These sketches are of some the places I visited last year. It is the sketches that I did on the spot–standing, sketchbook in hand, or sitting on the curb–which are the most evocative for me. The whole day comes rushing back when I look at them again, the temperature, the company, the conversation, even the smells. In January a village outside Hoguin Cuba…
In February: Amsterdam…
Boston in June…
Dublin and Enniskillen in September
In November La Gaude in France and Cordoba and Granada in Spain
In the last post, I featured some of the best bags I made in 2015. Today I’m featuring some Kenyan sketches. This is Cliff’s place, a series of buildings like so many all over Africa, crumbling cement block and corrugated tin. We walked every day to Cliff’s because he had milk and fresh eggs and phone cards. As well, the local women had a small market there where we could buy tomatoes, chard, onions and, if we were lucky, fresh samosas made over a small fire. I loved the interaction with the local people and using the local ingredients in our cooking.
This building in Nairobi is a reminder of the colonial past. I’ve just finished reading Circling the Sun which is set in Kenya in this colonial era. Although I found the book mediocre and its story of the self-centred ruling class annoying, I connected with the descriptions of the places I know well, both in Nairobi and in the countryside. The Norfolk Hotel, so much a part of the novel, is still 100 years later, catering to the expat and tourist monied classes with its beautiful architecture and gardens with little regard for the local culture or population. Last year I noticed they had spoiled the lovely verandahs with bullet-proof plastic…
And here are a couple of quick sketches of local people and village life. It was hard to sketch during the day because of the heat, so a few lines done at the time and then colour added later.
I thought I would do a post on the best bags of 2015 which can be ordered. I am still intending to revise the leather gallery so that you can see what is available in what leathers and sizes and the price. But for today, all of the bags below can be ordered in the leather pictured. You can always put the name of the bag in the search box at the top right of this page to see all the posts which feature any bag here. Each of these bags is out in the world now, but I have enough of the leather to make another. If there is another colour or size you would like, you can always ask and I’ll see what I can do. As you know, I am a one-person operation and each of the bags is made with great care and love from start to finish by me. The only way they can be purchased these days is through this blog. If you are interested, check out this wonderful comment at the bottom of the post for the 1510 black backpack.
