Friday – At Sea

It takes five days to cross the Atlantic, which means lots of sea-days and lots of watercolour classes.

This morning, after breakfast, and after grabbing a bit of fresh air on deck (I haven’t seen any flying fish yet, but apparently, they have been spotted), I produced my first painting from the trip; ‘Boats in Mindelo’. I swapped the milky, hazy sunlight for a clearer, warmer sky, but other than that, the scene is more or less exactly as I saw it. I love the old boats in Mindelo harbour, with their peeling paintwork and rust-marks. I have several more paintings of the boats, from different angles, which I’m hoping to turn into paintings over the next few days, and I may even paint something from Lisbon.

I painted all morning whilst cacthing up on podcasts, then ran classes all afternoon. It was the ‘Perspective’ session; the hardest one they’re going to have to do, featuring a yellow tram in a Lisbon street. Despite the challenge, the results were surprisingly good, and everyone actually seemed to enjoy it.

This evening, the Carmen Duo gave us a Classical Concert in the Show Lounge, which was followed by ‘Blankety Blank’ on the open Pool Deck. Now we’re in warmer climes, many of the quiz shows and late-night cabarets will take place there… they really could do with a few more outside lights, though.

Tomorrow, I’ll be giving them a seascape, so I’m opting for an early night.