Documenting through drawing during a field trip to Maurituis working with the Science and Technology Department in conjunction with Lee Durrell

Genesis Last year I wrote a book for The Crowood Press called KEEPING SKETCHBOOKS, and celebrated the publication of this book with a launch at The House of Illustration in London. The evening comprising of talks by some of the contributors and, of course, book signing, was altogether a very enjoyable evening, so enjoyable in fact that one of the featured ‘sketch-bookers’, Peter Thomas, had the idea that it would be good to follow this project with something else. Quite what was open to debate; a retreat, a drawing day trip, maybe Cornwall….?
For almost my entire life I have drawn at zoos and, to help the launch of KEEPING SKETCHBOOKS, I collected together a selection of these drawings to publish in another book, designed by designer ace, Sean Chilvers, entitled ZOOTIME, to give away free to those that bought a copy of KEEPING SKETCHBOOKS on the launch evening. Included in ZOOTIME were drawings I had made of the near extinct Pink Pigeons at both Durrell Zoo on Jersey, and many years earlier at Casela, on Mauritius. To cut to the punchline, this led to my meeting Lee Durrell and being invited by her to attend an award ceremony, and afternoon of discussion at the Natural History Museum, London on the complications of saving endangered species. There was much food for thought here!
Like a game of consequences, I discovered that here at Middlesex University our Science and Technology faculty engage in a field trip to Mauritius so that students can experience first hand field work in conservation, and almost unbelievably, I found they worked specifically with the Durrell team on their Pink Pigeon programme.
It seemed meant to be and after the odd cliff hanger or three and an entire year later, here we are, ready to fly out to Mauritius. The ‘we’ are fellow sketch-booker aces Aldous Eveleigh and Peter Thomas. In our different ways we will document the work of the Durrell team, through drawing, in saving the critically endangered animals of Mauritius and further, how they work and engage with our own Natural Sciences students. Hopefully, technology and my limited blogging skills allowing, over the coming two and a half weeks we will be able to ‘post, (!), drawings, short films and diary extracts of our adventures in this contemporary serial form. We’ll see. WATCH THIS SPACE!