I Ate A Snail

Today I ate a snail for the first time. I won’t bother again. It tasted like earth in garlic butter with the texture of one of those rubbery sponges you put make-up on, if you wear make-up. Husb and I went to a posh French restaurant for his birthday meal. His birthday was in AugustContinue reading “I Ate A Snail”

Random Folk

Husb and I went to a meeting in our area this evening, a group of like-minded people looking at the feasibility of raising money to convert an empty church into a community arts / cultural facility. It’s an historic Victorian building, Grade II listed by Cadw and it would be a shame to see itContinue reading “Random Folk”

Drawing It Out

A few weeks ago I spent a couple of days in Pembrokeshire, drawing ancient monuments mostly in the rain. When I’m drawing something from life, I concentrate on getting the appearance and proportion right, doing a fair representation. I often use these original drawings as source material for something else, usually a print – anContinue reading “Drawing It Out”

Bob’s Your Uncle!

A while back, I was walking along the street in the city centre and noticed a load of strange squiggles on the pavement. It’s handy having a decent camera on my phone – how times have changed – so I took a few snaps. The squiggles had been made by a machine that scrubs chewingContinue reading “Bob’s Your Uncle!”

Cross And Purring

How can a cat look so cross and be purring at the same time? Husb and I went to see ‘Legend’, the new film about the Kray twins, this evening and when we got back, this is what greeted us. Sparta Puss looking furious but also purring like a train. I think she was reallyContinue reading “Cross And Purring”

Scribbling Iceland

I spent a few days in Iceland recently and although I took a sketchbook and some pastels with me, it was too cold to draw. Even just 30 seconds or so without my gloves and my fingers stopped working. So now I’m back home and back in the swing of all the arty shenanigans goingContinue reading “Scribbling Iceland”

The Dawn Road From Reykjavik

The last few photos from my recent trip to Iceland, the road back to Keflavik airport at sunrise. It’s so far north that the dawn is about 9.30 am which is very civilised. Once we were out of the city there were little isolated farms or homesteads dotted across the lava landscape. The movement ofContinue reading “The Dawn Road From Reykjavik”

Monstrous Mural And The Lizard Den

Today I joined some fellow artists to take over the keys for a new artspace in Swansea’s High Street, an area of urban regeneration. It’s a second, temporary, setting for Swansea Print Workshop and we have it for three months, to do experimental work, to exhibit, to interact with the community and to collaborate. It’sContinue reading “Monstrous Mural And The Lizard Den”

Icy In The City

Some people thought we were nuts, visiting Iceland in November but it’s so beautiful! We saw the Northern Lights – I can die happy now. Proper snow that sticks, not like over here. Bright, crisp days and iced up lakes and that low slanting sunshine that makes everything glow. We walked alongside the frozen lakeContinue reading “Icy In The City”

Big Boats And Arctic Char

  Husb and I have had a few days in Reykjavik, Iceland, a beautiful city. We strolled downtown in the crisp brilliant sunshine yesterday to take a look around the old dockland area. There are a lot of museums down there, the National Maritime, the Icelandic Saga and Northern Lights museums. And some lovely placesContinue reading “Big Boats And Arctic Char”