I am switching gears, and locations, for my next sketch of Spain. This time I am in Barcelona, with dear friends who have rented an apartment there. As they are also of an artistic bent, we spent some time one evening engaged in the sketchiest of behaviors: creating art.

One of the unexpected pleasures of our visit to Spain was its museums. I hadn’t expected to see any but went to three. Unlike the art museums I frequent most in my hometown – the Met, the Whitney, MOMA, or the Guggenheim – all of the museums we went to in Spain were devoted to a single artist. First, Joan Miro. Second, Salvador Dali. Third, Pablo Picasso. There must be something in the air of Catalonia that breeds the type contempt for convention where creativity blossoms best.

The explosion of inspiration from those Catalonian artists led my fingers into my friend’s box of pastels. Barcelona is almost too beautiful for black and white. Even its lamps and their light.