My Peruvian Adventure- Ayacucho Part One: in town

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My Peruvian Adventure began in Ayacucho, that elegant city of thirty-three churches and my paintings from there divide into two groups: views from the town, and specific buildings.

My original idea was to go from Ayacucho to Huancavelica but this was impossible as the road was blocked because of a landslide. After a few days of becoming increasingly frustrated and being misonformed, and suffering the tedium of two day general strike, in which the entire city shut down,  I changed plan and instead went to Andahuaylas, from where I knew I could fly to Lima.

As places to be stuck in, Ayacucho is by no means the worst but somehow the plan of the city, and it`s narrow streets makes it feel quite claustrophobic.

Ayacucho, a view from a hotel, oil on card, 16.5 x 19.3 cm  available

Ayacucho - a building in a park, oil on card, 14 x 17.2 cm - arch

Ayacucho, Arch, oil on card, 14 x 17.2 cm -available

Ayacucho, a street in the centre, oil on card, 14.5 x 18 cm - unavailable

Ayacucho, buildings in a neighborhood of workshops  - available
 oil on card, 15 x 17.5 cm

This picture (above) seems rather the "odd one out" and is reminiscent of pictures I did down in Puno in 2016. I rate it as one of the best of this year's set.

 These sorts of neighborhoods, with workshops and simple buildings are often very atmospheric, and inspire good pictures. One regret I have from the 2016 trip is that I didn't stop in Juliaca,  just north of Puno and has an abundance of such utilitarian architecture where they fix cars, sell construction materials and so forth.

Chucrh, Ayacucho, oil on card, 17 x 15.5 cm  available

Little Deco church and woman, oil on card, 17 x 18 cm  available

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A visit to southern Peru: Puno; part one, from my hotel

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Puno, the street below, oil on card, 18.5 x 14.5 cm unavailable

Puno is situated on the banks of Lake Titicaca, but despite the location is there is an old but not especially striking cathedral, but apart from that little of architectural distinction that I could find.

However, I found it rather agreeable, and it's one of my regrets on this trip that I didn't pass time in nearby Juliaca, Both are working cities, with dusty, brown, boxy architecture, and many people getting on with ordinary life: buying selling constructing- though Juliaca even more so- such places are very satisfactory to get on with painting. 

There'ss a a warren-like quality to the town: it reminded me of early photos of Manhattan pre-skycraper: a tight grid plan, few cars, many people, occasional poverty, buildings fighting for elbow room.

I found myself adopting styles of painting to accommodate this sensation: a coarse , angular, direct, unrefined, partly based on cartoons.

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