The Ness of Brodgar Project

Capturing the essence of excavation in paint

Monday, January 20, 2025 (11:08 AM)

2024: Jeanne Rose at the top of Trench J. (📷 Jo Bourne)
2024: Jeanne Rose at the top of Trench J. (📷 Jo Bourne)

Jeanne Bouza Rose has been a stalwart supporter of the Ness project since 2011.

As well has helping out, volunteering and fundraising, she was also one of the dig’s artists in residence for many seasons and a regular sight by the trench edges, brush in hand recording the activity in paint.

In 2024, our final season of fieldwork, Jeanne set out to produce as many “sketches in paint” as she could before backfilling began in August. This she did, often in not the best weather conditions for painting, and a small selection of her sketches and oil-on-canvas paintings is reproduced below.

Click any gallery image for a larger version.

Dr Antonia Thomas in Trench P. (📷 Jeanne Rose)
Dr Antonia Thomas in Trench P. (📷 Jeanne Rose)
Rolling back the covers in Trench T.
The stone-flanked eastern entrance of Structure Twelve.
Paul by Structure Five's hearth.
Structure Five's central hearth under investigation.
Andy and Ole in Structure One.
Excavating in Trench J.
Jo by Structure Five's hearth.
Jim working on the quernstone incorporated into Structure Twelve's eastern annexe.
Megan in the small finds hut.
Jim and Mark preparing to lift the Structure Twelve quernstone.
Andy against the Structure One orthostat.
Elena by Structure Twenty-Seven's hearth.
Planning in Structure One.
Sarah, Rachel and Paul in Structure Five.
Cleaning Structure One ahead of photography.
Structure Five's entrance and hearth.
Structure One's hearth orthostat.
The south-eastern corner of Trench T.
Midden baulk outside Structure Twelve's eastern entrance.
The paved pathway around Structure Ten.
A section of Trench P, looking towards the Ring of Brodgar.
Antonia in Structure Ten.
Chris Gee at Structure Twenty-Seven's entrance.
Lisa in Structure Ten.
Sara in Structure Twenty-Seven.
Travis retrieving environmental samples from Structure Twenty.
Michaela working in Structure Twelve's south-western recess. (📷 Jeanne Rose)
Michaela working in Structure Twelve’s south-western recess. (📷 Jeanne Rose)

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