Becoming a Pilgrim Artist
PAINTING THE CAMINO FRANCES
From August to November, 2022, I walked the paths of the Camino de Santiago from France across Spain and Portugal. I walked just over1300 kms, carrying my painting equipment amongst other possessions in my backpack. I made three pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela on the Camino Frances (starting from St Jean Pied de Port, France), the Camino Portuguës (from Porto, Portugal) and the Camino Inglés (from Ferrol, Spain), as well as the Prolongación to Muxia on Spain’s Atlantic coast. I painted on these pilgrimages, stopping along the way to capture interesting and inspiring aspects of the journey. In painting en plein air, the emotions that surfaced on the journey inevitably coloured my perceptions and responses to the landscape. On return to Australia I continued to paint the camino from my sketches and reference photographs to form the body of work that is present here now. To walk the Camino de Santiago is a great privilege. The experience is a gift. I hope to walk it many more times, starting once again in May 2024.
Looking Back From Orisson
Overlooking the landscape back towards St Jean Pied de Port from Orisson, on the Camino Frances. There is still some altitude to gain on the climb up to Col Lepoeder at the top of this part of the Pyrenees, before the descent into Spain and Roncesvalles. The refuge at Orisson is a welcome stop before continuing the climb. The view from the edge of the road here is stunning. 410 x 310.
CAMINO FRANCES
Col Lepoeder
Don’t underestimate the climb up to the top at Col Lepoeder. It’s uphill all the way. With all my painting gear and some things that were simply unnecessary, I had too much in the pack. I was very happy to finish with the uphill walking by now, and relieved it was all downhill to Roncesvalles. I did this one back in the studio at home from a reference a fellow peregrino photographed at the time. 410 x 310.
The Stream At Roncesvalles
As I approached the old Augustinian monastery and hospital (founded in C12th) at Roncesvalles after descending from the Col Lepoeder high above at the top of the Pyrenees I came across this small stream. It was extremely hot, and summer still had more heat to give. I found a bed in the old Abbey and returned to the stream, where I set up my easel in its centre, filled a container with its water, and painted this small scene. With the heat of the day and my tired legs, this little stream provided the perfect place to unwind at the easel. 310 x 210.
CAMINO FRANCES
El Puente de la Rabia
The bridge at Zubiri. The cool water of the Arga was a welcome sight on entering Zubiri. It was hot in the afternoon after the walk from Roncesvalles. I painted the bridge whilst standing in the shallow waters of the edge of the river. 320 x 220.
CAMINO FRANCES
At The Summit, Alto de Perdon
On arriving at the top of Alto de Perdon I was surprised to see a number of local policemen chatting to a group of peregrinos. I don’t know why they were there, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity to capture the scene with my camera, and paint it upon my return to the studio at home. 310 x 230.
The Descent, Alto de Perdon
The view from the beginning of the descent from the top of Alto de Perdon. I’m overlooking a vast carpet of fields of golden wheat stubble, which stretches onwards towards the faint hills in the distance in the west, and distant Santiago de Compostela. 470 x 380.
CAMINO FRANCES
Nearing Uterga
The path is hot and dusty at this time of year. Summer is almost ended and the seasons are turning towards autumn, with cooler, more comfortable days. But today is hot and dry, and still some way to go. 480 x 380.
CAMINO FRANCES
La Calle Mayor, Puente la Reina
This old, narrow main thoroughfare of Puente la Reina had some welcome shade provided by tall buildings on either side. It was a busy time of day, although the crowd was beginning to thin as siesta time approached. I found a small alcove in an old stone wall in which to set up my easel and paint this attractive street scene. 320 x 220.
CAMINO FRANCES
Vineyards At Cirauqui
Approaching the old hilltop village of Cirauqui I pass through verdant green vineyards filled with plump purple grapes, ripe and juicy. Sweet, dark blackberries line the path here and there as well, which makes the late summer heat all the more bearable. These are welcome gifts for the weary pilgrim. 310 x 230.
CAMINO FRANCES
Looking Back At Ayegui
Leaving the albergue just before sunrise became the normal routine. With everyone else rising from their beds and preparing to leave in the dark, further sleep was impossible. So, a quick breakfast and back on the path. It was a beautiful feeling to be on my way this early, with the sun rising behind me and Venus shining brightly high in the sky ahead in the west. 410 x 310.
CAMINO FRANCES
Approaching Viana
Nearing Viana, and I’m hoping to find a place on a mattress on the floor at a donativo I had heard about there. I was fortunate to find a place, and whilst the mattress was a very thin buffer between myself and the floor, I spent an eventful and enjoyable night with my fellow peregrinos there. 370 x 270.
CAMINO FRANCES
Rabe de las Calzadas
The front entrance to the albergue in Rabe de las Calzadas faces this plaza, and a trestle table by the door provides the perfect spot from which to paint this scene. The bells in the church tower chimed whilst I painted, and the village slumbered through its siesta. 310 x 230.
CAMINO FRANCES
Approaching Ermita San Nicolas
Standing by the way just a couple of kilometres before Itero de la Vega is the Ermita San Nicolas. I had been told that a stay here would be one of the more memorable ones on the Camino. It was indeed a magical experience, and its location on the wide, undulating plain of the Meseta gave it a sense of remoteness that added much to the feeling of having walked back in time. 370 x 270.
CAMINO FRANCES
The Bridge Over The Piserga
Sitting and resting in the shade beside the Ermita San Nicolas I was drawn to paint this old stone bridge that spans the Piserga, on the border between the provinces of Burgos and Palencia. Storm clouds were gathering in the west and I could see I was in for some rain on the path the following day. 320 x 220.
