Artospective: Live Paintings by Alice Boggis-Rolfe from London.

Bidding a fond farewell to Peru as I pack my bags for Cuba.

An Interview with Alice Boggis-Rolfe.

Who and where are you from?

I am 27 years old and English. I grew up in the British countryside but moved to London seven years ago.

How you got into this?

People often ask me how long I have been an artist and I honestly can't tell them the answer. When I was first able to hold a pencil I was already saying I wanted to be an artist when I grew up, then I started selling work and doing commissions while I was at school so it was a gradual start. I studied contemporary portraiture in London for two years and since then have shifted more towards landscapes and street scenes as it gives me a freedom that working on portrait commissions doesn't.

What is your driving force?

My driving force is simply an urge to paint. I am addicted. I rarely have a day when I don't paint and if I do it leaves me restless. I don't always enjoy painting, sometimes a picture can be a real struggle, but I still would prefer to be doing it than anything else in the world.

What kind of work you do and why?

My work in many respects is autobiographical as it tracks my day to day movements. I never go anywhere without my paints and I love to travel so I focus on landscapes, seascapes, bustling street scenes, portraits of people I meet. I work from life so set up my easel wherever I am and tend to finish a painting within three hours. This is partly because its the only way to successfully capture the atmosphere as the sounds, smells, and goings-on will never be the same again. Its also partly because I have a short concentration span!

After a month in the faraway village of Saping I'm now back in Kathmandu painting the hustling bustling streets of Thamel, the old city.

My neighbors perched on the steps of their barn, one of the few buildings in the area to survive the devastating earthquake in 2015. Most people are still waiting for the government grants promised to them to help rebuild their homes and are still living in simple shelters made from corrugated metal, boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter.

Just my luck to pick the one street in Havana, Cuba. where every house was being fumigated this morning!

What have I done to deserve rain in the Caribbean?! Many thanks to Francisco and Luis for (insisting on) posing for me and to Ramon for demanding his motor bike be included! A gloomy afternoon brightened by new friends.

Havana, Cuba. And just like that it's all over and time to go home. Three months, five countries and (I think) 78 paintings later!

First painting in Trinidad early this morning and I was serenaded by some locals as 'El Pintar 'Ingles!' Looking forward to doing lots more of these over the next few days.

I only managed one painting yesterday as every time I tried to find a spot in the morning someone else would get chatting to me and insist on inviting me into their house. Cubans are ridiculously friendly and generous it seems!

Another Vinales landscape. Painting this was surreal, a long hike and a whole morning completely alone with nothing but the distant strumming of a guitar somewhere in the valley for company.

This is the door to the Sagrada Familia in the Plaza de Armas, Cusco built in 1735. I was so lucky with the light for this one although it came and went a bit so I had to be quick. I really wish I hadn't added the building on the left at the end and will probably either scrub it off or chop it off!

Back in Cusco after an epic three day trek through the Andes and climb to Machu Picchu. Sadly no painting there as it was bucketing with rain. This one's looking up Cuesta de Sta Ana, the light here seems to always be lovely early on then clouds over around 9-10ish so it's early mornings for me!

This was Sintusa's mother, Nieve. Here she is pulling Alpaca wool into threads and winding it into a ball ready for weaving.

Hokan-Ji Temple or Yasaka Pagoda as it is also known stands 46 metres high nestled in some of Kyoto's oldest streets. There has been a temple on this site since 589 AD, the present one was constructed in 1440. Just think how many earthquakes it has survived!

28 days and 25 paintings later and I am saying farewell to Vietnam. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone and I feel like there is so much left to see and paint (and eat) so I will have to come back one day. Just about got to grips with chaotic street scenes and now I'm off to ordered perfection in Japan...

Mooooore rain today at Tu Duc's Tomb in Hue, Vietnam, but I'm plodding on. Tu Duc was the longest ruling Emperor of the Nguyen dynasty but he never managed to have a son despite having over 100 wives and concubines. His tomb took three years to build and yet he was actually buried elsewhere in a secret location somewhere in the city. All those that were involved in the real burial were beheaded immediately afterwards so to this day no one knows where his body lies.

Caught Galle Lighthouse just before it got dark. In the company of a 30 strong audience, talk about painting under pressure!

I had such a fun morning painting this street scene and being filmed by travel vloggers @libbyandmarcel for their YouTube channel. Luckily finished just before it started pouring with rain!