Travels with my Art

Endless Abstract Land

Endless Abstract Land is my interpretation of the Serengeti and is painted using ink and acrylics. Serengeti comes from the Maasai Maa word Serengit and means endless plain and this vast area of grassland spans northern Tanzania and southern Kenya and covers approximately 12,000 sq miles. As I travelled through these immense plains, which are…

Moja, Mbili, Tatu… Jump.

There is nothing more fun than jumping into a swimming pool with your friends – and this is the moment nearly 30 boys jumped into the water together. The photo was taken during the last Saturday School session of the year at the school I have worked for the last couple of years in…

Early morning bargains at Kivukoni Fish Market

These shots were taken on an early morning visit to the hustling bustling Kivukoni Fish Market on Ocean Road in the heart of Dar Es Salaam. It’s a great snippet of Tanzanian life with fishermen and house dadas haggling at full volume over an unbelievable selection of fish and crustaceans. We brought two very large, very snappy…

The Reveries of a Solitary Walker

Because I’ve lived in so many different places, I don’t have one specific place to go to when I need to recharge my batteries. Instead I have a routine or a ritual which usually makes me feel a bit better. This involves an early morning experience – a walk, cycle, run, or just a prolonged…

My unbelievable view from seat 11D – as sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti.

The other day I wrote about the advantages of travelling by bus, and that I don’t really like flying. Well, sorry to let you know, but I was lying. A few days after my adventurous bus ride from Mwanza to Kigali, I decided to take the easy option and fly back, via Nairobi, and witnessed the…

Africa gives you the knowledge that man is a small creature, among other creatures, in a large landscape.

I will be honest, I am at a complete loss for words at the beauty and majesty of the animals, landscape, skies and nature which I have seen over the last few days on my recent trip to the Ngorogoro Crater, the Serengeti and the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania. Everything I write seems…

The floating markets in Bangkok.

I am currently working on a painting, inspired by the floating markets of Bangkok. Here are some early sketches, in watercolour and in paint, which I will be using as inspiration for my final piece of work.

Snow Falling Soundlessly

Last week, when I thought winter in Sweden had long gone, there was an unexpected fall of snow. It came heavily and suddenly one night, submerging the yellow and purple crocus flowers which had already started to grow in the lawns and gardens. It really was rather magical. As inches of snow fell late into…

International Women’s Day – the battle for equality is far from over.

It’s been nearly a hundred years since the first women’s day was held – back then women did not have the vote and most women did not have the opportunity of an education or a career. Nowadays, however, some people question the need for International Women’s Day, as women in many countries are perceived as being…

In religion, India is the only millionaire.

India is the land of dreams and romance, the land of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty. This photograph of a sadhu was taken in the Holy City of Varanasi, a city once experienced is never forgotten. Varanasi, is one of world’s oldest living cities, and is rightly called the religious capital of India. Also known…

London – home of the brash, outrageous and free.

Passing though Oxford Circus in London at the weekend, on a brief visit home to celebrate my 40th birthday with family and friends I met Greg, the London Underground employee. I asked him if I could take his photo and he said, in his most polite cock-er-ney accent; “How do you want me, straight on…

A room with a view

A room with a view is the pièce de résistance of any accommodation. Whether the view looks down to the city below, across the sea, out onto a busy street or over empty countryside, the view is something which can really enhance your experience of being in a room. During my travels, I have been fortunate…

Finding my sketchbooks and travel journals

I am over the moon with excitement… A few weeks ago I drove, with my family, across Sweden and Denmark, sailed the North Sea, and then travelled through pretty much every county in England, with the aim of collecting some of my old travel journals, sketchbooks and photographs (and visiting friends and family too). It…

Smoking shisha at Jabri House in Damascus, Syria.

Tucked away in a maze of narrow alleyways in the Al-Qaymariya area of Damascus’s Old City, is my favourite restaurant in the whole world, Jabri House. Jabri House (or Beit Jabri) is situated in the courtyard of an old Damascene house. People come here to have dinner, drink a cup of coffee, smoke narghile or to play…

I’ve been awarded the Blogger Recognition Award – not once but twice!

Something rather lovely happened the other day, my Travels with My Art blog, was nominated for the Blogger Recognition Award – not once, but twice. I would like to say thank you to both Sara from MALINČICA and Joelee from Joeleepost for nominating me for the award – it is always a pleasure to receive positive feedback and…

Getting a taste of the Nairobi Art Scene and the Kenyan Coffee

Prior to moving to Nairobi, lots of Kenyan friends told me that the art scene was pretty vibrant here. And while sipping a latte in my local cafe, the rather aptly named Artcaffe, I flicked through the exhibition listings in one of the many what’s on guides to Nairobi and I felt fairly confident that there was indeed…

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining (sometimes even two)

I have been doing a lot of sitting down this week – and no, it’s not because I’m lazy, but for two reasons; because firstly I sprained my ankle and can’t walk and secondly I have been working on three paintings to enter for a competition. What I have learned from this week is that…

The World Was Suddenly Rich with Possibility

Some books you read at exactly the right age and time in your life. For me “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac was one of those books. As I read it I remember thinking that travel would be THE escape route from my humdrum home countries Hertfordshire existence and I remember scribbling down so many inspirational quotes…

Addictive Art Materials

Charcoal and soft pastels are addictive. Admittedly they are not in the class-A drug category of heroin or cocaine and there doesn’t need to be a government health warning about them, but there is something about their versatility that makes them so appealing. For the artist, charcoal and soft pastels are extremely satisfying to use;…

Back to the drawing board

After recently leaving my teaching post in Dar Es Salaam to move to Nairobi for my husband’s new job, I now find myself ‘in between jobs’ and consequently at a rather interesting crossroads in my life. The million dollar question, well, million shilling question is this: Do I continue with teaching Art and English or do…

Sketches of Tanzanian Markets

My family and I are in the process of relocating from Tanzania to neighbouring Kenya; so as one East African adventure closes, another begins… Although I may have physically left Tanzania, I am still keeping my memories alive by finishing off drawings in my sketchbooks. These sketches will go towards bigger art projects, involving acrylic…

A few of my favourite things – sketching, camping, watching the sunrise and listening to The Pixies

Much as I like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, my favourite things list is more likely to include camping in remote places, sketching and painting, watching a sunrise and listening to alternative music. So when a recent holiday involved all of the above, I was happier than a Von Trapp child having a…

A Botanical Paradise

After nearly three years of living in Tanzania, I am still amazed at the botanical paradise which surrounds me everyday, all year round. From the hibiscus flowers and bird of paradise plants in private gardens, public municipal areas and hotels, to hedgerows at bus-stops heavy with bougainvillea and frangipani petals lying on the floor, the…

I am the resurrection and I am the life – The tale of Bertie Rooster

This is the story of the luckiest, most cock-sure cockerel that has ever lived – Bertie Wooster. We bought Bertie about a year ago. We named him Bertie, because my youngest daughter, Frida, has difficulties pronouncing the letter r and says wooster rather than rooster, hence Bertie Wooster. He soon had a lady friend which…

Feed your Head – An Alice Inspired Afternoon Tea

If you ever feel like disappearing down a rabbit hole on a busy Saturday afternoon in central London, then I know the place to escape to – where waiting for you, you’ll find afternoon tea, a glass of champagne and a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. The Alice in Wonderland themed afternoon tea, held at the…

My Pen and Ink City Panoramas

A few years ago when I was going through a minimalist phase I did lots of simple pen and ink sketches, trying to capture faces, places and buildings in just a few black lines, by reducing everything back to its basic elements. Part of this project included a series of panoramic sketches I did of…