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AmeR's WorkshoP

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Portugal
Belas
AmeR's WorkshoP

Impressions of the world around us by the pencil and brush of Amer Daya. Oils, watercolors, charcoal’s and lead sketches.

19/06/2021

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers and grand fathers.

Take five out of your busy lives today and recollect on your paternal journeys because life is truly short and flies by like a wink.

I am taking my five to dedicate this monochrome drawing to mine who sadly recently left us.

I titled the drawing:”Sozinho” in Portuguese.

This translates to “by myself” in English. It accurately reflects how I feel today and how empty the bench in the drawing looks.

It’s a sketch of a favorite refuge corner of mine within the pretty historic public “Quinta Nova da Assunção “ manicured gardens next door to us. Am sure my late Dad would have loved to sit on that wooden bench amongst these tall winding tree trunks and just listen to the nonstop concerto of chirping birds, buzzing bees, croaking frogs and leaves rustling the cool Serra d’ Sintra breeze albeit the mid June summer heat.

“Sozinho”: A monochrome landscape dedication produced with love in memory of my father using HB, H2, B2, and B6 pencils commissioned in situ on A4 paper of a solitary “by itself” empty park bench within a blooming Summer Garden.

Wish you were here on this bench Dad but am praying you are now in far prettier evergreen gardens and hopefully resting on a more comfortable bench with grand dad on your side enjoying far more heavenly sounds on this father’s day.

Happy Father’s Day “Top Dad” Abu Amer.
This dedication is for you. Miss you.

09/06/2020

Day nine of sketching what’s beyond our gate. With weather holding I venture past the local ornamental gardens and walk deep into the surrounding lush woods in search of something raw and historic to pencil. Some three Kms along the track I chose and what resembles an old cottage appears in the distance nestled between the dense trees. It turns out to be the ruins of a very old cottage that bears a plaque with faded inscriptions and has unfortunately met with a major structural disturbing event. It’s roof has completely crumbled and it’s front wall displays the signature of a major sesmic movement: a deep open crack that has split the 60 cms thick stone wall as if it was a tea biscuit. Whilst sketching an elderly couple walk by. I ask them what this cottage was and seems this was the residence of the forest water ducting (Aqueduto) supervisor. It also seems it was damaged in Lisbon’s major 8.4 RS earthquake of 1 Nov 1755 which was a catastrophic event that killed some 30,000 Portuguese. What a find. This cottage must have once been the proud residence of a supervisor of one the famous Portuguese water ducts built in the 16-17 century to carry drinking water to Lisbon using just gravity and ingenious architecture. The 1755 event clearly was a life changing event here hence this historic witness needed to be sketched. HB, H2, B2, and B6 Pencil on A4 paper commissioned on 09/06/20.

03/06/2020

Day eight of sketching what’s beyond our gate. The weather forecast changed with clear skies remaining and anticipated rains delayed. Another precious opportunity to enjoy the serenity of our historic surroundings. I grab the pad and head off to my last stop: the drinking fountain. From there I walk deep into the gardens. A maze leads me to an intricate flight of stairs decorated with mosaics and leading to a big round pool over which a beautiful ornamental cottage and open terrace sits. The cottage backs on to probably a 6-7 meter high thick period stone wall, there are no guard posts here but intricate decorative architecture with moorish windows colored glass panes and decorative facade. The flight of stairs leads to another bordered by the same flat top columns and burnt Sienna colored forged iron railings. Below the terrace is an arched entrance to what used to be a bath with running water and mosaic floor. All of this: (no guard posts, decorated facade, colored glass, intricate detail, high walls, a 2 meter deep pool with stairs going down well below the water line, and an open terrace without a railing over the pool) leads to think it used to be the women’s baths and summer pool. I try and get an angle that shows both the cottage and the pool but it does not work out. So I choose the cottage for today. HB, B2, B6 pencil, charcoal on A4 paper commissioned on 3rd June 2020.

01/06/2020

Day seven of sketching what’s beyond our gate. Making the best of the good weather that ends tomorrow with forecasted rain coming in and temperatures dropping. I made my way to the same gardens, and just few minutes walk beyond the property I sketched on day six within the same grounds the elaborate maze of manicured bushes and plants lead you to an ornamental drinking fountain with a period stone surround and elaborate stained and mosaic tiles decorating its curved moorish insert and hand painted beautiful original mosaics covering its surrounding borders. The fountain is best seen from between two huge eucalyptus trees that tower up maybe some 20-30 meters high with a bark girth of some half a meter each. The fountain empties into a small stone pond and it’s dripping copper faucet is the only sound one hears over chirping birds, humming bees and the the garden’s lush trees dancing with the wind. Titled “fountain between the trees” . HB pencil on A 4 paper commissioned on 1st June, 2020.

27/05/2020

Day six of sketching what’s beyond our gate. With clear blue skies today and temperatures crossing 30Celsius I continued my quest to sketch the surrounding beautiful grounds. Now that the lockdown is over the public gardens next door to the property were opened to the public and I decided to venture inside. What a gem of a find this is. Only few meters into the leafy grounds and a beautiful ground floor only closed property beckons you. It has very tall ornamental arched windows, and a stone roof decorated terrace featuring elegantly engraved round stone corner pieces highlighting the terrace. But the most intriguing feature is a tower that rises from the center of the property some 6-7 meters high just behind the terrace featuring the same slit openings as the guard posts I have sketched earlier but this one has octagonal sides and a moorish style dome topped with what seems to be a round metal base holding a redundant mast. What could this tower have been? An observation tower?? Or could it have been a minaret given its typical moorish dome and mast? The grounds in front feature a manicured garden with a round pond surrounded by flat topped stone columns and lush with all sorts of seasonal and evergreen trees. Am intrigued by the unusual nature of this property. It must have been of some historic importance hence it had to be sketched. HB pencil on A4 paper commissioned on 27.05.20

22/05/2020

Day five of sketching what’s beyond our gate. Walking along the outer high fortified stone wall penciled in my previous sketch it leads me into a discreet close at the very end of which lies an elaborate facade. This facade shoulders a well positioned guard’s post and its roof is decorated by stumps and shields carved from heavy stone. The shields used to bear some now illegible inscriptions that have faded away due to exposure to the elements. The facade itself is centered by a beautiful arched entrance that holds an ornamental original rusted forged iron gate and flanked by two clearly moorish era stone arched windows that still display their original lead lined colored glass inserts. Makes one wonder what this very elegant, well guarded and discreetly tucked away entrance was used for? Perhaps it used to be the harem’s private entrance if one goes by its colored glass and ornamentally forged irongate? A colorful mystery but alas perfectly timed to wish all my contacts a very happy Eid. HB 2 Pencil on A4 paper commissioned on 22/05/20.

16/05/2020

Day four of sketching what’s beyond our gate. After a week of unusual heavy rains, the weather finally cleared, sun is out and I was able to take my pad outside and continue to sketch this magnificent find. Now that lockdown is relaxed about five minutes walk along the side of the property and its outer border wall transforms into a fort like structure with fortified guard look outs from where the property guards were able to keep an eye on the outside and fire arrows from the well recessed customs made slits in these look outs at any intruders or approaching enemy. The walls continue to be high and about half a meter thick in places. The architecture confirms that this was built during the period the moors were in Portugal around 1300 years ago. HB pencil on A4 paper commissioned on 16.05.20

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Belas
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