A Journal of Thoughts, Photographs and Sketches
The Boabab tree dots the African landscape. To the local peoples, these magnificent trees are seen to be retainers of the memories of the ancestors. There is a sanctity about them. Their branches always remind me of hundreds of fingers reaching out and trying to clutch the sky. I love sketching and drawing them.
A scene I sketched from the Namib desert in Namibia – Southern Africa. A strange and beautiful place. When the wind blows through these ragged trees it creates a peculiar, almost mournful whistling sound.
In the English landscape, you often see a single, sizable and old tree standing in a flat and expansive landscape. Although it has the look of loneliness about it, it’s locational rootedness is a positive affirmation of its presence and its right to be there. It makes no apologies for its presence.
Whenever I see such a tree, it affirms in me “my right to be here” and I live and move through this beautiful world without any apology for my presence.
This scene of a section of the village a little way from ours, is one I pass regularly on my morning walks. Today, I decided to quickly sketch it. Not much sign of Spring yet, just one tree in full blossom.
A quick sketch I did of a ridge in the Kent countryside. I often have a dream where I launch myself from a ridge and fly over a deep valley. Not sure what the dream means, but it’s a pretty exhilarating one, even though the initial act of launching is extremely scary.
A sketch I did of an Irish coastal scene. The place seemed abandoned with an air of loneliness about it.
A scene near our village just longing to be sketched. I had the distinct feeling of this being a restful place in spite of the signs of neglect. So it found its way into my sketchbook.
I enjoy sketching ruins. They are wonderful retainers of memory. This is a sketch I did of a cottage in Ireland.
The Namibia landscape in Southern Africa. I had the privilege of living there for two years. A land of wide-open spaces, vast skies and mystery. I did this with a sepia pen and coloured pencil.
From my Sketchbook:
Once a home
now haunted by
ghosts of the past
