Stone pines, Pinus pinea, are native to the Iberian peninsula. They’ve been cultivated for pine nuts for thousands of years. The natural umbrella shape is enhanced by removal of the lower limbs to make for an easier harvest. I caught a whiff of the delicious scent of piñon smoke rising from chimneys in Seville. One of my favorite fragrances, it conjures up cold, cozy nights in northern New Mexico, where piñon pines grow, too. Sketched at Doñana National Park, Spain. Watercolor over pencil on Lana 1590 spiral bound sketchbook 8 1/2″ x 11″.
Hi Debbie,
I just had a chance to look at your work from Spain and I really like it. I guess I never thought that Spain had beautiful national parks, but your art work proves me wrong. You have captured the naturalness of what is before you and I feel like I need to go there sometime to see it for myself. Photos don’t always convey adequate information to get a feel for a place. I definitely get a nice feeling seeing your sketches and paintings of the birds and landscapes. Thanks for sharing.
Alan
Hi Alan- the Park has a subtle beauty, with scrubland, sand dunes, stone pine and cork oak forests, lagoons and marshes. The dominant color, at least this time of year, is grayish green. It’s hard to convey in photos, especially for me; I’m a poor photographer. But the light is superb and the landscape screams to be painted:-) Thanks for the note!
Drawing The Motmot 
Hi Debbie,
I just had a chance to look at your work from Spain and I really like it. I guess I never thought that Spain had beautiful national parks, but your art work proves me wrong. You have captured the naturalness of what is before you and I feel like I need to go there sometime to see it for myself. Photos don’t always convey adequate information to get a feel for a place. I definitely get a nice feeling seeing your sketches and paintings of the birds and landscapes. Thanks for sharing.
Alan
Hi Alan- the Park has a subtle beauty, with scrubland, sand dunes, stone pine and cork oak forests, lagoons and marshes. The dominant color, at least this time of year, is grayish green. It’s hard to convey in photos, especially for me; I’m a poor photographer. But the light is superb and the landscape screams to be painted:-) Thanks for the note!