Plaza Francia, Buenos Aires

Plaza Francia, dip pen and ink and watercolor, 9x12in.

Plaza Francia is one of the squares designed by the French landscape architect Jules Charles Thays. I would have liked to include some of the jacarandá trees that are at the peak of the blooming season but the weather was too hot and I let the shade pick the view. The Monument is a gift of the French government to commemorate the centenary of the independence. The building in the back is the old public shelter for the destitute now transformed into an art center.

Estación Anchorena, Martínez, Buenos Aires

Another train station. This one also has a restaurant and a view of the river and the city. The painting on the side of the wall is a fantastic graffiti.

Catedral de San Isidro, Buenos Aires

Catedral de San Isidro, dip pen and ink and watercolor, 9x12in.

This is a neogothic cathedral in the historic area of San Isidro, a suburb of Buenos Aires. Built on the site of a 1706 chapel opened by the city's founder, Captain Domingo de Acassuso, the cathedral was designed by French architects Dunant and Paquin, and inaugurated on July 14, 1898.

Estación Borges, Tren de la Costa, Buenos Aires

Estación Borges, pigment liner and watercolor, 5x7in.

This is one of the many train stations in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. Built around 1891 this train service stopped working in the 60´s.  Some years ago the buildings were restored and adapted as cafes and restaurants and new small trains started running as a tourist attraction.

Teatro Colón de la ciudad de Buenos Aires

The Teatro Colon in the city of Buenos Aires is considered among the best in the world for its acoustics and beautiful architecture. It was inaugurated in 1908 and since then many famous musicians performed for the local audiences well known for their warmth and enthusiasm. Among some of the famous are Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Paul Hindemith, Camille Saint-Saëns, Manuel de Falla, Aaron Copland, Arturo Toscanini, Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, Mstislav Rostropovich,  Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Kurt Masur, Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti, Lily Pons, Maria Callas, Victoria de los Ángeles, Joan Sutherland, Montserrat Caballé,  Kiri Te Kanawa, Frederica von Stade, Cecilia Bartoli.

Airport Cafe, Buenos Aires

Cafe, Ezeiza Airport, dip pen and colored inks, 9x12in.

It was expensive to even buy a bottle of water, but I guess that for some tourists it was worth to be able to buy a beer or a glass of wine and drink it sitting by the gate while waiting to board the plane.

The Delta, Buenos Aires

Barco Viejo, dip pen, colored inks and watercolor pencils, 9x12in

 Just North of Buenos Aires, the Paraná River forms a delta. There are lots of abandoned old ships, half sunk, that I find beautiful. If someday they are removed part of the character of the place will disappear. The small boats that transport wood, groceries, the boat ambulances, the garbage collection boats, all make it a very special place. The houses are built on stilts and have very interesting architecutural styles.

Grua del puerto, dip pen, colored inks and watercolor pencils, 9x12in

Sketch Crawl Buenos Aires

The day started cloudy in Buenos Aires. By the time I arrived to Plaza Francia it was raining heavily. We bought an umbrella, had lunch and in the afternoon the weather was a lot better. I did not find any of the local sketchers but in any case I sketched the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar (second oldest in Buenos Aires, founded in 1732)  and a mausoleum in the Recoleta Cemetery.  I still had time for a visit to the National Art Museum.

 Nuestra Señora del Pilar, dip pen and ink, 9x12in

Mausoleum, dip pen and ink, 9x12in.

Martínez, Buenos Aires

Estación Martínez, dip pen, colored inks and pencils. 9x12in

The old victorian style train stations in Buenos Aires are still beautiful. The Estación Martínez is one of them. It has the original iron work bridge to cross the tracks and a small bar that functions in the building. Bars serve coffee and croissants, pannini, food, aperitives, beer, wine and spirits.

San Isidro, Buenos Aires

San Isidro, dip pen and ink, 9x12

I visited the neighborhood where I went to secondary school and spent some minutes sketching the cathedral  and a beautiful building in the back. I will have to go there again. The ornamentation of the buildings was overwhelming and it requires a lot more time.