jflaxman

It’s been too long since my last post and a lot has happened since. I’ll have to start back in 2020, which many would call a difficult year. Though Australia’s handled Covid-19 better than I thought it would, it saddened me to see so many other countries hit so hard. This time last year I was in Europe, and comparing my memories of beautiful landscapes, cities steeped in culture and history and almost universally welcoming people with more recent news of lockdowns, protests, overcrowded hospitals and rising death tolls has been more poignant than it might otherwise be. I know the news I’ve received has been incomplete at best, and too often sensationalist, but my heart goes out to everyone who’s had a worse time of it than I have, be they in Europe or beyond. From a creative perspective 2020 was a disappointing year. I posted only 26 pictures on DA and many were, quite frankly, rubbish. Attempts to please long-term viewers with familiar imagery felt more tired and forced than usual;

Once again, I hope everyone who’s reading this is safe and well. Given the problems some people have faced I’m almost ashamed to say life's been pretty good lately. Winter’s been as welcome as always and I’ve spent many hours stomping around under cold grey skies. I’ve gotten lots of mileage out of a sturdy pair of fleece-lined boots Fran picked up in Ljubljana and she’s spent much of the season in an equally warm goth-lite pair. Hobart’s starting to feel very familiar but the weather still inspires. After starting this year with cartoons I’ve gone back to more serious work. News from the mainland has been mixed. There’s been a resurgence of Covid-19 in Melbourne and a smaller outbreak in Sydney’s southwest that could affect family. I don’t want to sound too dramatic as Australia’s handling this matter well. Some things have naturally worked in our favour; we share no land borders with other countries and have a relatively small population, though much of it is concentrated in large

I hope everyone who’s reading this is safe and well. If anyone isn’t, I hope they quickly overcome whatever challenges they face. On a global scale I hope these difficult times serve to unite more than divide and leave us stronger overall.   A lot’s happened since my last post. The east coast of Australia was a bad place to be three months ago, but torrential rain in February helped put out the largest bushfires on record and brought relief to many farmers suffering from three years of drought. I’m happy to note that during my return to Hobart after three months’ absence I saw green fields, full dams, much health