One of those names that stayed prominent in my mind was Portugal. This small Iberian country that had such a huge impact on the history of the world. This land whose navigators carried its flag and its language to the furthest reaches of the planet. In the years that followed, I became an artist. And many of the places on the globe that seemed so unreal at the time, I later had the pleasure to visit.

Painting in Portugal

In October of 2024, we joined the thousands of tourists cutting a path through air, land, and sea to Portugal. I brought in my pack a small gouache painting kit, and we promptly hit the streets of Lisbon. Many things struck me. One of the most prominent was the clear and piercing Iberian light. The sky is such a peerless blue, crying out for color and canvases. Also, the color yellow in Portugal seems very much a part of the natural harmony of the country. From the walls of old trade buildings at the harbor of Lisbon, to the yellows found in backstreets and intimate corners; the traveller feels yellow hues more profoundly in the cobblestone streets of Portugal.

One of the most pleasantly surprising things was how commonly English was spoken. In fact, the entire time we were there, the only trouble we had being understood was a single, very polite Uber driver who spoke only Portuguese. (And one cannot blame a person for speaking their own language in their own country) I chatted a little with him in French, which he appeared to understand. And we laughed at the funny looks of the tourists crammed onboard a cable car that lumbered along in front of us. I have never been that brand of traveller who expects the entire world to speak English for their comfort. Though I speak English and French, I found the Portuguese language to be one of the most pleasant and interesting languages to listen to. I became determined that if I ever end up spending more time in Portugal, I would love to learn the language. Yet for those who are nervous about travel, I assure you, English is very widely spoken in Portugal, which makes the country much easier to navigate for English-speaking travelers.

Visiting Pena Palace

Of the side trips we took, the one that left the biggest impression was the day trip to Sintra and the beautiful Pena Palace. I could not recall that I had ever seen a palace so joyously colorful - so crying out to be painted. This palace was indeed the “jewel in the crown of the artist-king” Ferdinand II. (Ferdinand II was himself quite a talented artist.) Most palaces and castles are grey emblems… cold fortress-like monuments. But this one glowed like a beacon of red and yellow from its home perch, above the countryside near Sintra. Amidst a trip to many beautiful places, the clouds rolling by the hilltop of the Peña Palace is one of my most treasured memory-scenes from Portugal.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: Neil Myers;

A few days after arriving, we took the train up to Porto. There, I had a bit more time to paint; completing a gouache study begun in Lisbon. Porto impressed us with immaculate scenes from the river to the narrow streets. With fado music and Port wine making for a complete feeling of being in and amongst this unique culture. An artist, a writer, or a singer, one could not help but try to capture what flows from these ancient streets. And the great age of these places, from the times of the Moors and the Romans, to the clatter and crowds of the present day. Porto is what it says it is - a Port, a respite, a jumping off point between the past and the present.

Saudade

When the time neared for us to leave Portugal, I had the typical artist’s feeling that I needed more time - more canvases, more chances to capture the imagery of white seaside villages, castles and sunlit streets. Too little time, so much beauty. This feeling persisted as we boarded our airplane to take us back over the ocean once travelled by Portuguese navigators of faraway times. They must have looked to the new worlds they discovered with awe. Just as I look fondly at the old Portuguese world I carry with me, and still continue to discover, on canvas. “Saudade” indeed.