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2025
/ Nov 2025
Watercolour sketch by Emma Bolton of Carolina Bouquet flower stand in Bib Rambla, Granada. Behind the stand are lush trees and a tall white apartment block under a cobalt sky.

Conversations with strangers in Spanish

Reflecting on day 1 of our Granada Sketching Retreat
2025
/ Oct 2025
Watercolour painting of two tourists with their backs to the viewer, and their dog, at Montserrat in Spain by emma bolton.

Montserrat

Painting the monastery and monoliths at one of Catalonia's most iconic sites.
2025
/ Sep 2025
Watercolour painting of three people sitting on the edge of a grey wall looking over a terracotta roof to the Alhambra and Sierra Nevada by Emma Bolton.

Mirador de San Nicolás

Painting Granada's most iconic view of the Alhambra
2025
/ Sep 2025
Watercolour painting of the entrance to Parc Güell in Barcelona by emma bolton, the corresponding print, and colour swatches.

Painting Parc Güell

Getting inspired by Gaudí's architecture in Barcelona
2025
/ Aug 2025
A copy of the book Mujeres que arden by María Esclapez on a wooden background. The book has a black cover with gold and pink details.

Women who burn: reading my first novel in Spanish

2025
/ Aug 2025
A gouache sketch of an entryway with mint green walls, a tiled staircase, plants and a wooden window and door. An edge cutter and a white card with plant illustrations.

An ode to home

2025
/ Jul 2025
Watercolour sketch of various sketching materials, including a sketchbook, watercolour palette, water brush and microfibre cloth on a dark pink background.

How to start travel sketching

2025
/ Jul 2025
View of a beautiful white palace on the side of a hill under a blue sky. It's surrounded by greenery.

The point of travel

What I want to do when I visit you in your city
2025
/ Jun 2025
Bright watercolour painting of the Court of the Myrtles at the Alhambra, Granada by Emma Bolton. Watercolour palette and brush.

Painting the Court of the Myrtles

As soon as I finished painting the Comares Palace at the Alhambra, I knew I had to paint the view from the other side of the Court of the Pool. When you enter the courtyard, you're drawn to the reflections in the enormous central pool, which is framed by thirty-metre-long myrtle bushes.
2025
/ Jun 2025
Two white women sitting in a coffee shop in the Albaicín in Granada and holding up watercolour sketches with big smiles.

Granada Sketching Retreat l 23-27 October 2025

Julia Henze and I are hosting a Sketching Retreat in Granada from 23 to 27 October 2025. We'd love you to join us as we immerse ourselves in the beauty of this city with a community of like-minded sketchers.
2025
/ Jun 2025
An open sketchbook showing two urban scenes. Two people walking past a navy house with a eucalyptus trees and a yellow restaurant called Colón.

Why I make art

I started painting as a form of self-care when I was burnt out during the acute phase of the pandemic. Since art is a passion I've developed as an adult, it's fascinating to consider why it's become so important to me. So, here are the key reasons I keep picking up a paintbrush.
2025
/ Jun 2025
Emma Bolton wearing glasses, a blue puffer jacket and a green bag and smiling at the camera in the Albaicín.

The question Spanish people don't ask that helped me to find myself