After more than two months traveling with just two outfits and the bare essentials to survive (due to the obvious lack of space—the van is lovely but has its limits), we’re finally here, in our home, with all our things, our winter clothes, and everything I need to work and create freely.

I can’t decide what warmed my heart more: having brushes and pastels back in my hands or my autumn jacket!

I’ve called Asturias, the place we moved to, “the land where it’s always autumn,” because even in August it was chilly at times. For someone like me, who loves being wrapped up in scarves, hats, and jackets, it’s a real dream.

Old illustration I’ve done many years ago

From the very first day, we lit the fireplace, gathered hazelnuts, and now we’re waiting for the chestnuts from our woods to be ready. We’ve planted winter vegetables in our garden, picked blackberries from the yard, and made jam. All of this makes me feel more inspired than ever. I could draw all day. It feels like I’m living in a fairytale, where happiness grows a little more each day.

It’s a bit like the movie  Amélie, where I enjoy life’s simple pleasures, like finding wild blackberries—even if it means pricking my fingers on the thorns—or watching chestnuts turn from green to brown, shaking hazelnuts to see if they’re full, but most of all, picking apples and finding the ones with funny faces.

Here, I truly feel, as they say in Spain, “en mi salsa” (which means, in my element).

Little Sketches at Dawn. The Simple Pleasures of the “Land Where It’s Always Autumn“

Since I’ve been here, the desire to live at a slower pace knocks on my door every day. I’ve always said that I wanted to open an Istriceillustra shop, maybe in a beautiful, bustling historic center full of people… and now, the more I look around, the more I see Istriceillustra here. I imagine it becoming a place for sharing, where I can organize workshops and artistic retreats. I picture myself working to make this place a magical spot for creating slowly, and to be honest, it already feels that way to me. As I mentioned in the newsletter, I’m already working on your Christmas commissions and the calendar, and I hope there will be even more because I truly feel inspired! Now, back to work!

We’ll talk in October!

xxx

Andrea