Hot Earth

  Here’s another drawing I did into my little Khadi sketchbook last week on the coast of Portugal. The colours were incredible, bright blue sky and sea and hot red and orange earths veined with dark greys. Extraordinary geology. There were also a lot of rock balancing sculptures in a little cove just to theContinue reading “Hot Earth”

Aloe Vera and Custard Tarts

I took a small Khadi sketchbook with me on my recent trip to Portugal and drew en plein air with Daler Rowney soft pastels. The landscape is very dramatic and I spotted these gigantic wintry Aloe Veras spearing the land and sky. The colours are so intense in the bright winter sunshine, so different to theContinue reading “Aloe Vera and Custard Tarts”

Back From The Sun

Husb and I have just got back from a few days in the sun. We bagged ourselves a package holiday to southern Portugal, Albufeira, to get some winter warmth. We had to leave the cats in the hands of a kitty sitter and they look fatter than ever. And I suspect that Sparta Puss mightContinue reading “Back From The Sun”

Variations On The Spoken Word

  I went to Rufus Mufasa’s album launch last night at Cinema & Co in Swansea and it was a fantastic explosion of word performance, so different to traditional poetry performances, so energetic and angry and joyous and funny and full of life. And so varied. She had invited lots of other performers to joinContinue reading “Variations On The Spoken Word”

Word Performers

Husb and I went along to Cinema & Co this evening for poetry, rap and word performance. I have dismal memories from decades ago of ‘Poets and Pints’ nights in local pubs, with few exceptions, full of third-rate wannabe John Cooper Clark’s declaiming drunkenly and I’ve mostly avoided poetry ever since. But this new generationContinue reading “Word Performers”

Rocking In The Dark

  Husb and I went to a friend’s seventieth birthday party this evening and it was fab. There was a rock band playing classics from the 60s and 70s. Great fun. Lots of dancing. There were people from their twenties to their nineties partying and it was lovely. Of course, I had to have aContinue reading “Rocking In The Dark”

Chuffed To Bits

  I just heard today that I have had 2 artworks accepted into the Swansea Open exhibition, running from December the 3rd to January the 6th. It’s returned after a gap of about 5 years, while the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery was closed and being refurbished, and it’s great to see it back. I’m chuffedContinue reading “Chuffed To Bits”

Cube Head And Bright-eyed Aliens

  Husb and I went to Santa’s Parade in Swansea’s City Centre on Sunday evening. I thought the best float and costumes were the ones with @Swansea2021, our city’s bid to be UK City of Culture in 4 years time. Lots of artists made costumes to go along with the float, which was a giganticContinue reading “Cube Head And Bright-eyed Aliens”

Waiting For Santa

Santa arrived in Swansea this evening and Husb and I went along to watch Santa’s parade through the city centre. I love this every year. Big cities get fancy, expensive floats sponsored by big business but the thing I like best about our annual parade is that so much of it is home-made and aContinue reading “Waiting For Santa”

Wo/Man Buns

I was sitting on the bus to our local hospital to visit a relative this evening and a young man and woman sat in front of me. They were dressed in similar clothes and had identical hairstyles. Both had longer hair on top, drawn up into a bun, and shaved close to the head below.Continue reading “Wo/Man Buns”