ruined church of Santa Ana, with the thoughts it could be a potential subject. It was, as you can see above, however I ended up with the very difficult perspective due to it being the only available bench in the shade. That evening I went for dinner at
Sol y Son restauran,t which is in a beautiful old colonial building. Whilst waiting for my delicious meal, I sketched some of the eclectic objects and plants, such as an angel, adding colour later back at my accommodation. So that was 2 drawings on my first full day.
 |
| Sol y Son restaurant. A6 sketchbook. © Sue Pownall 2011 |
The next morning after another heavy morning downpour, I stopped at the
Pelanque de Los Congas Reales to see a group that play rumba, African rhythms, and have a troupe of dancers too. Unfortunately, I planned the page to have musicians top left then dancers below bottom right, but got too distracted by watching the show that I didn't draw the dancers.
 |
| Tonadas Trinitarias. Pencil in A3 © Sue Pownall 2011 |
 |
| © Sue Pownall 2011 |
The following day was the fiesta for the official end of summer and I went to the beach to see how the Cubans did it. The answer with lots of live music, dancing, beers, rum and laughter.
 |
| On the beach. © Sue Pownall 2011 |
Having skipped another day of drawing in order to have a dance class, I went out the next two consecutive mornings to draw. On the first I did a painting of the main square, which was dreadful, and then the following morning I wandered to the outskirts of town and inked and painted these dwellings (
above) taking about an hour and a half. As this was a poorer part of town I did have several people begging for money, pencils or soap, however most people just said a cheerful hello asked who I was and what I was doing.
 |
| Near Ermita de la Popa. A3 pen & watercolour. © Sue Pownall 2011 |
