Ronda in Southern Spain

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Alan Pearson, Andalusian Artist

Alan Pearson, a retired English artist living in Olvera, and painting Andalusian landscapes in oil on board or canvas.

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Alan Pearson

Alan Pearson

Alan Pearson, a retired maintenance engineer from the UK discovered a passion for painting as a young boy, and has developed his art around the scenes he sees in his daily routine. Many of the canvases in Alan’s portfolio date back to the 1980s while working in England, although he has been at his most prolific since moving to Spain.

Stylistically Alan prefers versatility over specialisation, a quick glance over Alan’s portfolio certainly confirms this, with pieces that at first glance appear dark and moody, ranging to colourful portraits, and traditional Andalusian landscapes, with many offering a glimpse into Alan’s depth of perception and sense of humour.

Says Alan “Local village scenes and the everyday lives of people here are a constant supply of inspiration for my paintings”, and why not, Andalusian scenery is amongst the most attractive in Europe sitting as it does on Africa’s doorstep yet still undeniably Iberian. “The mountains around Ronda are the most beautiful in this part of Spain, which, coupled with Andalusia’s climate, make the countryside here a delight to walk in.”

Art is an evolving process, and in Alan’s case has allowed his hobby to grow with him, as an artist, and as an observer of life’s many mysteries. Earlier pieces by Alan show heavy post-industrial scenes painted in white watercolour on black paper. Later pieces are vividly colourful portraits and landscapes using oil on board or canvas.

Retirement in Southern Spain has given Alan the time to create many wonderful images, including pieces that have sold in international markets, although he has never considered selling his work a form of income, indeed Alan sees selling a work as confirmation of his skill and the sharing of a universal love for art.

Away from his studio, Alan is a keen sailor and paraglider, and has taught many youngsters the joy of sailing whilst living in the UK. Soon, Alan plans to buy another boat so that he can enjoy sailing in Spanish waters. He is an active walker in the hills of the Serranía de Ronda and the Sierra de Cadíz. A camera for capturing scenes that eventually make their way to canvas is an obligatory part of Alan’s walking kit.

Future directions for Alan include painting more of the local village scenes of the pueblos blancos, and the horses of Andalusia which Alan describes as “a vibrant part of the culture here in Spain”.

In closing, “I hope you enjoy my work and I would like you to share my adventure here in Spain through my paintings” – Alan Pearson, Artist in Andalusia.

Contact Alan Pearson

Alan can be contacted for private commissions.

Would you like to purchase one of Alan’s pieces? Alan is a regular exhibitor in Ronda’s monthly Artesanía market held the first sunday of every month. Click to send an email to Alan: alanpearson2008@live.co.uk

Gallery of Alan’s Paintings

To display larger images, click the thumbnail

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Ronda

Ronda is one of Spain's most visited cities for good reason, our little city is very compact, in fact from arriving in Ronda, to seeing the Real Maestranza bullring, the Puente Nuevo, the many beautiful churches, our museums, or the wonderful coffee shops and tapas bars, we have it all within a short 30 minute walk.

Of course, most visitors need at least 2 or 3 days to see everything because a lot can be packed into your time in Ronda. Stay in one of Ronda’s many excellent hotels, with a choice of restaurant covering tapas in a local bar, menu del dia, or a la carte menu.

A walking tour of Ronda is a pleasant and enjoyable way to spend a lazy few hours, almost everything you could want to see in Ronda is no more than 200-300 metres from the new bridge.

Ronda Today is the Serranía de Ronda's only daily English language news source, our we take pride in providing Ronda News as it happens.

Stay in Ronda

As one of the most visited cities in Spain, Ronda has a fantastic selection of hotels, hostels, guesthouses, and self-catered accommodation guaranteed to suit all tastes.

Whether it's just one night, or several weeks that you need we can help you find somewhere to rest your weary bones while you're in the city of dreams - La Ciudad Soñada.

Join great names like Orson Welles, Earnest Hemingway, Rainer Rilke, James Joyce, Jorge Luis Borges, Madonna, or Jamie Oliver who have enjoyed their time in Ronda.

Visitors who plan to make Ronda their new home should check out our property section, where we talk about some of the gotchas that can occur. Forewarned is forearmed.

Why Visit Ronda

A small city perched on a seemingly precarious platform of rock, Ronda is in fact an impregnable fortress only defeated in battle through trickery, and during the reconquest with modern (for the era) rock blasting cannon.

The mountains and valleys of the Serranía de Ronda are home to a tough breed of people, yet in Ronda these people are refined, some are gentry, some gypsies, others are just common folk, but all proudly call themselves Rondeños.

These days the population of Ronda is a little over 35,000 souls; big enough to offer all the essential services, but not big enough to suffer traffic problems or big city woes.

Rondeños have played a pivotal role in shaping Andalucía and modern Spain, and the city has hosted some of the great names of politics, the arts, education, and played her role in military events.

An hour from the Costa del Sol, Ronda is too far away to be heavily influenced by events on the coast, yet still close enough to benefit from the economic strength that tourism brings to Southern Spain. At a height of 723m, Ronda has a cooler year round temperature than the coast, making life in Ronda altogether more agreeable than other Andalucían cities.

Serranía de Ronda

Ronda is the biggest city in northern Malaga province, and the closest city to many of the smaller villages in Cadiz province, making Ronda an ideal base for exploring the Serrania.

Within a few kilometres of Ronda are some of the most visited Pueblos Blancos, the famous white villages of Andalucia, Setenil de las Bodegas, Grazalema, Gaucín, Juzcar, Benalauria, Montejaque, Teba, Cortes de la Frontera, Igualeja, the list goes on...

As well, Ronda is close to three natural parques, the Grazalema park, Alcornocales park, and the Sierra de las Nieves park. The Serranía is also home to pre-historic cave paintings at Benaojan, Neolithic dolmens at Montecorto, and of course, the Roman city of Acinipo.

The countryside of the Serranía is described as unique, in fact universally important. Many endemic species make their home here, including the pre ice age Pinsapa pine tree, and numerous orchids only found on our mountains.