Interactive Dig Black Sea: Our Artist

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, artists were valued members of archaeological expeditions. Many archaeologists had at least some training at drawing, while some, such as Howard Carter, came to the field because of their artistic talent. With the advent of photography, the role of artists diminished. In the field today their abilities are more often employed in technical drawings, recording of inscriptions, and the like. The BSSRP is fortunate in having Chloe Wessner, a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, as our resident artist, and we'd like to share with you some of her works documenting our finds and life at camp.

After a long hot day of making very exact, unadorned technical illustrations of the finds, I like to end the day with a more involved, personal interpretation (aka a non measured version). These illustrations provide time for indulging in the pleasures of drawing. There is no intended result, they usually just happen with no real plan, and since accuracy is not paramount they provide a bit of relief. It's fun to draw such beautiful objects!

Amphora	Handles
Jug	Two-handled Pot

The jar in the blue circle is a container for the unofficial fuel that the team runs on--HONEY. It is present at every meal, and we average a jar per day. People eat it straight on spoons. I practiced such honey eating in the states and people thought it extremely decadent; here is just what people do. Americans should follow the example of these fine diving Ukrainians and have at least a spoonful a day.