Alhambra Mosaic - Nasrid Littlebird Pattern

Giclee Print

In the Fall of 2022, I took a group of artists to Granada, Spain to paint the architecture and gardens of the Alhambra.

Inside the main palace, I was confronted at every turn with astonishing mosaic tile works — the colors, shapes and patterns that cover the ceilings, walls and floors are so beautiful, they’re mind-blowing. I resolved to capture them in watercolor.

Since painting within the palace was forbidden, I came back on three different days to study the mosaics — observing, taking notes and hundreds of photos capturing the colors in different light (from morning to afternoon, from overcast to full sun).

After returning home, I narrowed down the many mosaics to my favorite four and painted them in transparent watercolor, without the use of masking fluid. My early training as a draftsman was put to full use in these paintings.

The mosaic shown here is located in the main palace in the Court of the Myrtles inside a recessed alcove. Due to the protection from the sun, some of the tiles retain their gloss and shimmer as you walk by (an effect I aimed to capture in watercolor in the green tiles at the upper right). The Nasrid Littlebird pattern at the center is extremely dynamic and seems to flutter as you move your eyes around. One of my favorite mosaics at the Alhambra.

About Giclee Prints

A Giclee print is the highest-quality print money can buy. The Giclee printer uses fade-resistant archival pigment-based inks on heavyweight (305gsm), acid-free paper to ensure that the colors hold true over time (a century and beyond when properly displayed).

This process costs significantly more than other types of printing (such as lithograph or other digital print) due to the premium inks used (12 pigment-based inks as compared to the four lesser-quality inks of other printers). This results in colors that are almost indistinguishable from the original.

Each Giclee print arrives to you ready for framing.

Size

Print size (including artwork, title and perimeter boundary): 20” x 16-3/4”

Price

$150