The Drawings

Before and After

Before and After

Here is my original graphite drawing of an old woman baking bread in a wood-fire oven. Here is the same  image after digital colour has been added. Only two months to go before the greatest event the Cypriot Community in Australia has seen for a very long time. The countdown has begun. So far, I have completed 12 pencil drawings, and I am currently working on the vintage colour posters (like the one shown above). I am also very busy designing and creating the large photographic displays that showcase all the wonderful old…continue reading →

Baking Bread – the only way

If you ask me - there is no better tasting bread that the one baked in a traditional wood-fire oven. In fact, there are many amazing Cypriot dishes that are cooked this way. Two of my favourites are Kleftiko and Tava. You have not lived until you have eaten and tasted food this way. This drawing is my own personal tribute to the countless generations of Cypriot mothers who have cooked this way with such grace and skill, without complaint or  concern to feed their families (or local community). My mother will belong…continue reading →
The Water Carrier

The Water Carrier

At last, the water carrier is finished and ready for digital colour. This fair maiden epitomizes my impression of what it must have been like to live in a village without plumbing. Many young women in the Cypriot village had the task of venturing down to a local natural spring or fountain to fill their 'kouza' (water jug). The water would be used for drinking, cooking and cleaning.continue reading →
Walking home

Walking home

I am halfway through this next drawing that shows an old woman (stede - yiayia - grandmother) navigating a familiar route over uneven terrain as she makes her way back to her humble stone cottage.  continue reading →
Pedra tou Romiou

Pedra tou Romiou

This drawing of the famous rock (presumably, the birthplace of the Goddess Aphrodite) is based on an old photograph taken by Reno Wideson. I still need to touch up the foam and the waves and perhaps add a few more pebbles on the beach.continue reading →
Cypriot Village

Cypriot Village

My latest achievement. This one measures 25 x 38 cm and took roughly 10 hours to complete over three days. It’s based on a photo taken in the 1950s by Reno Wideson. I am happy with the overall result, especially the prickly pear in the foreground (these cactus figs are known as baboutsosyka or baboutsa is Cyprus). I am still using a hot-press watercolour paper and a range of pencils from light and hard (2H) all the way up to soft and dark (6B). The darker pencils provide a rough texture which is…continue reading →
Peasant Girl Trials

Peasant Girl Trials

The sketch below is based on an old 19th century photo of a Cypriot peasant girl taken by British photography John Thomson. I have drawn the sketch on a combination of four different papers to see how my pencil marks react and respond to the surface and texture of the paper.continue reading →
Sketches of Bellapais Abbey

Sketches of Bellapais Abbey

Here is another page of practice sketches for a second poster concept. This one is based on the famous Gothic Monastic Abbey called Bellapais near Kyrenia. I’m using a combination of different grade pencils (2H hard to 6B dark and soft) to alter the texture and smoothness of the stonework that is such a beautiful feature of the Abbey.continue reading →