Xiquet al Far Verd (Valenciano for Boy at the Green Lighthouse) won a contest hosted by La Federación de Organizaciones de Xàbia (Jávea) to celebrate 125 years since Sorolla first visited. As Sorolla fans know, the beautiful colours and light in Jávea were a source of inspiration for several of his paintings. In 1896, he painted Xiquet de Jávea (read more here). My own version is based on a photo I took of a lighthouse in the Port when we lived in Jávea. FORXA's aim was to print the winning design on shopping trolleys. The 1st prize was shared with another local artist, Mary-Louise Boardman.

Lucky me! I got to paint a beautiful podenco called Maisie, probably short for 'amazing' because she is a tireless jumper and hill climber. For this reason she appears on a mountaintop in the portrait. In person she is affectionate and just a real pleasure to be around. Huge thank you to Ruth for this fun project.