Why sketch?

Some time ago I found an old wiro notebook in a drawer. A scruffy wiro bound notebook with a photo of 2 men in a kayak with a bear on the front cover. In that notebook I found terrible sketches drawn in pencil made while travelling in 1991.  One sketch leapt out at me. It was a rough pencil sketch of Mt Ararat from a backpacking trip to eastern Turkey. The sketch really surprised me – it was a very basic pencil sketch, drawn using a .5mm technical pencil on a cheap notepad. The sketch is just black and white… To my surprise the sounds and smells of the day came flooding back. Meeting some Kurdish goat herders and their flock near the base of Mt Ararat, about 10km from the Iranian border on a bright sunny but cool, alpine day. Along with memories of driving across the mountain steppe in an old Renault 19 and the smells of chai and coffee in a Doğubayazıt pasta solunu. It all came back come flooding back! Why did it evoke such vivid memories? I’m not really sure to be honest. Maybe t...

Brisbane contrasts


A steep street off 'Trammies Corner' with the CBD in the background.

From bright and shiny high-rises to the historic timber 'Queenslanders' nestled in amongst palm trees and steep hills. So similar to Auckland, but also quite different!

I really appreciated this introduction to Paddington, thanks to Peter Richards and some Brisbane urban sketchers who came out after work for a sketch and a curry.

  The epic view from Kangaroo Point Bridge. It looks like those buildings could fall into the river...

The highly reflective view from our rental apartment








Comments