We spent the morning at Saint Matthew’s Cathedral in Salerno Italy, which was full of sights to see, people to draw, photos to take, and other tourists to chat with.
It turns out that my last sketch was not the last one from the island of Porquerolles after all. On our way to Naples, we had a delay, and I was able to use the time and my photos for this sketch of men playing Boules in the town square. Boules is a popular game played with small metal balls on a flat piece of dirt, so perfect for many places in southern France. In the preceding week, I had often stopped to watch the game in progress because I loved all the drama and body language of the players.
These sketches are from my little traveling sketchbook. Here are each side of the book.
Before we left Porquerolles this morning, we climbed up to the old Fort Sainte-Agathe, now a museum. All the island views were tempting from this lofty vantage point, but with just enough time for one quick sketch, I had to be decisive and went with the northwest view. Looking at it now, I wish I had not tried to put the old cannon into it. But even so, I like this as a last sketch from the French island of Porquerolles.
Porqueroles has many gorgeous trees, the umbrella tree prominent among these. The bright skies and warm days make the deep shadows from the umbrella trees particularly inviting to hikers and sketches alike.
I liked the way this couple leaned together, shoulder to shoulder, after their swim.
Although the pace and quantity of people on Porquerolles Island differ from Nice, both seem to revolve around their beautiful beaches. Nice has a long and busy promenade with a continuous beach below, while Porquerolles has a series of small secluded sandy beaches banked by cypress, eucalyptus, and other trees. This is a sketch from the Plage d’Argent, or Silver Beach, showing people enjoying the calm, multicolored water.
We arrived on the Mediterranean island of Porquerolles in time to watch the sunset while we ate dinner at the conference center where my husband is spending his week while I paint, swim, and hike. I was glad to see our friends, but every glance past them teased a potential painting. When we got to our room, I was happy to see bits of the sea through the window. Making this quick first sketch of a Porquerolles view was very satisfying.
Deliberate Sketching 