Sketches at Ithaca Exogi

These sketches were done using Japanese ink on cartridge paper.

The location is Ithaka in the Greek islands. At the north of Ithika above the village of Stavros, there is a mountaintop village called Exoghi.

Three years ago the small cafe was brought back to life by Ntina and her sons Yannis and Nicholas. These sketches show the front door and the tables.

As you look through the gap from beneath Exoghi on Ithika you see the sunrise. The village is shown closer up at the cleft in the hills.

As you traverse the top road spine of Ithika you come across a view of the mainland and islands to the East.

I am really pleased with this because it builds on some of the pictures of Olive trees I did on Fillatro Beach.

It has a sci-fi feel to it.

Trying to picture the kaleidoscopic

fringe of the waters edge is difficult with black and white. The composition is distilled to its black-and-white shapes 

Bottom right is the beach .. top left is out to darker deep sea.

These pictures start with the normal scene of tourists and umbrellas on a beach at midday.

I then shifts to midnight on a full moon

I have written a poem to accompany these latter pictures which feature a giant rat with a pipe and dancing skeletons and ghosts and ghouls hovering in the background.

It shows tgat not everything is bit seems.

Contrast this way of depicting the sunrise with the earlier version.

I was pleased this works.

Again I was messing with the Japanese ink with a view to creating some portraits.

As you see.. this is not so succesful ..but gives an idea of where I am with the heads here depicted.

David Jackson
18th October 2024