CAMINO FRANCES
Villarmentero de Campos
The albergue at Villarmentero de Campos was a very welcome sight at the end of a very long walk on this hot late summer day. I had planned to stop earlier in the day, but the refugio in the village was closed and I was forced to walk on under an unforgiving sun for a bed for the night. The clouds above promised some rain ahead, but there would be no relief until it fell and cooled the earth. 370 x 270.
Meseta Sky
The Meseta is a long stretch of the Camino that peregrinos seem to either like very much or dislike - to the point that they may bypass it entirely. It polarises opinions. The undulating, seemingly featureless landscape challenges us to see the beauty in its plainness. The Meseta lacks the majesty of mountains, of rugged sea coasts, of the pleasant satisfaction of meanderings through fertile hills and valleys. But it has big skies and vast distances and a majesty and beauty all of its own making, if you only look to see it. I enjoyed my time traversing the Meseta very much. I recognise its beauty, and see it is an essential part of the pilgrimage. The path on this particular stretch of the Meseta is one of the less interesting sections, as it sits beside the highway for kilometre after kilometre. 370 x 270.
CAMINO FRANCES
The Road Into San Justo de la Vega
This scene is typical of so many entries into the villages and towns along the Way. Here are two peregrinos making their way through the outskirts of town towards the church to which the path will inevitably lead them, perhaps to pause in their journey for the night, or simply for a brief rest before moving on westward. 370 x 270.
CAMINO FRANCES
The Cruz de Ferro
The Cruz de Ferro is one of those well known milestones that mark our progress along the Way. We climb to a point at 1504 metres marked by an iron cross atop a tall wooden pole. Here we pause and - if you have brought a stone from home - might leave it here amongst the others heaped at the base of the cross as a symbol of something shed and left behind on the Way. It can be a very emotional moment. 370 x 270.
CAMINO FRANCES
Descending Through Clouds, Cruz de Ferro
The descent from the Cruz de Ferro was shrouded in clouds for several hundred metres. It was cold and wet, and the heat of the late summer at lower altitudes had disappeared. I had left my stone at the cross, and the prayer that went with it. I wondered about the nature of things on my way down through the treacherous descent to Molinaseca and beyond to Ponferrada. 410 x 310.
CAMINO FRANCES
The Descent To Molinaseca
Sections of the descent from the Cruz de Ferro can be very dangerous. Particularly in wet weather and poor visibility. It’s steep, with sharp rocks, many of them loose, and narrow in places. It’s a part of the Way where the need for care far outweighs any need for haste. At least on this section of the descent I was out of the clouds and back into the sunshine of an early autumn. 510 x 360.
CAMINO FRANCES
La Cabaña de los Pinos
The iconic Cabaña de los Pinos is another landmark along the Way. If you don’t take the opción - an alternative route - for the last several kilometres of this stage into Villafranca del Bierzo you will miss this. But why wouldn’t you take it, even if it means an extra kilometre or two, when it takes you off the bitumen blacktop and into farmland and vineyards and beautiful Spanish countryside? 570 x 360.
CAMINO FRANCES
Entering O Cebreiro
The last few metres of the climb up into O Cebreiro is something to be savoured. It’s a long climb, and I found the first section up into the tiny village of La Faba particularly steep and taxing. I was happy to take a break there and enjoy some breakfast before moving on to the top of O Cebreiro. The sun shone down on the village at the top, although the wind was constant and strong. I wandered just off the summit on the it’s leeward side looking for a warm sheltered spot to rest and found the general store, offering shelter from the wind, warmth from the sun, and food and refreshment for a hungry pilgrim. 360 x 260.
CAMINO FRANCES
Misty Morning, Lebereiro
Low cloud covered the landscape as I set out this day. Pilgrims ahead faded from view and then reappeared once more as the mist wound its way around the buildings and streets of this small village. I am getting very close to Santiago de Compostela now. I’m in Galicia and the scenery has transformed into a verdant, mossy, landscape, forested and distinctly different to the countryside I’ve walked through to the East. 370 x 270.
CAMINO FRANCES
Nature’s Own Cathedral
The path in Galicia wends in and out of beautiful sections of the Way such as this one, with ancient trees arching overhead to create natural chambers that don’t require much imagination to see them as sacred spaces. Nature rules here, and the quiet comfort offered by the space encourages contemplation and gratitude for an experience of the world that is truly a gift to the pilgrim. 370 x 270.
CAMINO FRANCES
Arrival, Santiago de Compostela
The Plaza del Obradoiro in front of the cathedral is the destination we have all been striving towards these last few weeks. Now we have arrived, and the full impact of what has just happened takes some time to sink home. Peregrinos are entering the Plaza from all four corners - ending their pilgrimage on the Frances, the Primitivo, the Portuguës, the Inglés, the Norte, the Via del Plata, the Mozarabe, and so many other paths to Santiago - from places as close as Sarria and as far away as Amsterdam and Rome. Before long I see friends I’ve made along the way. We rejoice in our reunion at this special place and time, and recognise that it is our community, our fellowship and common humanity that has made this such a special moment. I see now that this place may be a destination in one sense, but in another it signifies a beginning. The beginning of a new chapter, one in which I might try to carry the camino spirit home and keep it alive there in my daily life.
360 x 260.
Botafumeiro, Santiago de Compostela
The service inside the cathedral where the botafumeiro is filled with incense, ignited and then swung from one side of the space to the other is something that not all peregrinos get to see, but is a spectacular sight for those who do manage it. I was fortunate to find myself arriving in Santiago de Compostela on a Monday - so there were very few tourists around - and which also happened to be All Saints Day - a holy day, meaning that a botafumeiro service would be held. There was plenty of room inside the cathedral and I had a good view of the service. 360 x 270.
CAMINO FRANCES
