Painting in the Basque countryside of Spain brings many visual opportunities, as the steep, rugged countryside allows the perception of peaceful, nearly poetic contemplation for those who would listen. I hear it speak through the buildings that cling to hillsides and centuries old family dwellings, churches and villages along the coast and in the mountains.

We are here on this first leg of a 7 week European painting trip, with our Basque family connection, Carlos Mendiola, (my sister, Deanna's husband) from Boise, Idaho, together with his cousin, Inaki, who lives here and has been guiding a fascinating, multi lingual journey through the last 500 years of recorded family history for Carlos.

This church on the hillside north of Gernika, as well as this beautiful country villa near EA on the Bay of Biscay were both bathed in warm light yesterday, when I worked from a sunny perch. Today, torrential, thunderous rains have limited visibility to less than 200 meters – as our hosts at this seaside villa say “It's very good for the grapes, peaches and figs growing just around the house”.


For me, right now, the rain makes a good opportunity to think about what adventures lie ahead, as I paint my way across the continent.