Homage To Women Veterans.

  A couple of years ago, my dear friend and neighbout died. She was in her ’90’s and was a veteran of World War Two, leaving her quiet village in West Wales to enlist in the Women’s Royal Naval Service, the W.R.E.Ns. After a posting to the Isle of Man, she was stationed in SwanseaContinue reading “Homage To Women Veterans.”

A Life Lived Fully

  I’ve been sitting with my dear aunt in her nursing home and spending the time drawing her. She mostly doesn’t recognise anyone and stares into space or dozes quietly, but now and again she’ll look directly at me, smile and give me a broad wink before slipping back into quiet isolation. It’s a hardContinue reading “A Life Lived Fully”

Heavy Man, Little Women and Huge Corset.

  A load of artists got together in the centre of the city last Saturday to do two hours of disruptive art events, a mostly humourous approach to involving the public in some off-beat art and completely independent of any funding bodies and their agendas.Although the organisers had cleared the event with police and localContinue reading “Heavy Man, Little Women and Huge Corset.”

Three Men’s Heads on a Tube Train

I love to draw on trains because people are so often lost in theeir own world and stay relatively still and don’t notice you drawing them. It also attracts attention from other travellers and I believe that artists should be seen doing art in public. They used to so why isn’t it fashionable any more?Continue reading “Three Men’s Heads on a Tube Train”

Steampunkery at Mozarts

It was the first anniversary of the Swansea Steampunk Association Meet this week and there was much jollity with lashings of Earl Grey tea and home-made cake at Mozarts, a faded Victorian club of slightly shabby grandeur. Behind the classical façade is a large entrance hall with a magnificent patterned tiled floor leading to someContinue reading “Steampunkery at Mozarts”

An Elder On The New York Subway

I went to the New York International Print Fair a couple of years ago and spent the best part of a week travelling around the city to loads of print exhibitions and events. A lot of the time I was on the subway and as I always carry a sketchbook with me it gave meContinue reading “An Elder On The New York Subway”

Trains, Planes and People Watching on the NJT

Trains are great places for drawing because you can settle down in relative comfort and people are generally static for a reasonable time often dozing or absorbed in books or conversation. These are two drawings I did on one of my USA visits, travelling regularly between New York City and Princeton on the New JerseyContinue reading “Trains, Planes and People Watching on the NJT”

People Watching in Grand Central Station

When we visited New York City a couple of years ago we often went to Grand Central Station because it was easy to find our way there and it’s a fabulously beautiful building. It also has a very good dining concourse with little stalls selling food of all nationalities around the edge with loads ofContinue reading “People Watching in Grand Central Station”

The Pavement People

  Working from photographs can be controversial for many artists and causes a lot of lively discussion in our local Life Drawing group. I take a pragmatic view – I do whatever needs to be done to get the image I want and that sometimes means using a photograph as my starting point. This inkContinue reading “The Pavement People”

Spying and Sketching: People Watching.

  I sometimes go for a cup of tea to the café in Waterstones bookshop which is in a beautiful old cinema. The café is on the first floor and I sit in the large bow window overlooking the street below which has some lovely Indian Bean trees and benches and I sketch people. It’sContinue reading “Spying and Sketching: People Watching.”