Xiquet al Far Verd, which is Valenciano for Boy at the Green Lighthouse, won a contest hosted by the Federación de Organizaciones de Xàbia (Jávea) to celebrate 125 years since Sorolla first visited this beautiful coastal town. As Sorolla fans know, the colours and light in Jávea were a source of inspiration for several of his paintings. In 1896, he painted Xiquet de Jávea. My version is based on a photo I took of a lighthouse in the Port when we lived there. More info...

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.