Back from Sardinia

I am just back from Sardinia, looking at my sketch books. I loved the strange cork oaks you see all over Sardinia, stripped of their bark. The bark takes 12 years to grow back before it can be harvested again. I also used my camera to capture the way the cork oaks are swept by the prevailing winds in the rugged uplands in the centre of the island, below.
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Sardinia is full of wonderful archaeological remains - hundreds of bronze age stone structures called 'Nuraghe', and I enjoyed seeing the artefacts found at these sites. For my own work, I am always on the look out for pattern, and for expressive detail, which I like to analyse a bit further on my return.
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I even found a dragon's head amongst the exhibits in the Museo Archaeologico in Cagliari - I am currently on the look out for dragons as research for my next commission, a dragon panel for a cottage door. The challenge is to find some friendly (but not cutesy) dragons. This one, part of a Roman lamp, is impressive, but not definitely not friendly.