Spanish Village

In the Valle del Jarama, the natural border between the Madrid Autonomous Region and Guadalajara, some 60 kilometres from the north-east of the capital, is a small village that has gone practically unnoticed over centuries. Set on top of a ravine, in an opening in the mountains, Patones de Arriba has withstood the test of time, isolated from the rest of the world and even governed by its own ‘King’ (a sort of hereditary mayoralty) until the eighteenth century. The result is a magical place where time seems to have stood still, a small village that is one of the finest examples of the region’s ‘black architecture’ with its winding streets and houses made from slate. I intended to capture this magic combination of both half-forgotten streets and bucolic landscapes into this black and white charcoal drawing.  It is now available as Giglcée print in A1 and A2 sizes on high quality matt finish on Hahnemühle William Turner 190 gms.