Husb and I had a few days away last week, cautiously enjoying the relaxation in lockdown rules. We spent some time in the Lake District and I did a bit of scribbling out walking on the glorious Birkrigg Common. I used Daler Rowney Artist’s Pastels onto hand made Khadi paper. I’m facing North West inContinue reading “Scribbling On The Common”
Category Archives: out and about
Sketching On A Train
Husb and I went away for a few days, to the Lake District and Glasgow. Hectic but great to get away after all these many months of lockdown. I love sketching on trains and did this one into my A6 leatherbound sketchbook with a ballpoint pen. I’ve been keeping sketchbooks for many years – itContinue reading “Sketching On A Train”
The Gloucester Hole
I sat on the bank of the River Wye today, in Wales, looking across at England. The river forms the border in the town of Chepstow and Husb and I did a day trip and ended up there. I had a bit of a scribble en plein air on my Khadi paper sketchpad with DalerContinue reading “The Gloucester Hole”
The Sticky One
Here are some more sketches I did at Rosehill Quarry yesterday during the labyrinth refurbishment. I had some of my home-made walnut ink with me but no nib pens, so I rooted around on the ground for a bit of stick and used that instead. I should do it more often because it’s very freeing.Continue reading “The Sticky One”
Cockling The Labyrinth
Back in 1987, the Rosehill Quarry Project was turning an overgrown disused quarry on the outskirts of Swansea’s city centre into a nature reserve and community park. One of the things that was built there was a Cretan labyrinth. It was cut into the turf, revealing the red ash surface of the old tennis courtsContinue reading “Cockling The Labyrinth”
Rosehill Quarry Brought Me A Husband
I did this sketch a couple of weeks ago in Rosehill Quarry, a place very dear to me. Swansea musician and composer Angharad Jenkins, “Sienco”, who lives near the Quarry worked with the local community to write a new folk song based on the history of the place, which is fascinating. The stone from RosehillContinue reading “Rosehill Quarry Brought Me A Husband”
Testing, Testing 1,2,3…
I’m doing some teaching tomorrow, taking a group of people for a walk to an inner city nature park, a reclaimed quarry and we’re going to be doing cyanotypes (aka sunprints). I’ve always done these from scratch in the past, mixing the chemicals and coating paper or fabric myself, but this time I’ll be usingContinue reading “Testing, Testing 1,2,3…”
Got A Bit Of Culture
Husb and I got a bit of culture today. We booked a slot at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery to see the new show, Terra Ferma by Carlos Bunga and to check in with the permanent collections, always something new to see there. I had a scribble through the door to the main gallery, withContinue reading “Got A Bit Of Culture”
A Day Trip
Husb and I had a day trip out today, we’ve had so few since Covid19 lockdown began in March 2020. We met up with some friends at Caldicot Castle, where there was plenty of space to keep distanced. It’s a gorgeous place and the lovely weather meant we could stay outside and soak up theContinue reading “A Day Trip”
Little Vistas
Husb and I went for a coffee and scribble to the cafe above Waterstones bookshop in Swansea today. It’s a gorgeous place, it used to be the old Carlton cinema and Waterstones renovated it very sensitively. There are a lot of interior classical features – pillars, friezes, floor to ceiling windows – which frame littleContinue reading “Little Vistas”