Alhambra I

2020
8.25" x 8.25"
pen & watercolor on paper

Travel to Spain every day with this detailed, hand-crafted reproduction of tile work from the Alhambra.

The magnificent Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain is considered by many to be one of the pinnacles of Islamic decorative art. My visit there in 2019 inspired me to reproduce this exquisite pattern from the Torre de la Cautiva (Tower of the Captives). I named it "Alhambra I" because I am sure I will tackle other patterns from my hundreds of photos in the future.

Created while I was on the road back in the US, I tackled this intricate design on an absurdly small page of my travel sketchbook. As a result, the smallest details in this pattern are only 1mm long(!)

Due to the tight constraints, accuracy was paramount - so much so that even the width of the sharpened lead in my compass was a hindrance. So for the first time I adopted the ancient practice of using dividers with a much finer steel tip to do the initial construction and layout. When viewed at the right angle, you can see the grooves in the paper, which adds yet another layer of depth to the piece.

NOTE: This piece ships unframed in a protective tube or mailer. The frame shown is for example only.