I love the way something you buy, whether travel mementos, or presents received or given, stand as markers in one’s life. Take the ceramic teapot I’ve decided to sketch (below), which was the first present I gave my husband not long after we’d met. It was April 1992, and I had the great fortune to travel to Nepal on a 29 day trek with three other women from New Zealand; such a fantastic experience. (Link above takes you to a post from a few years back). The day I returned to my hometown, I helped out a friend with an exhibition opening at our art gallery, and there Kerry was, also helping out. We chatted for ages before parting ways, thinking maybe we just might get to chat some more – sometime. And, surprise! surprise, by the end of the year we were chatting a lot.

Come Christmas, I decided to buy Kerry a gift, and fortunately we had a very nice pottery store in our town. This pot appealed to me, perhaps because its symbols reminded me somewhat of the Nepalese writing I’d spotted in Kathmandu, or, it might have been because I recognised that it had the perfect proportions to make a great pourer. I wasn’t wrong. After all these years, it is in daily use, and each lunch break we drop in two tsps of leaf tea and fill the (4+cup) pot. It still pours beautifully, even with a little spout damage.

You’ll see the sketch is unfinished, as I messed up the lid somewhat, and could not recover the white paper for the highlights as I accidentally covered it with too much watercolour, and know through experience to leave well alone. Though I quite like the jaunty angle I’ve taken the photo from, so will leave the sketch as is.

Kerry and I have been on many trips, and both of us love ceramics. The ways we’ve managed to bring items home in our luggage over the years is quite novel, but they are stories for another day.

I hope that you all have some big or small item which reminds you of a great trip, family or friend, and can revive the lovely memories associated with them. Those who follow my posts will know I like drawing and painting images that come from life.