Avebury and Stonehenge

Stonehenge and 3 menhirs from Avebury Everyone knows about Stonehenge, but less well known is Avebury henge, the largest stone circle in the world. A larger prehistoric circular monument, called Marden Henge, located between Avebury and Stonehenge contains no stones, but has massive earthworks. It is much bigger than Stonehenge and Avebury, and is the … Continue reading Avebury and Stonehenge

Red ochre revolution

It's impossible to put an exact date on when art emerged in prehistory, especially since we don't know if the first attempts were on rock, or some other, less enduring medium, such as wood, bone, in the dirt, or even on the skins of the makers. At best we know ancient people were using ochre … Continue reading Red ochre revolution

Two Baobabs and a Boab

Tree portraits - three species of Adonsonia Three species of Adonsonia. In most parts of the world the common name for these bottle-like trees is Baobab - the first two sketches are the African Baobab (A. digitata) and the Giant Baobab or Grandidier's Baobab (A. grandidieri) respectively. In Australia they are mostly known as Boab's … Continue reading Two Baobabs and a Boab

Great Southern Land

I acknowledge the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and pay my respects to their elders, past and present, and extend my respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. I've been spending quite a bit of time re-acquainting myself with, and journaling about, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural history. Aboriginal … Continue reading Great Southern Land

Sycamore maple in pen and ink

Another day, another tree sketch. This time a Sycamore maple - Acer pseudoplatanus.

All shapes and sizes

"To really feel a forest canopy one must use different senses, and often the most useful one is the sense of imagination."- John Maloof Blackwood AcaciaNorway MapleMore trees from my sketchbook

Playing with my favourite pen and subject

Claudia Nice is the first artist that inspired me try working with pen and ink with several books, including Drawing in Pen and Ink. I like to engage fully with what I'm doing and ink requires a level of commitment that appeals to my nature. I like detail and I enjoy how tight and clear … Continue reading Playing with my favourite pen and subject

Do what you love; love what you do

I'm loving working in this sketchbook. Of course, the subjects are engaging, personally significant and keep me interested and motivated, but I also like the no fuss approach of limiting colours and not worrying about "ruining" an expensive sketchbook (this is an economical brand from my local office supply store). Most pages have sepia ink … Continue reading Do what you love; love what you do

Art prompt: Back to beginnings

Coloured pencil and ink go well together, especially in sepia. I decided to test them out in a sketchbook by sketching some artefacts - things that got me started in archaeology and human prehistory that still inspire me. The UNESCO World Heritage site of Catalhoyuk was a game changer for me when I first read … Continue reading Art prompt: Back to beginnings

Make ink and see what happens

In this day and age computers are kind of hard to avoid. I saw my first computer when I was about nine years old. It was a Commodore 64. In those days all you could do was type and print using a dot matrix printer and play rudimentary games. Even then I knew I wanted … Continue reading Make ink and see what happens