Ah, getting back to things – I didn´t stop drawing, life just got so busy there for a while that I didn´t find time to scan and write in peace and quiet. Which means I have some catching up to do here!
I went drawing with Charlotte some weeks ago, at Beckholmen here in Stockholm. Beckholmen (which roughly translated means ‘Pitch islet’) is one of those odd places in this town that I really love. It´s a tiny islet in the central city, just off Djurgården – near the stream of visitors to Gröna Lund´s amusement park and Skansen outdoor museum, but with quite a different atmosphere.
Some hundred years ago, this was a place for boiling pitch – hence the name. The little island was perfect for this inflammable business, just distant enough from the rest of the city. Since the mid 19th century, the islet is a shipyard, with three dry docks that are still in use. It is also part of the Royal National City Park, which is kind of an odd combination.
You never get the feeling of heavy industry here, even though quite a few ships dock here for maintenance. The buildings are old, some from the 17th century, and you reach the islet via a narrow wooden bridge. The bridge alone is enough to make me happy – no traffic jams here, the island is too small and the bridge too fragile for that.
Unfortunately for our drawing session, a large part of Beckholmen is fenced in right now. The city is clearing out toxins in the soil. I guess a few hundred years of pitch, tar and naval industry didn´t pass without leaving marks…
Top drawing: 17 x 17,5 cm, bottom drawing: 21 x 17,5 cm. Both: Namiki-Falcon with Platinum Carbon ink and watercolours on Arches Satinée 300 g watercolour paper.