I recently spent three happy days in Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery’s cafe, sketching some of their stuffed birds. While the original plan was to blend a few of TMAG’s magnificent collection together, bits of bird meeting parts of reptiles, I ended up getting a bit obsessive about a Currawong and a compassionate looking Kelp Gull.

Probably one of the nicest things about the experience was not actually the drawings I made, but sitting opposite a dead bird and trying to have some kind of dialogue with it. I wish I’d taken a photo of us facing each other across the table, me with cappucino and a wise looking bird encased in a glass box.

The other nice thing about the time in the cafe was on the final day I invited Hobart based friends along for a cuppa and a chat. Thanks to everyone that came along, and thanks also for TMAG staff, particularly Sue Backhouse, for facilitating this opportunity.