Most of my characters have a basis in reality, the people who are a big part of my life usually appear in some shape or form! The girl in this image is loosely based on myself, which is a first for me. But more importantly the penguin is real and has travelled with me for many years!
Location and character sketches
Penguie and image selections from Travels to Tourmaline
Years ago, I read Tourmaline by Randolph Stow. It's a story about a diviner who stumbles across a small town in the Australian outback. It is a place of heat and dust. When I remember this book, I think of the hazy atmosphere as well as the dream-like strangeness of being in a foreign place, which is why it is the inspiration for title of this image.