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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

What I learned from reading Mujeres que arden by María Esclapez.
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

Connection to place isn't something I actively realised I was missing until it bloomed in this house in Granada. So here is my ode to this home, constructed of hundreds of moments of repeating yet shifting experiences.
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

Key things to consider before, during and after your trip to help you start to develop your own travel sketching practice. Plus, download your travel sketching kit.
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

When I first started travelling as a Uni student in the 2010s, I had two (misguided) goals: to visit as many countries as possible; and to tick off everything on the ubiquitous "10 things everyone absolutely must do" list in each 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

If you meet an Australian, the first question they’ll probably ask you after you tell them your name is, “What do you do?” It’s an easy question to ask and the expected response is simple: tell them what your job is.
2025
/ May 2025
Bright watercolour painting of the Court of the Pool at the Alhambra, Granada by Emma Bolton. Watercolour palette and brush on a pink background.

Painting the Court of the Pool

One of the highlights of any visit to Granada is the Court of the Pool. It's a combination of all the best parts of the Alhambra: glorious colours, water features and attention to detail.
2025
/ May 2025
The Court of the River at the Generalife in Granada. In front of the two-storey white palace are gardens, a long fountain and archways.

Painting a portal to the past

Since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by the possibility that you might open an old wardrobe or get lost in an overgrown garden and find yourself in another world. If there were a portal to another time or place in Granada, then an archway at the Generalife would be the perfect place for it.
2025
/ May 2025
An A5 spiral notebook with red and yellow blocks and beige and pale blue flowers, together with a sunflower yellow Lamy fountain pen on a pale pink background.

Write out the song lyrics by hand

When I was growing up, my favourite albums were the ones that came with a booklet of song lyrics. In 2002 I spent hours processing my teenage angst while singing to Avril Lavigne’s debut album, Let Go. Her booklet had lyrics full of slang that made her feel authentic and relatable.
2025
/ Apr 2025
Close-up of a Spanish tortilla on a white plate, photographed by blackieshoot on Unsplash.

In which we visit the egg shop

Rain slaps the pavement as I walk to the huevería or egg shop. My small umbrella with its pithy slogan is defenceless against the onslaught. But it's worth it because every time I inhale there's nothing but petrichor.