OLLI Artists in Spain

Our OLLI instructor and professional international artist, Kathy Rennell Forbes, recently returned from an amazing week in Spain. Several of her OLLI students joined her for a tour of Barcelona and watercolor painting along the Costa Brava!

Kathy shared with us the highlights of the trip:

The Catalonia region of northeastern Spain is a fabulous place to enjoy unique Spanish tapas and seafood while being entertained by classical Spanish guitar players and dynamic flamenco dancers.

Barcelona Architecture — the best of Gaudí
Barcelona is known as the capital of Modernism, where the prestigious architect Antoni Gaudí worked and lived. Gaudí, one of the greatest innovators of his time, left behind numerous treasures for all to enjoy.

La Sagrada Familia, “the Holy Family,” Basilica is Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece and the city’s most famous landmark. The church took our breath away with its architectural accomplishments and amazing sense of light that floods the interior space. I hope to return in 2026 for its anticipated completion, which is also the 100-year anniversary of Gaudí’s passing.

Park Güell is Gaudi’s compelling public park, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The park gave us amazing views of the city while entertaining us with its colorful and whimsical architectural design. It was reminiscent of the tile mosaics by Cuban artist Jose Fuester, whom we met in Havana last year.

Barcelona’s Picasso Museum houses one of the most extensive Picasso collections with 4,251 works. We were fortunate to be among the first to see the newly opened exhibition of the artist’s early calligraphy engravings.

Scenic Costa Brava — on the Mediterranean
The Costa Brava is a beautiful stretch of rugged coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. We stayed right on the beach in the lovely fishing village of Calella, a short walking distance to gorgeous vistas and fabulous restaurants.

We plein air painted in our journals daily, capturing the stunning beauty of: local fishing villages; the Cap Roig botanical gardens; and the medieval town of Pals. We also visited Salvador Dalí’s Theatre-Museum, described as “the world’s largest surrealist object.”

Watch the video
Enjoy a flavoring of the artists, scenery and sketches from the trip in our video.

Venice, Italy — October 2016
Kathy’s next adventure is returning to Italy October 8-15 to capture the mystique of Venice in watercolors. Several of our OLLI art students are already interested in going. We can’t wait to see what they’ll create!