drawings

Several pages from an old drawing book
I probably did them in different museums.

I like these: one, two, three.

gold

A large pagoda faced in gold, in Chiang Mai near sunset, was
a convincing example of why gold has held such allure
down the ages, it seemed incandescent, alive with light.
The attention to a variation in scale, in many temples,
gives a great sense of space, with gold leafed
artifacts glowing in a quiet gloom.

Here's a clever & amusing short film .
A local artist who who makes good use of gold leaf.
Sebastiao Salgado's mindblowing photographs here & here.

a visible energy

I noticed photos of this wonderfully open-faced monk at several
wats & other locations in Chiang Mai. Somehow he
goes together with the new (banana) leaf. A certain purity.

Some articles of interest here, here & another great teacher,
I saw him sitting under the Bo tree, in Bodh Gaya, long ago,
& can still feel that riveting attention.

Bali

At that time I had a small half frame camera, & a canon that
never recovered from a rice paddy immersion. I loved the
Balinese practice of exquisite daily offerings.
Above two paintings from a bit later, also Bali.

Jose Miguel Covarrubias wrote a marvellous book with
his drawings, in the 30's, still relevant in today's Bali.

surprises

There's always some surprise at the beach.
Here's a small 'island' at Shelley Beach, a crab shell,
a sand landscape, a stranded fish.

Further up the coast is Fingal, with its unusual rock formations.

Australian petroglyphs & early rock art
The latter look incredibly similar to photos I've seen in a
French book of north african rock art, but I can't recall
the reference at the moment.

sun & rain

We've had some glittering sunny days, now it's raining again.

Here's a great use of plastic bottles, & an Australian sculptor

papercuts

Over the years, I've collected papercuts in many
countries, these are from Laos, China, Thailand, &
are generally too flimsy to use as stencils. Around the
Day of the Dead in Mexico there are marvellous ones, too.
I really enjoy Peter Callesen, Rob Ryan & Elsa Mora
Am sure they'd be exceptional in any medium, but
the paper & knife generate a particular originality.