Xiquet al Far Verd, which is 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 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 (read more here). My version is based on a photo I took of a lighthouse in the Port when we lived there. 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.