29 abril 2010

De Conil a El Coronil

El sábado pasado estuve dando una pequeña charla en la VI Feria del libro José Velarde de Conil de la Frontera, tras la que hice entrega de premios a las jóvenes (todas eran chicas) participantes en el concurso de cómic.
Coincidí allí con Abril Morillo, que ilustraba con soltura todo lo que le solicitaban los asistentes, y con los chicos de Rantifuso. Un día estupendo que empezó en un chiringuito a la orilla del mar en compañía de Joaquín, Charo y Helena, de Atrapasueños, y María, de 100 Hormigas.

(En Conil, hasta a las cabras de la playa les gustan los tebeos.)
Aprovechando mi paso por Andalucia occidental, Joaquín Recio me invitó a la presentación de su libro Diego Cañamero Valle, El hombre con los pies en la tierra, editado por Atrapasueños. El acto, celebrado en el centro obrero Diamantino García de El Coronil, contó con la presencia de  muchos referentes de la izquierda andaluza, que cayeron retratados bajo mi rotulador inmisericorde y que, a pesar de todo, me invitaron a comer.


Last Saturday I gave a talk at the VI Feria del libro José Velarde de Conil de la Frontera, Cádiz. This year the fair was organised around the topic of comic books, and I was asked to give the prizes to the young artists (all of them girls) who had won the competition. I met Abril Morillo, who kindly draw sketches for anyone who approached her, and Rantifuso were also there.
It was a glorious day, and I enormously enjoyed the setting: a chiringuito or beach hut at the sea's edge, where I had the pleasure of meeting Joaquín, Charo and Helena (from Atrapasueños
) and María (from 100 Hormigas).
 

As I was around in that western end of Andalucía Joaquín Recio asked me to attend the book launch of his work "Diego Cañamero Valle, El hombre con los pies en la tierra", published by Atrapasueños. It took place in nearby El Coronil, at the Diamantino García Social Club. There I mercilessly draw pictures of key figures of the Andalusian left who were present in the event. In spite of this, they even invited me for lunch!

04 abril 2010

Acuarelas de Cardiff

El curso académico 79-80 lo pasé en Cardiff (Gales) como assistant teacher, intentando que los chicos aprendieran algo de Spanish, asignatura optativa que escogían para no tener que estudiar galés. Mis alumnos eran como los chicos de esta acuarela: un día eran mods, y al siguiente aparecían con el pelo de algún color imposible. El punk allí estaba ya desactivado y el post-punk se comercializaba descaradamente (unos pantalones rotos cosidos de imperdibles te salían carísimos).

I was assistant teacher in Cardiff (Wales) the school year of 1979-80, trying to make the kids learn some Spanish — subject which they chose so they wouldn't have to learn Welsh. My pupils were like the kids on this drawing: one day they were mods, and next they came to school wearing some impossible color on their hairs. Punk was already dying there, and post-punk was being shamelessly commercialized — a pair of broken trousers, stapled or sewn up with safety pins, were incredibly expensive.