Nuptials at the convent

This acrylic-on-paper painting was inspired by my visit to the 16th-century Arrábida Convent in Portugal, where the Portuguese poet Sebastião da Gama held his wedding in 1951. Between the ragged coastline, forested mountains and stunning ocean views, Serra da Arrábida is one of Portugal's most beautiful natural coastal areas. The local poet Sebastião da Gama (1924-1952) was sent to live in the depths of Serra da Arrábida as a teenager by his doctors to fight off tuberculosis with the aid of the pure ocean and mountain air. The poet became a pioneer in defending the preservation of the natural beauty of Serra da Arrábida and held his wedding ceremony at the Arrábida Convent there before dying prematurely at 28 years old due to tuberculosis complications.