Cuba

Heya.  How you all been keeping ?

First sketch from a different corner of the world.

Cuba airport, crazy place. You know the world record attempt to see how many people you can fit into a Mini ? Well this is the airport waiting lounge equivalent.

Sketch is a bit selective, add a thousand other people milling around, pushing past me, getting in my eyeline. 

And can I say I had never realised how 'communal' Spanish was as a language. Now I am home I am struck by how (relatively) silent the English are.

More airport people.

From earlier this month, back at the airport, waiting again. But not so many people there, so less raw material.

Drew this guy...

...... who has gone very cartoonish.

But this guy was waiting with his daughters, who wandered around, making him move position all the time, so only got this one that I liked.

And scanned the whole note book. Something about the colours and the grey made me think it was a good composition.

Airport people - for a change 329 - 333

Went to pick up my (current) boss from Luxembourg Airport, and her flight was delayed, and I had my note book with me, hurrah !!!

So caught some fresh fish.

This woman's track suit top was lime green, a brilliant colour. She knew someone else who was waiting to meet a flight, and they chatted as they stood together, until their 'people' came in.

Then one of the guys from the other film turned up to pick someone up too, so I had someone to talk with, and, if only for a moment, looked like I belonged there, like the lime green lady.

Then there was this bloke.

Who had a bunch of flowers wrapped in orange cellophane. He paced around a while, then sat and sent SMS's. Meeting a lover perhaps ? Was intrigued.  He decided to take the cellophane off, and shoved it, crunching, in a bin, then stood watching the doors. And there was a small toy Witch nestled in amongst the blood orange gerberas and palm leaves.

A woman came through, steering a trolley solid with suitcases, and a little blonde girl perched atop. He met them quietly, a kiss and the girl, clearly his daughter, added the flowers to the pile. A man who brings flowers to meet his wife and daughter at the airport. There is a whole world in that.

Give him his dues.

There is a brilliant temporary anxiety both sides of doors like these, for the passengers, that doubt that, having left the earth's security, you might never be relocated back on it. Will there be someone to meet me ? Will my spot of gravity still be there ?

For the waiters, the worry of missing the person you have come for, the worry of who they will be ? If it is a stranger, will they see your company board, will they want to ride upfront and chatty, or in the back, and sullen ? 

If it is family, or friends, or significant others, how will this time away have changed them ? Time spent without you ?

Airports are where you can see the gaps the world opens in us.

Glasgow trip

From the Glasgow trip, waiting at the airport with Ewan. Did a few sketches to decompress, after the day. Then added the colour at home the next day.

The whole experience was brilliant, and learnt so much, so even though it was the end of the line for me, it has never felt like that, and I have been unpacking my head ever since, and now see what I was doing wrong all along.

Anyway, we went for a coffee ( bottled water for me ) in the cafe, and there were several people sitting around me, so out came the sketch book.

This woman was reading through A4 pages of notes, obviously been to something work related.

There is another sketch of other people I was going to pop here as well, but I cannot find it and must have not scanned it yet, and the scanner is at work, so that will have to wait.

59 - the joy of flight.

Luxembourg airport. One of those interminable waits, on very hard metal benches (blue). Two fellow travelers/sufferers.

And, oddly, what this reminds me of is the Western Union money transfer advertisement, in french, that kept looping over and over on a screen in front of us. Happy people sending their hard earnt money to ecstatic relatives.

And a Businessman, who sat alongside me and drank more cups of coffee than the human bladder could ever realistically hope to contain.

The legs are somewhat confusing until you see that hers are crossed and tucked close, whilst he has sprawled out across the whole bench, possessive. I like what that says about them, as a couple.