Andros
In 2006 I was invited to the Greek island of Andros to make illustrations for a book. Andros is a large island renowned in former days for its ship-building. The result of their success as ship-builders meant they stripped the island of trees, but they also became quite wealthy, meaning they were often attacked by pirates. This affected the way the houses were built, some of them taking the form of forts, with no windows on the ground floor and a retractable ladder up to the living quarters. Another curiosity of the island are the dovecotes, which absolutely fascinated me on my first visit there. These structures are numerous and much more decorative than the houses. Some are inhabited by doves, some are ruins, and as you walk along the many paths winding from village to village, you pass one after the other.
