Finding the Perfect Light for Lynch Lane.

I had photographed this street many times with the intention of painting it, yet I was never satisfied with the lighting or the atmosphere. Lynch Lane is a narrow alley in Gibraltar with a steep incline and very little natural light — capturing it in the right conditions proved difficult. I knew that the success of the watercolor would depend entirely on timing: the right time of day, and even the right season.

As it happened, my father-in-law gifted me a beautiful book on Gibraltar’s streets: A Rocky Labyrinth by Manolo Galliano. There, I discovered a photograph with exactly the kind of light I’d been searching for. I’m deeply grateful to the photographer, Victor M. Hermida, for kindly allowing me to use his photo as reference for this watercolor painting.

The scene itself isn’t particularly bright or colorful, which made the creative challenge all the more interesting. My goal was to convey the warmth and clarity of a sunny day — even within a dark, enclosed urban space — by capturing subtle reflections and contrasts in the architecture.

In this watercolor, I focused on finding balance between warm and cool tones, enhancing the interplay of light and shadow, and using complementary colors to add depth and atmosphere.

Materials and Technique.

Paper: Arches 300g fine-grain paper.
Watercolor: Schmincke Horadam watercolors.
Technique: Mainly «wet on dry» and «dry on dry» Format: Portrait
Format/Size: Portrait; 35 x 50 cm.
Completed: April 2023.

I also created a preliminary sketch in my Hahnemühle drawing book, which helped me explore the composition and light values before starting the final piece..

To see the rest of my watercolor paintings, you can click on the following link:

https://juananelowatercolor.com/porfolio/

Artists exhibiting in Gibraltar: https://www.culture.gi/art-galleries/

Final Notes / Artist’s Reflection

With every watercolor, I feel my style evolving. This piece reminded me how essential timing and observation are when it comes to capturing natural light. The streets of Gibraltar continue to challenge and inspire me with their complexity and character. This painting taught me a lot about restraint — knowing when to stop, when to push a shadow deeper, or when a color is just enough. Sometimes, the hardest part is not what you add, but what you leave out.

There’s something deeply nostalgic about painting streets like Lynch Lane — it feels like preserving a fragment of time and place. I hope the viewer can sense the warmth of the sun and the quiet stillness that drew me to this scene.

If you enjoyed this piece, feel free to leave a comment or share it with others who love watercolor art. You can discover more urban scenes like this one in my Portfolio or check out new works in the Blog.