Anatolian Mornings: The Paperboat Cafe Exhibition
Cappadocia has a way of staying with you long after the dust has settled on your boots. For me, that journey wasn't just about the miles traveled, but about finding a fresh pair of eyes in the vast, ancient landscapes of Anatolia.
These sketches and photos are more than just memories; they are the foundation of my newest collection. I wanted to capture the light over the fairy chimneys and the profound quiet of the mornings before the world wakes up.
This collection was born from a journey through Turkiye last year. You can read my original travel notes and see the street photography that inspired these paintings here: Turkiye .
The Journey of a Painting
In this "scrapbook" of moments, you’ll see the raw inspiration: the way the atmospheric perspective turns distant ridges into layers of soft colours, and the tactile textures of the stone. Transitioning these from a travel diary into framed originals for Paperboat Cafe has been a journey of its own.
"I hope these visuals bring a bit of that Anatolian magic to your day, whether you are viewing them on a screen or seeing them in person over a coffee."
Turkish Breakfast with a view!
From sunny to rainy to sunny again, we saw rainbow while riding horses.
One of the most transformative moments of the trip was a horseback ride through the valleys. There’s something about the rhythmic pace of a horse that forces you to see the landscape differently. As we moved past the towering "fairy chimneys," I wasn't just looking; I was absorbing the atmospheric perspective, how the ridges turned from a deep, bruised purple to a soft, hazy blue as the light began to bleed into the sky.
Gorme Open-Air Museum and the Apple Church
These sketches and digital scrapbook are my attempt to bottle that Anatolian magic. They are about the "In-Between" moments: the dust, the distance, and the quiet.
See the Collection
I am so excited to finally bring these "Anatolian Mornings" out of my sketchbook and onto the walls.
Fairy Chimneys: The 5:00 AM Blue | Acrylic on paper | 21 x 29.7 cm | For sale and displaying at Paperboat Cafe, Oxford
The Launch:
This Saturday, 2nd May 2026, at Paperboat Cafe.The Journey Continues:
This collection serves as a prologue to my main show,
Departures & Returns, for Oxford Artweeks at Conway’s (May 16th – 25th).
I hope to see you at the cafe this weekend. Come for a coffee, and let’s talk about the light.
Myself and my very first Cappadocia painting, taken in Cappadocia!