NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Local artist Guillermo Vila has opened a photography exhibit titled “Sketches of Spain” at the Woodbridge Town Library.

The exhibit, which runs through the month of March, follows his two-month-long trek across Spain in 2022, with 30 pounds on his back and no preconceived plan. Vila took the Camino De Sanitago, which spans 800 miles from Barcelona to Santiago. Vila documented his trip through photography and journaling.

Vila is originally from Barcelona, Spain, but is now living in Woodbridge, Connecticut.

Vila used a fully-mechanical film camera from the 1960s and used black and white film to create the images of his trip.

Vila said he is interested in art as a lens for vulnerability.

“I think what I want to create with these images is a reflection of a space in which I felt something. I felt some stillness and I captured that in the way that I saw it, and I want to share that stillness with my viewer. So I want anyone who’s looking at my image to feel that sense of connection in that stillness and to recognize that the world doesn’t have to be moving as quickly as it seems sometimes, and we can stop to breathe,” Vila said.

The Woodbridge Town Library is holding a reception for the exhibit on Saturday, March 11 at 2 p.m.

For details on the exhibit, check out the Woodbridge Town Library online, here.

Watch the full interview to learn more!