Pens! Paper! Pencils!

The small Lodmoor RSPB reserve, tucked into Weymouth next-door to the tip, was one of my sanity saving places during the Covid pandemic. It continues to be a calming and nourishing place for me. It’s 6.30am on what’s going to be a very hot day and the air’s still and expectant. The reserve consists of a salt-marsh, open water and extensive reed beds and this morning the water is so flat the…

I saw some swifts, just a glimpse out of the corner of my eye, flitting, turning, and then gone, flooding my whole being with joy. It was so unexpected, up there on the Ridgeway on this hot summer afternoon. I saw a little yellowhammer too, standing by the path. I stopped and watched it for a while. Perhaps it was watching me, too. It didn’t move until I did. Only that morning I’d read how…

White Nothe (pronounced to rhyme with nose, which is what the word means) is a high point on the southern side of the Isle of Purbeck, in Dorset, on the Jurassic Coast. It’s one of my most favourite places in the world. It’s rare to hear any human generated sounds there, other than walkers passing by, and instead you can listen to the sea far below and the gulls flitting about. In the distance…

When I took the reference photo for this drawing I hadn’t noticed the anti-crepuscular rays towards the right. It’s one of the wonderful things about drawing and sketching, you notice lots of details that you might otherwise miss (especially if you are like me and tend to miss most things). But there they were and they changed the whole feel of the picture and gave it a story it didn’t have…

A view from Charmouth looking towards Lyme Regis. Graphite pencil and graphite powder on paper. 19.5cm by 30cm

Studland beach on a beautiful winter’s day. Studland can get extremely busy in the summer but on this sunny (but very cold!) late afternoon in January we almost had it to ourselves. I drew this in silverpoint and I loved the process very much. It’s all quite new to me. Silverpoint, if you aren’t aware, is quite literally rubbing a silver wire over a surface. It doesn’t work on untreated paper so…

I started this drawing a year ago although it hasn’t been the only picture I worked on. I had some commissions and I also spent some time drawing some smaller pictures for a local exhibition, hoping to sell them. (I did sell some pictures, I didn’t sell those.) But it is a drawing a spent a lot of time on: eighty hours, in fact. I’m not especially proud of that. I keep thinking of how many…

Lussy was a pre-Christmas commission for a couple in Switzerland. A lovely little dog (much loved but sadly now departed) for some lovely people. Lussy

Last year was a strange and lumpy one. For most of the year I had few exhibitions, few sales and few completed drawings. Then for a few months it was the complete opposite before grinding to a sudden halt again. I suppose it’s more exciting that way. Exhibitions From the beginning of January until the middle of May I was involved in just one exhibition, albeit my favourite of the year. The…

The South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts is a society promoting fine art across the south west of England. (The clue is in the name.) They have an annual open exhibition at Kennaway House in Sidmouth, Devon, a really lovely seaside town. This is the second year I’ve taken part. It’s always an interesting and varied exhibition and the town itself is gorgeous, especially on an autumn…

I’m fortunate to be currently having a showcase exhibition at the Duchess of Cornwall pub in Poundbury, Dorset. Art at the Duchess, thanks to the hard work of David Kingman in particular, organise solo(ish) exhibitions on a two-week rolling programme. I have two prints and twelve original drawings there, all but one available to buy. (All very reasonably priced!) The originals include two new…

I currently have pictures in three exhibitions across the southwest, with a fourth coming up soon. It’s always fantastic to have work out in the wild, which is where all art belongs. I love drawing (surprisingly) and I’d do it even if no-one ever got to see what I did but I don’t think a picture is really alive unless it’s on a wall somewhere. The Bath Society of Artists’ 120th open exhibition…

I’ve had two pictures selected for the inaugural Dorset Open exhibition. I think this is going to be a great exhibition, it’s organised by [Dorset Visual Arts] who organised the [In Our Nature] I was a part of earlier in the year and I thought that was a wonderful exhibition. It’s going to be at the County Museum in Dorchester which is wonderful place in itself. It’s on from 18 October to 30…

I’m excited to have had two pictures pre-selected for the 120th annual open exhibition of the Bath Society of Artists. The exhibition will take place in Bath at the Victoria Art Gallery from Saturday 18th October until Saturday 10th January. The pictures have only been pre-selected so might not get in but I’m feeling hopeful! It’s been a lean year so far, both in terms of time I’ve had to draw…

It was my parents’ sixtieth wedding anniversary this year and to celebrate we went on a family holiday to France: grandparents, parents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, friends, partners… fourteen of us altogether. We had a great time. Earlier in the year my parents had asked if I could draw my nephews for them for their anniversary present so while on holiday and we were all together, I took…

The most common question I’m asked about my work is how long did it take? There are plenty of more interesting (to me) questions that could be asked, such as why did you choose this subject? or what inspired you?  or why did you draw it like this? or can I buy it please? But I’m never asked any of those things. And the answer is, well, it depends, but for a smaller picture the actual drawing (as…