Thursday, November 01, 2012

Don Donovan's World - The Convicts' Church, Port Arthur, Tasmania

Ramblings of a much published New Zealand author - 01 November 2012


Leaves From My Sketchbooks. 74. The Convicts' Church, Port Arthur, Tasmania




I warmed my bottom on the heat-soaked smoothness of Scorpion Rock to paint this little watercolour and then, later, moved to the flat area on the other side to do the pen sketch. It's a beautiful piece of neo-Gothic no doubt designed to cleanse sinners' souls even though their sins were not forgiven by their fellow men. I couldn't help feeling that it was probable that the stains on the souls of sadistic guards, warders, judges, priests and transporters of the poor fellows were blacker by far!

It's such a peaceful place and yet only a few years ago a madman ran amok with a gun and killed a number of visitors in senseless fury. Odd to think that on another day I might have been one of them...

There is no roof on the church. Was it lead, I wonder? Did somebody pinch it?






© DON DONOVAN.
 donovan@ihug.co.nz 
 www. don-donovan.blogspot.co.nz

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