A fast sketch by the bay. Still no leaves on the trees, and even though the weather was warm, the wind was surprisingly cold.
watercolour
Castello Scaligero
We spent a wonderful two weeks around Lake Garda and the Sud Tirol / Alto Adige, mostly hiking in the mountains. I had time to paint a few watercolours, mostly of mountains.
Placa Prim, Poblenou
A wonderful little square near our apartment. The trees are a strange species from Argentina, called ombu.
Interior courtyard in Paris, 6eme arrondissement.
Old stone bridge
Sketching in the park.
The narrow dirt road that crosses the stream here used to be a major highway for horse-drawn carts travelling across Finland.
Kiasma art museum, Helsinki
This building by Stephen Holl manages to be too big and cramped at the same time. Not only does it look like a Zeppelin hangar from almost all sides, the inside has surprisingly little actual hanging space. This is because a third of the floor space and the full height of the building is taken by the lobby and an oversized ramp. See video here: www.kiasma.fi/kiasmainfo
My next drawing of this square will include the tents of Occupy Helsinki. It was too cold to draw outside so I had to seek refuge in a café. Yes, the occupiers have been there all winter – at -25C and 50cm of snow.
This was my first field test of Neocolor II crayons. Here they are combined with Supracolor II pencils.
Ice fishing on the sea, early spring, Helsinki
It’s amazing to see them sitting there on the ice, immobile for hours on end. As it’s spring, the sea is melting fast, with more and more open water peeking through. But still they come to sit near a little hole to wait for a nibble. I hope they eat what they catch…
Tioman Island. The sea seen from the backyard at Nazri’s Place
Tioman Island. The sea seen from the backyard at Nazri’s Place, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
Here is a view of the beach at Kampung Air Batang on Tioman island, to the east of mainland Malaysia.
We spent almost a week snorkling the wonderful reefs but of course did no underwater sketches.
Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands
We spent a week hiking in the temperate rainforests of the Cameron Highlands. Here is a quiet corner of the village of Tanah Rata.
Kuala Lumpur, seen from Chinatown towards the old railway station
Kuala Lumpur, seen from Chinatown towards the old railway station, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
We spent a month backpacking around Singapore and Malaysia. Despite all the excitement, I took the time to do a few sketches…
Here’s one of the wonderfully chaotic architecture of downtoen Kuala Lumpur. That’s Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in the foreground.
Mille Croquis 