blossoming

Sometime during my recovery from what my doctor charmingly referred to as the "goat flu" (as there can't possibly be any swine flu in Muslim countries), Spring decided to unfurl her arms around our grey city. Little green buds and pink blossoms have erupted on bare branches that stretch toward an inconsistent sky— cumulus and cirrus sweep across blues and greys, pinks and peaches. Istanbul in the springtime is a positively magical place; full of colour, birdsong and warmth— and I don't just mean the actual temperature— people's faces are softened, smiles and laughter seem to pop up everywhere, like cherry blossoms.



As my flu winds down and my workload is lightened, I look forward to stepping out in a light printed dress, the sun on my arms and the smell of flowers and sea in my head.
Happy Spring!

nine feet of art

I just wanted to share this video with you that fellow Moly-X artist Tim Clary took of my Moleskine Exchange 13 book, which is currently on display at Minnesota Center for Book Arts. The fabulous artists I collaborated with on this wonderful project are (in order of rotation) Anna Denise van der Reijden, Emma Kidd and Laura Martin Ansa. I am so proud of our little group, and knowing my book is showing in a gallery is an amazing feeling— if only I could be there in person to see it!

Thank you Tim, for enabling me to share this book with the world— and an enormous thank you to Marty Harris, founder of Moly-X, for getting us into the MCBA!

the smell of olives, cumin and sea

eminönü stories

crossing the golden horn

Stretched lazily across the Golden Horn in its rusting cyan splendour, is the Galata Bridge.
The smell of fish and sea, the deep-throated laugh of a fisherman.

japan

I am shocked and saddened by the devastation in Japan— my heart goes out to the people affected by the quake and tsunami.

snowfall

As Istanbul is slowly swallowed by snow and my mind is likewise, having its own share of snowfall, I decided to try and get somewhere with my simitçi ink drawing. He is approximately 2ft x 3ft— I can't remember the exact dimensions of the paper, and I can't find my ruler. I have been working on and off on this drawing for several long months, and hope to finish it soon. The end is in sight, but still feels so very distant and obscured by its own snow.

transportation for the masses

pencils, markers and paint

Here's my entry into Chris' book for Moleskine Exchange 34. I'm not sure what was going on in my mind as I was drawing this, and I'm not sure I like it very much. Chris, I hope you like it. Perhaps I need to add some gold ink to it... I don't know. Any suggestions?

expression

Blogger is still shut down in Turkey, but I've found a way to get past it. Hopefully sense will soon prevail, but until then, I unfortunately will not be able to respond to any comments— it doesn't work for some reason.

Warm wishes from Istanbul!

another bump in the road

Well my dear readers, it seems as though Turkey has shut down Blogger after some blogs were posting football footage that a local cable provider, owns the sole airing rights to. So rather than penalise those specific bloggers, a court in Diyarbakir decided to keep the entire nation from being able to write and read freely online.

This does not make me very happy, and if there is a way in which I can post to you, I will find it.

I believe I may have already.

the things i saw today

Having been cooped up indoors for far too long, a simple walk becomes a sensory explosion— the heavy, dull smell of burning coal, the soft scent of snow in the clouds, the brine of the sea... My childhood comes flooding back into the forefront of my brain as these scents and that green, green of the Bosphorus melt into a blur of synaesthesia.

Life has carried on in my absence— always a bit shocking but never disappointing; the yellow house is now tragically white, and the blue barrels are now on the right-hand side of the road. Boats with different names bob silently in the green waves. I feel like I've been reunited with a long-lost love— forgotten contours and fuzzy details now clear.

As I feel the comfort of cold cobblestone beneath my thin sole, I can't help but spread a wide grin across my winter-stung face.

It feels so good.

longing

My dear friends, I apologise for my long absence— I've been stuck indoors with my postgraduate work and teaching that I've had absolutely no time to explore my dear city or travel. The weather has been dismal and cold enough to be uncomfortable, and this restricted feeling has been getting me down. I long for coffee shops and meandering walks, I long for birdsong and most of all, I long for the freedom of travel. My studies are almost over, and I can hardly wait. I have two possible trips loosely planned in my head for April, which has been the light at the end of this very grey tunnel I've been stuck in. I have a break next week which I am looking forward to, and if the weather permits, I plan on sketching outdoors and getting to know my Istanbul again.

the queen of hearts

This is my entry for Moleskine Exchange 55, the Alice in Wonderland exchange.
I decided to give the Queen of Hearts a little makeover. What do you think?

Click on the images if you'd like to see them larger.

getting back into it

After Moleskine Exchanges 64, 24 and 29 fell apart and one of my books disappeared somewhere between Australia and Mexico, I must admit I had become a little disenchanted with the whole exchange experience. I've been participating in Moleskine exchanges for three years, and I think I just got a little tired— and life eventually got in the way.

Lately I've felt something was missing in my life and the little black books piled on my desk with blank pages waiting for me, reminded me of how much I had loved participating in these exchanges. I had befriended so many artists from around the world and we had shared our artwork— a truly magical experience. I realised I needed to get back into it and hopefully, inspire some of the other disenchanted artists to do the same. So much beautiful artwork has been produced in three years, and it would be such a pity to let it all just fall apart.

Well dear Rose, here is your book. I am terribly sorry for keeping it empty for so long— I do hope you will like it.



Above is the entry in my missing book... Where in the world could it be?

boys and girl

On the theme "Boys and Girls," part of The Sketchbook Project.

cosy on a silver plate

No trip to Kadıköy is complete without a visit to the amazing Çiya. You know that feeling when you've been outside in the cold, your cheeks burning, your nose red— and you come inside to the sensation of tingly, cosy warmth spreading from your toes up to that red, red nose? Is there a word for that? The yoghurt, chickpea, spinach and lamb soup tasted precisely like that feeling. Absolutely delicious. Absolutely cosy.

thirty-two

Well, I've done it.
I've turned thirty-two!