DIGIPEN BILBAO!

So I took a side trip to Bilbao for the sole purpose of connecting with the teachers at the DigiPen Bilbao campus. SUCH A GREAT THING TO DO! Laura, Sergio and Javi are all genuinely inspired teachers, and I have had little to no contact with this sister school since I have been teaching at DigiPen for the last….11 years? Yikes!

Laura! We talked about “Leveraging Naivete” (My term, not hers). She seems great at developing assignments that keep the student’s interest.

Sergio! Has a broad approach to Color, Tone and Composition (Basically “Beginning Painting”). He get’s great results, in a short time.

Javi! Is a structuralist (Jazno Francoeur’s term, not mine) and he teaches like the internet doesn’t exist yet, only old world mastery to be achieved through careful hands-on analysis. The school is lucky to have him.

BEFORE going to the DigiPen campus, I took a stroll to the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum. It was not open yet, but the outside is spectacular. Yes that is a giant dog made of flowers (Artist: Jeff Koons). No that is not a real Spider. And, yes, they have a mist pool that surrounds the river facing side of the building at regular intervals through out the day. I have never seen a building with it’s own mist pool.

Lastly, yes I did some art while waiting to meet the Digipen folks. Two drawings…..not enough time for painting. But drawing is awesome, and compared to painting, it’s like falling off a log…you know, easier. But hugely important, none the less. Remember that children.

The Bilbao River earlier in the day, when it was overcast. As I’ve said before, the weather here and in Seattle is mucho similar.

A sunny little courtyard later in the day. I love the abstract shapes that architecure and shadows make.

Okay! So I am flying off to Murcia in the morning, to stay with my friend MariaFe and her partner Angel, in her new hacienda. Murcia will be more like Arizona weather-wise, and I will be there for a whole week. Time to settle down!