I’ve recently returned from two amazing weeks in Spain and Portugal – both magnificent countries full of music, food, wine and history. I particularly fell in love with Lisbon. Portugal’s capital city is known for Fado, delicious fish and a rich history, but I was surprised to stumble upon one of the most amazing sets of street art I’ve ever seen.While wandering old cobblestone streets, I was blown away by the contrast of colorful art all around me in the mediums of spray paint, wheat pastes and stickers. Nearly every side street or alley offered a huge gallery of vibrant hues and shapes, each piece featuring a different style and subject. Unlike the streets of the U.S. that are full of your run-of-the-mill graffiti, these colorful murals are filled with animals, people and bits and pieces of the local culture.
All of these pieces made me feel so inspired to come home and experiment with color, shape and different materials. Ever since, I’ve been sketching looser and faster to play with different ideas and I’ve started to run lots of sketches together to create full pages of content, without the pressure to make things look perfect. I love these pieces and want to search for similar inspirations back here in the states.
