Symposium, day 4: Farewell to Porto, Hello Amsterdam!

[By Paulo Mendes, Symposium Correspondent, Porto]

 These
were four wonderful, intensive, rewarding, amazing days!

Work
was hard, yes, but exciting and challenging; There was no much time
to sleep, to eat or to catch up with friends at the Drink & Draw
after a long day, but motivation is a battery like any other: What a
feeling it was to wake up in the morning with the expectation of a
new adventurous sketch journey as a Symposium correspondent!

Then suddenly, the last day comes: Early morning, you walk through Rua das
Flores on that familiar traject towards Alfândega, and realize that longer you will greet those familiar figures on the way, their badge hanging from the neck, rushing in the same direction or
seated in their stools in great concentration.

But
there is still one full day ahead, and work to do. And to speak the
truth, although standing instead of seated, I was
myself the figure in concentration on this last day, after having decided to arrive a
bit early in order to make a quick sketch for the Silent Auction.

Those nostalgic antecipations were soon to be obliterated, as there was still a great deal of correspondent work to do. Three workshops
to visit, the first of them being “Playful composition exercises
with Notan sketches”, by Renato Palmuti. I joined the group for one
more steep ascent towards Leões square.

Renato
started with explaining the Japanese origin of this sort of practice,
formerly a work of collage, currently a helpful silhouette painting
study that can be used, among other things,  to position elements or balance lights and
darks.

Using
the rule of thirds, a demo by Renato was taking place at the moment I
had to move away, back down to Ribeira for my second workshop.

At
Terreiro square in Ribeira, Cheang Jin Khoo was also in demo mode in his workshop “Leaving white in watercolor”, although I  wasn’t sure
if the stunning masterpiece coming out of his easel could actually be
called a “demo”.

Cheang
was constantly leaving his easel to check and assist his students
spreaded by the square, and I decided to sketch a good handful of these.

For my third workshop, I just had to head back to Alfândega, as it
was happening just next to the venue room: “Gray matter: Using gray
to tie two contrasting colors in two washes for lively and quick
sketching”, by Uma Kelkar. Being a concept completely
new to me, I was amazed and inspired on how Uma makes such great paintings out of two
watercolor washes. 

At
the end of workshop, all sketchbooks were reunited and Uma offered
tips and remarks in each one of them. And this was all for workshops in this Symposium. At the venue, the art supply market was already giving
room for the late afternoon activities, leaving in the air a certain
sense of an ending feast. Meanwhile, after a break for lunch and small rest,
all sketchers would gather for the final sketchwalk and the big group photo.

The
sketchwalk departed from Alfândega, but most of the people was
already at Praça da Liberdade, extending their presence to the City
Hall at the top of Aliados avenue. Wherever you looked, you could see
sketchers! If I looked into the avenue treetops, I certainly would
have spotted a couple of them, and they would be part of this
composition.

You
may have seen already the unbelievable photo taken in front of the
city hall. A vision not to be forgotten, and being part of it is
unspeakable. Yes, I’m that guy wearing a black t-shirt with a little
hole, courtesy of my cat.

Back
to Alfândega for the final strecht. The silent auction was already
taking place, and in the middle of truly amazing works of art I was
pleased to see that my modest contribution would also find a new
home.

I
took a seat to have some rest while paying attention to the raffles
draw. There was always some hope for the little blue square inside my
wallet, but destiny has chosen otherwise: Congratulations to all the
happy winners!

The
closing reception was already happening, with people socializing
while having a drink, and a correspondent at the final chapter of his
work picking a bit of everything into his sketchbook. Finally came the countdown for the
most expected announcement: Amsterdam will host the 10th Symposium in 2019! Harteljik Gefeliciteerd Amsterdam!!

It
was the last convivial moment before leaving for good that large but cosy whitewashed
room we called home for these last few days. For many, it was now
time to say goodbye, last conversations, last pictures together, reencounters promised for next year. While some were leaving, others
resisted, still chatting lively or sketching each other and anyone around, as it was the case of three correspondents almost free of
their duties.

The
Alfândega building was finally left behind, the convivial
atmosphere moved into a nearby cafe terrace, and from there
elsewhere, although this exhausted correspondent of yours, no longer a 20 years
old lad, had really no other choice than taking the way back home.
Time for the last handshakes, kisses and hugs. Shall we see each other in
Amsterdam? I really, really hope so!

Overlooking this amazing and unique city of mine, this last sketch of this series is from the day after, catching up with local sketcher
friends with whom I had little chance to be with on the busy
Symposium days.

Thank
you to all for having been here! Hope you had so much fun as I did! And thank you to all USk people,
from organizers to volonteers, for all the
support, advice, feedback and for making these days and this
challenge the unforgettable experience of a lifetime! You took me to
a level never hit before in the scale of happiness!

Thank
you to all Urban Sketchers, old and new friends: Many of you may
still in Porto, others may be trying to sleep in the middle of a long
plane journey, others may be travelling to other destinations in
beautiful Portugal, and a few of you, like me, may now be back already to the
comfort of your homes. 

Wherever you are, be sure that each one of you has also a place
in my heart!