Travel
Mallett in Morocco
Morocco in North Africa is a fabulous contrast of colours, temperatures and experiences! In my Jedi outfit I went with a group of intrepid cyclists through the wilder parts of southern Morocco! There's no point in stopping for lunch without getting out the paints as well, and this collection is just some of the artwork I produced.
Everyday they unloaded the bikes and loaded up our bags for the transfer to our next stop. Everyday they chuckled at our cycling madness!
Each has his painting in pride of place under the sun visor of his landrover!
Watercolour 2006. © Timmy Mallett
Our drivers were great fun. Majide is very proud of his scar and wanted it included. Addi can tie the tighest head scarf on the planet, and Mo'ha swopped a berber music tape for Itsy Bitsy. Everyday they unloaded the bikes and loaded up our bags for the transfer to our next stop. Everyday they chuckled at our cycling madness! Each has his painting in pride of place under the sun visor of his landrover!
It's a curious thing riding a camel. You sit on the back of it's hump, getting up and down is a bizarre sick making lurch forwards and backwards, and they have that strange way of looking at you with a sneer!
Paint type: Acrylic. Year: 2006. Size: 60cms (24") square.
© Timmy Mallett 2006.
Couple of the chaps tried snowboarding down the dunes. Great fun going down – awful scrambling up again! After I’d painted this I thought it had a biblical look about it. The three wise friends heading off (unwisely) without protection from the sun, or enough water!
Paint type: Acrylic. Year: 2006. Size: 70 x 60cms (28 x 24").
© Timmy Mallett 2006.
From the bottom pool a narrow channel led off underneath the overhanging rock to the village a kilometre away. Nothing is wasted here.
This is a quick sketch done while the others sampled Moroccan tea from Omar the proud host of the oasis!
Paint type: Watercolour, pen & ink. Year: 2006.
© Timmy Mallett 2006.
From the bottom pool a narrow channel led off underneath the overhanging rock to the village a kilometre away. Nothing is wasted here.
This is a quick sketch done while the others sampled Moroccan tea from Omar the proud host of the oasis!
Paint type: Watercolour, pen & ink. Year: 2006. Size: 50 x 40cms (20 x 16").
© Timmy Mallett 2006.
It's another 5 km climb from the village at the head of the gorge. You can see the narrow track winding round through the painting, with a cyclist or two panting up it!
The Dades Gorge is a favourite place for cyclists and hikers. There are caves dotted about, dry wadis, and lots of goats with children looking after them.
Down the wide open moon like landscape behind us we found an entirely different landscape. I never could get over the enormous contrasts at every turn.
Paint type: Watercolour. Size: 20 x 16".
© Timmy Mallett.
You can see why this is a favourite area for film crews from the studios in nearby Ouzazarte. It's the perfect setting for westerns!
The route to here is delightful - a narrow fertile valley, with everlasting echoes. But the route onwards is another matter. At least 15 kms straight up to the the snowline at 2250 metres. From there you look down on Bab n Ali as if they were no more than tiny salt and pepper pots.
Far better to stay here, admire the view and paint it!
Paint type: Acrylic. Year: 2006. Size: 76 x 60cms (30 x 24").
© Timmy Mallett 2006.
Don't be fooled by the look of it. 10 minutes later it was freezing cold. The temperature differences are extreme. 23 in the day, 5 at night! Glad I bought that Jedi jelabah!
Paint type: Watercolour. Year: 2006. Size: 76 x 60cms (30 x 24").
© Timmy Mallett 2006.
Waz is the centre of the Moroccan film industry with a big studio complex on the outskirts of town busy making movies about the War in Afghanistan, the War in Iraq, and the war somewhere else!
It was rush hour when I painted this with everyone heading home on foot, on bike, on donkey, on bus, on the mobile phone!
This is by far the better view of Ouzazarte. Our first glimpse was at 2am when the plane landed hours late in the rain and cold. But in the warm early evening glow it really is a splendid smiling town.
Paint type: Watercolour. Size (inc mount and frame): 48 x 37cm (19 x 15").
© Timmy Mallett.
A door that had clearly seen better days and better doorways. It was put into a door frame that didn't fit, the lovely shade of green was now sadly very dirty, and the beautiful stud work holding it together was hidden under dirt. Even the door handle was missing and a hole was the only way you could open it.
But the impressive knocker survives and the ghosts of ancient visitors seem to hang about the door in it's ill fitting faded timber frame.
It's a reminder that recycling is everything - even the front door gets another chance!
Paint type: Acrylic. Size: (20 x 16").
© Timmy Mallett.
Paint type: Acrylic. Size: 39 x 46cm (15 x 18").
© Timmy Mallett.
You can see the bright green well watered palmery, with almond blossom poking through and some simple walls to keep the water in. It's bordered by the rough track along which a landrover meanders. Across that thin ribbon all is parched and empty.
I like the complete contrast in this part of Morocco. What water they do have they really make use of.
Paint type: Acrylic. Size: 39 x 46cm (15 x 18").
© Timmy Mallett.
Along the southern valleys they are often used these days as film sets. This one stood out in stark relief as we cycled past. Inside they are rarely lit by anything other than candles and the mud and straw brick walls are often decorated with Arabic graffiti.
Paint type: Acrylic. Size: (30 x 24").
© Timmy Mallett.
They have this wonderful super-cilious stare down their noses as they chew - sideways. When you search for what they might be eating, it's just dry thorny shrubs across a barren moonlike landscape.
Paint type: Acrylic. Year: 2006. Size: 60 x 50cms (24 x 20"), box canvas.
© Timmy Mallett 2006.
And those goats will go anywhere but where they are supposed to go!
Paint type: Acrylic. Size: 60cm x 50cm (24 x 20").
© Timmy Mallett.