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…
Tag: travel sketchbooks
Dadas at the fish market
I’ve been painting this picture in my head for months now. The Kivukoni Fish Market in Dar Es Salaam is always busy. Both inside and outside the market walls there are scores of people; inside fishermen and traders huddle together around the many different catches of the day, outside house dadas dressed in brightly printed…
Swedish Summertime – and the living is easy
One of the things I learnt about Swedish people in the three years that I lived there, is that they really know how to celebrate and enjoy the summertime. In a country that is cold and dark for muc… Source: Swedish Summertime – and the living is easy
Buying and Selling Bananas in Kenya
This is my latest painting, a watercolour of a group of women buying and selling bananas and mangoes at a street-side market in Kisii, a town in south-west Kenya. The painting was done from a quick sketch I did some months ago while travelling from Mwanza in Tanzania to Nairobi.
Painting is Just Another Way of Keeping a Diary
I was asked to paint some pictures for staff who were leaving Isamilo International School in Mwanza this year. These images were the results. Which one is your favourite? I am now off work for 8 weeks… so plenty of time for painting, sewing and lots of crafty fun. And as Pablo Picasso once said:…
Rock City Paintings
A few weeks ago my husband and I took advantage of visiting grandparents to have a sneaky evening away without our three young children. Mark had previously won a night for two at a Tunza Lodge, a local beach resort. And when Bill and Joan came to stay, we decided to grab the…
Easter Resolution – getting back to my sketchbooks.
Over the last few months I have been so horridly busy, both at work and at home looking after my three children, that I have barely had enough time to sleep, let alone sketch. So I have set myself an Easter Resolution of doing more art work, initially in my sketchbooks and later moving onto…
Monkey Shenanigans in my Back Garden.
Before moving to Tanzania I stumbled upon a blog post written by a teacher who was working in Mwanza, about how her whiteboard pen had been thieved mid-lesson by a cheeky monkey. I remember thinking that this would be one of the best teaching anecdotes ever which I could only dream of experiencing first-hand and…
If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.
Children from the poorer corners of an East African city received English lessons, food and presents all in the spirit of Christmas. Yesterday after learning English, Maths, ITC, Swimming and Art, as part of an outreach programme at Mwanza’s at Isamilo International School, the young people enjoyed a meal, gifts and a show. Plates full…
The Hibiscus Thieves
Since I’ve been in Mwanza two things which I’ve enjoyed seeing are the little black faced monkeys who regularly visit our garden and the large colourful hibiscus flowers which grow everywhere. However, I have noticed that remnants of these stunning flowers were often strewn on the lawn. I didn’t know why, until now. While I…
Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone.
One of the many joys of living in Tanzania is the amazing fruit you can buy, for next to nothing. Back in Blighty people struggle to eat their “five a day” but here you can get your quota in, just for breakfast. At the moment, my breakfast selection includes papaya, passion fruit, watermelon, pineapple, banana,…
Tanzania – First impressions
We have been here in Mwanza for about ten days now and despite the obligatory mosquito bites we are settling in well. The house we are living in is huge and my children have been enjoying running around the house and climbing trees. The garden is lush with colourful bougainvillea trees and hibiscus flowers and…
