As it was the first time she had been to Portugal, Ida was very keen to learn about Portuguese culture and draw new landscapes. Sketch Tour Portugal was the perfect opportunity to get to know the country.

Among the references she had in Portugal was the reconstruction of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake, the philanthropist and art collector Calouste Gulbenkian and fado, the well-known traditional Portuguese music which is also classified as heritage of humanity.

Although Golf is the theme, after this trip she will always remember the cuisine, once she saw that a friendly atmosphere and conversations at the table are an important part of being Portuguese.

Sketching under the clouds in Sintra or the blue sky in the Algarve, she realised how Portugal is a perfect destination for golfers and was amazed by the colours of the landscape. The peaceful setting of golf courses has become the ideal environment for the concentration needed by a sketcher, the point when she identified with golfers.

Ida Bellarian
Goldfish Bellarian is of Swedish-Armenian descent and lives in Stockholm. She grew up in a multicultural neighbourhood, studied classical music and dance, but felt attracted by art from a very early age. Drawing was always a way of observing life and trying to capture the little things that take us across borders and cultures.
Inspired by other sketchers, such as Lapin and Nina Johansson, she discovered the world of Urban Sketchers in 2014. She is currently joint manager of the Stockholm group. 

Website: www.bellarian.com
Blog: www.bellarian.com/news-blog
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