In 2015 I took a three month trip through the south of Italy. After four years of barely touching a pencil I slowly began sketching again.

Arriving in Palermo, feeling overwhelmed with unfamiar streets and sounds. A sketch of Sasha sleeping on a bench, drawn on the city map

Picking Calendula flowers for the salad in the eco-village in Sicily, Ciumara Ranni, where I stayed for two months.

Bath time in Ciumara. we had to heat the water by lighting a fire an hour before in the boiler, and then squatting down, quickly rub in soap and hot water against the cold winter air.

The Saturday market in Sortino, Sicily. There were a few weeks when I had lost my credit card, and I would sit here with the musicians from the community as they busked, and I would try and sell a few paintings.

The beautiful Lim, life brought us together…and I think it will continue to do so on future journeys. She was inspiring to me as she embodied a lifestyle which moved with the seasons, rejected borders and expectations and connected to people genuinely and humbly.

Down by the docks in Catania, Sicily. Trying to hitch a lift with the trucks. I was drawing and Lim was playing her violin which drew in curiosity and sparked up conversations, we were soon called over to this mans food stall where he was frying up horse meat, a specialty from Catania.

Up in the mountains North of Florence, I visited the community, ‘Valli degli elfi’. The snow was thick and blue beneath the stars as a group of dark figures left one community house to head home.

Walking alone in the mountains feeling introverted and slightly homesick. The mist rolling in between the trees.

Hitch hicking through the mountains on the way to Bologna….no rides for a really long time, so I drew this picture…and then started walking.

And finally…Rumba de Bodas playing in the streets of Bologna. A group of colorful, slick musicians, a few of whom I know from London.