A walk around the perimeter fence of a Fun Fair on Clapham Common. 2011
Jungle Un Fair
Scary Trees.
Is it me, or do these trees look like they have faces? Dante might have been on to something when he suggested that the spirits of suicides inhabit trees.
Carcassonne
The fortified city of Carcassonne, Languedoc, Winter 2008.
The fortress of Carcassonne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most visited place in France outside Paris. It was heavily (and creatively) restored by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc in the 1850’s so it has a strange ersatz appearance that is reinforced by the souvenir shops and cafeterias that occupy the grounds. Out of season its a grey, damp and quite spooky place. Great for drawing though.
North Devon
Here are some A5 drawings from a stay at Hallwood Farm, Petrockstow, North Devon in 2010.
General Election
The day after the 2010 General Election I went down to Parliament to see what was going on. The media had set up camp to watch the process that would eventually lead to a coalition government being formed. The green outside Parliament is an interesting place at these times with spin doctors and news anchors rubbing shoulders with the tramps and nutters that are the green’s everyday population.
Africa
Cairo to Kenya, overland through East Africa 1983.
For some forgotten reason I had a couple of sketchbooks with me but no camera, possibly because I didn’t own a camera at the time.
I flew to Cairo from Athens and made my way south through Egypt, Sudan, Zaire, Uganda to Kenya and the coast. It took about 3 months. I flew home from Nairobi. It was a fantastic trip and I’m really glad I did a few drawings along the way.
Cairo was a complete culture shock for a young lad from the suburbs of Nottingham.
