Travelling sketchbook – Letters from Athens

For those of you who read my post The Sisterhood of the Travelling Sketchbook, I have finished my contribution and I’m ready to pack it off to the next person on the list, Constanze, in Munich, Germany.

Centauromachy 460 BC. (Source:Wikimedia Commons)

I wanted to do something referring to Greek history, so what better than the myth about the naming of Athens, which I’ve already written about, in my post Homage to the olive tree. To make the drawing I took my inspiration from the ancient black and red pots from which one can glean amazing details about life in Ancient Greece – the food, the sport, the fashion, the rituals and the stories. They feature a large cast of gods, goddesses, demi-gods and mere mortals, nymphs, centaurs and satyrs, athletes and animals, as well as household objects, furniture and accessories. A fascinating study.

And now feast your eyes on my masterpiece below:-)

Standing on the Acropolis rock is Athena, having taken her helmet off, with a belligerent expression on her face. She has just produced an olive tree, using her spear. Poseidon, seated on an elaborate throne, has a rather sheepish look on his face, having lost the contest to a woman, albeit a goddess…

This has been a very amusing project, and I’m curious to see the remaining contributions. So tomorrow I will regretfully pack up the Sketchbook and bid it Bon Voyage.

On April 14, 2016 Anne Lawson, a botanical artist who lives in Melbourne, posted this on her blog: ‘Oh I do love a good idea, and this is one of the best! A travelling sketchbook!’

So she made a sketchbook, drew her own contribution in it, and posted it to the first person on the list of those who’d signed up for the project.
There are 15 of us, and each is to ‘add to the sketchbook when it comes in the post to you. Draw, write, collage, sew, paste in a photograph ~ whatever you would like to contribute. There would be no rules, no themes, just a heartfelt contribution.’
(You can read the whole post here)

I was number 9 on the list. Imagine my excitement when I received a package from Indiana, USA, and opened it to see this:

Anne had drawn on the cover, and inside the back cover,

and her contribution was a delicate drawing of the Kakadu Escarpment in Melbourne.

Next was Kate Chiconi from Baker’s Creek, QLD. (See her blog here) Kate makes the most amazing quilts, so this is what she came up with:

After Kate, Sandra Gay from Ténériffe, QLD (blog here), added an illustrated recipe for ratatouille!

In number 4, we have the stunning drawings of Megan Power from Caulfield, VIC (blog here) – she made a map of the cycling trails in the city, leading to the National Gallery of Victoria,

as well as a beautiful drawing inspired by a painting by Jules-Bastien Lepage, which is exhibited in the gallery.

Then a poem, by Sandi Worrall-Hart, of Wnadin East, VIC.

Next, the Sketchbook travelled from Australia to the US, where Alys Milner from SAN Jose, California, (blog here) made an imaginative collage ‘quilt’ from all the previous contributions!

Followed by two more stunning mini quilts by Sue Brown of Mount Vernon, WA (blog here).

Then, just before me, Usha Gudipalli from Indianapolis (blog here) added another, very colorful, collage. Again a quilt theme, which I assume has been so popular as it symbolises unity and friendship.

Now the Sketchbook has travelled to Europe – first stop, Athens, Greece! When I’m done I will send it on to Germany, since there are five more memers of the Sisterhood, two in Germany, one in France, and two in the U.K. Finally, it will go to one more contributor in Australia, then at last back to Anne – we are thinking of maybe scanning it, so each of us has a memento of her own.

I have already thought about my own contribution, of course, but my lips are sealed for the moment, so stay tuned!
(To be continued)

Tag: Travelling sketchbook

The Sketchbook travels again

The Sisterhood of the Travelling Sketchbook