Trinity College, Dublin

We don't spend enough time sketching in Trinity College, in my not-so-humble opinion. It's such a lovely island of peace in the middle of the city, even when it's buzzing with students or tourists. Such a contrast to College Green, noisy and crowded, with buses going everywhere. I've always loved that feeling of walking through front gate and feeling peace and joy 

On this occasion, it got warm and sunny and I chose a little garden at the back of the Museum Building. Normally, it's considered one of the best-kept secrets of Dublin - you walk through the front door and you feel like you've been transported to Venice or Byzantium. We've sketched there a few times in small numbers during term, and nobody says boo to us. But I witnessed a disturbing trend - it's now part of the organised Trinity Tours. There is this small door at the side of the building, and they bring in a dozen tourists at a time. They only stay in there 5-10 minutes max, but I'm kind of peeved that its' now on the tourist map! Pat told us that he used to have the code for that door. We must do something about that and arrange a sketching outing some time. There has to be someone we can talk to!

 

I had been painting using negative space, and after that, I needed something relaxing, so I chose one of the lovely trees in the garden.

I still had half an hour, and I sketched the Erythrean group who were assembled near the Campanile. While I was sketching earlier, I was hearing music coming from Merrion Square and I should have gone to investigate. There was a festival celebrating the 75 years of India. I would have loved sketching at such an event. But, hey, it is what it is. And I did find the afternoon relaxing and peaceful.

The two spreads below to show you how the sketch was when I finished on location (at the bottom) and when I got home, I added an opaque sky blue to increase the feeling of summer. Amazing how such a small thing can make a big difference.