Amazon Pastels

These were all done safely back home.

It would have been extremely difficult to do pastels in the Amazon:

Paper would have gone mouldy.

All the way to Brasil.

Sunrise over the River Tambopata from my studio. Knowing that the Amazon forest extended mostly unspoiled for thousands of km in a line to the east from where I was, right to the Eastern edge (indeed the Atlantic coast) of Brasil, was deeply thrilling for me.

Above the Rio Tambopata

Ascending a hundred metres from the same point, in the late afternoon would reveal this view; with the Toucans, Macaws flying about… as they did…

Calligo

Like I say; I am helplessly enslaved to butterflies. I just tried to do him like he was…

Pierella

A cheeky butterfly that flies back and forth along pathways in the forest. He will fly ahead of you, settling every few metres and taking off when you get within two metres. When you come to the end of his territory he will double back and fly between your legs to return to familiar territory.

Poison Arrow

It is said that the Amazon Indigenes carefully take these tiny colourful fearless frogs in a leaf and gently roll their arrow tips over their backs. The frogs indignantly release poison from glands imbuing the arrows with lethality. We hope the frogs are not hurt. The arrows may be for a bow or a blow pipe. Whatever receives the arrow is hurt, and dies quite soon. So it is said.

Aceer Walkway

Near the beautiful Sucusari stream off the great Napo River is an enormous elevated walkway called the Aceer Walkway. Google it. Better still, visit it.