Afrika

I love Spain, and am especially interested in the historical mix of cultures which has created the Spanish persona. Of course, Barcelona is in Catalonia (Catalunya), with its own language, Catalan, which to my eye looks like a mix of Portuguese and French. I may be way off beam... Nevertheless, Barcelona is also home to a large population of Andalusian migrants (including in the past, Pablo Picasso, whose family were from Malaga - Pablo was born there). And Andalusia bears many examples of its Moorish (north African Islamic) past. In fact, the word Andalusia is a change from Al-Andalus, the name the Islamic rulers gave to much of the Iberian peninsula.

For anyone interested in Spain's Islamic past, I recommend a book called Andalus: unlocking the secrets of Moorish Spain by Jason Webster.

I'm off travelling (currently in Barcelona), and as I won't be taking any new shots of Sydney for a few weeks, and I've not taken a computer, I'm not sure I'll be able to post photos. So, I'm publishing some of my art works in the form of Artist Trading Cards. These small canvases are made on card of 69 x 89 mm dimensions (3.5 x 5.5 inches). They are made to trade with other artists, as the name implies. It is extremely bad form to sell them. Any medium can be used, but my preferred method of creation is by using rubber stamps and inks. This is a card front, so larger than an ATC.