Moroccan Memories: Sketching the Journey

My bags are littered with sketchbooks.  Small ones in my purse, larger ones in my school bag, and ALWAYS one in my travel gear.  Even when space is tight I make sure to pack some sort of small art kit, even if it’s just a few markers and tiny watercolor set. Sketching on site allows me to really be present and notice small details of the day around me while working on a page back at the hotel gives me a chance to reflect.  Some trips I do more pages than others, but I always love looking back at my sketchbooks, remembering small moments from trips I may have otherwise forgotten. 

Morocco is rich beyond words in visual details to delight anyone, and my artist eyes had a field day.  The colors!  The patterns!  The buildings and people!!!  Everything was so very different from Ohio, and I couldn’t stop being amazed every time I turned around. I took tons of pictures to share with students, family and friends and was still able to draw a bit each day.  Here’s some of my favorites.

A recipe we learned during a cooking class with a local chef 

the wall and coast of Essouria

The imposing cliffs of Todra Gorge and the not so imposing dog friend that guided me through

pulling water from a well at the edge of the Sahara, and an Amazaigh camp that welcomed us for the day


the shifting dunes of the Sahara at sunrise


Culture notes on the Amazaigh



Morocco is made of cats



The first mosque I ever went into, and wow!  What an  example!




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