Next destination after a week in Brisbane is Glasgow, UK. This will be the third festival in a row. I feel exhausted and excited at the same time and I take a sleeping pill for the flight to Abu Dhabi to get a good sleep. A second flight takes me to Manchester and while flying over two continents I finalize my sketches for the piece at the Yardworks Festival. Over 120 international artists come together to paint inside SWG3, a multi-purpose warehouse space, housed in a former tobacco bond and located by the River Clyde. Nearly 700 meters of wall and railway arches will become an open-air art gallery.

Friday

7 PM: Arrival at Glasgow airport and meet-up with the organization. I check the site and the materials to make sure all is ready for tomorrow. On my way to the hotel I grab some healthy stuff to eat, fruits, nuts and dates. I know that, while in my creative bubble during the next days, I will hardly take time to eat properly.

Saturday

5.30 AM: Jetlagged I wake up and I am in serious need of coffee! I walk around town and step into the Hilton Hotel for a shot of caffeine. I must look like a bewildered person in my working clothes, full of paint, and the 34-hour travel of the past days carved on my face. The lady at the hotel lounge politely offers coffee on the house. Do I look like a homeless person maybe? Anyway, great start of the day!

8.30 AM: I take an Uber to the worksite.

9.00 AM: Start of a new piece: set out lines, check colors and paint squares. Getting into the flow. I work throughout the day, no lunch, time flies.

7.30 PM: Call it quits. Managed to do a lot today so tomorrow I can focus on the details.

Sunday

5.30 AM: Awake already. I sip at my tea while I start sketching for future projects.

8.30 AM: @ The site I pick up working where I left yesterday while the shrill noise of trains leaving the train station above me drowns out my thoughts. I need to stay focused after being on the road and having worked non-stop for over three weeks now.

6.00 PM: I apply the final line. Time to clean up, make pictures and go back to my residence.

Monday

While I walk through the tunnel to the airplane, I look back. As often I haven’t seen much of the city, but I’m happy to have left my print. After nearly four weeks away from home, I look forward to holding my kids. Only to be back in the UK again at the end of the week…

Photos by @davidpiano92 and Jay Paterson