December 2008. Over the Christmas period, I sketch landscapes from my studio in San Sebastian (Arteleku). My subjects are the notorious Spanish prison Martutene, the vegetable patches and orchards that surround it, and its neighbours the Carmelite nuns in their nearby convent whom I can often observe working peacefully in the garden. My aim is to capture the presence of these extraordinary sites, a lasting testimony to the history and heritage of this part of the Basque Country which will soon be demolished by the relentless urbanization process taking place all around us. In a few years time Arteleku, and its fellow abandoned factories around, are also due to disappear.