Sketches of Shqipëria

Here are the recent paintings from the Albanian coast near Durazzo.

Beach Cart at Durazzo. Oil on board, 20 x 25 cm.

Umbrellas at Durazzo. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm.

Durazzo. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm.

San Pietro. Oil on panel, 20 x 30 cm.

This was my fourth trip to Albania, but the last three times I’ve traveled exclusively in the south. This trip I did manage to make it up north into the mountains for a scout and painted a couple of sketches.

Guesthouse at Boga. Oil on panel, 25 x 20 cm.

The Old Farmhouse, Boga. Oil on panel, 25 x 35 cm.

The mountains above Scutari (Shkodër) are very unspoiled, with picturesque little villages and very friendly people. The roads get really bad after a while (and the electricity ends) so we couldn’t make it very far with the small 2-wheeled car we had. This September I’ll go back for a longer trip with my Land Rover.

Here is a short video I took from the car while scouting around the north. So much of landscape painting is driving or walking looking for views…

Scouting in Albania from Marc Dalessio on Vimeo.