Obras Foundation Residency, Portugal - Arrival!

And so it begins. After all of my preparation, I have finally arrived at my first residency - here in east central Portugal. Lovely rolling landscape of cork oak trees, olive groves and vineyards. I have settled into "Portugal time", slowing down to an easy pace after the chaos of the journey.

Allowing the creative process to direct me instead of pushing, I am inspired by the ubiquitous cork oak tree, its pruning over the decades forcing its gnarled limbs every which way.

And beyond this tree "farm" is the watchful eye of Evoramonte, a medieval fortress town perched high above the landscape, witness to human inspiration and folly in all it's variations.

Entry in my Travelogue - using photo below to create an other worldly view from my apartment window. Acrylic, photo transfer on paper ©Amy Guion Clay

view of the cork oak trees from my room