97-2924 – Bag of nuts

At the end of my work trip to Afghanistan, my colleagues very kindly gave me a parting gift of several bags of different types of nuts. That included whole shelled walnuts…I didn’t know but Afghanistan is one of the worlds top producers of nuts – I was also given pistachio’s, cashew and almonds plus a little jar of precious saffron.

Mon-9-Dec-2024

97-2909 – Afghan mountains against the light

You can tell my stay in Afghanistan was very short, because here is another #AirportSketch! I learnt a lot from my visit and experienced a warm welcome and so much generosity from my Afghan colleagues. After sketching this I had a very interesting chat with a fellow passenger who works for UNODC (UN Office on Drugs and Crime) – particularly pertinent I thought. I sketched this against the light (again) so there was a lot of guesswork going on with the colours.

Tue-26-Nov-2024

97-2908 – Blues before bed

I had the privilege and pleasure of travelling to Afghanistan for work a while back but didn’t have much time to sketch. The ordinary people of Afghanistan are struggling, even more so since the Taliban took over in 2021 – and especially women. I hope the work I did (and am still doing), helps. I stayed in the UN compound and found this blue helmet (and a flak jacket) in the wardrobe, which are intended for emergencies. There are a lot of white smears on this sketch because my posca pen exploded a little after being on the plane. This is the first sketch in a sketchbook made with Seawhite of Brighton paper – 250gsm ‘not’ finish. I am struggling with it so far!

Mon-25-Nov-2024