São Tomé and Príncipe is a rare country that was uninhabited when the Portuguese colonists arrived to make a base. The islands' climate was so hostile and miserable that it was more of a trading post or stopover, sadly a stopover for the slave trade. Small slave ships would arrive from the west coast of Africa, load onto larger boats and sail west across the Atlantic ocean to Brazil. With its volcanic earth, the country was good for growing sugar cane, and agriculture is a major part of the industry. The painting shows an interpretation of an old 17th century map of the main island, São Tomé, while Principe is further to the north, and the coast of Gabon is way off to the east. I added some typical sea creatures that were drawn on maps back then, it was more of a Danish thing, they had superstitions about sea creatures. To yellow the map, I applied a mix of yellow ochre and orange (PY43, PO62), with some burnt umber (PBr7) around the edges to give it a worn look. Usually yellowing of the paper is a bad thing, but here it was meant to simulate age. Maps were probably on hide parchment back then anyways, better with all the sea water splashing around, so maybe this is the colour of tanned hide.
World Inspired Landscapes: São Tomé and Príncipe watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, April 2025
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