Dark. Strange. Otherworldly.

There was a time, not that long ago, when I would never have thought that I would be able to visit the German Democratic Republic. And then “The Wall” came down and here I was, just a few weeks ago, in what used to be East Germany, in the silent and dark countryside surrounded byContinue reading “Dark. Strange. Otherworldly.”

Sheep And Wolves In The Dark Silent Night…

I spent almost a week at the Atelierhof Werenzhaim in the town of Doberlug-Kirchhain in the former German Democratic Republic, between Berlin and Dresden and not far from the Polish border. The Atelierhof was out in the countryside, near forest and lakes in quite a Gothic setting. My accommodation was in an ancient stable block,Continue reading “Sheep And Wolves In The Dark Silent Night…”

Just Dancing.

Here are a couple more drawings of multiple figures I did before realising that single figures were the way to go on my A5 sheets of Khadi paper. I did these with a bamboo pen with a blunt cut-off end dipped into ink. I didn’t intend them to be dancing, they just turned out thatContinue reading “Just Dancing.”

Before The Singletons…

The past few days I’ve been posting drawings of single figures I did during my recent residency in Germany. I worked quickly and intuitively with twigs and ink onto Khadi handmade paper (320gsm). But before that, I did a few sheets with multiple figures on. It took me a while to realise the paper neededContinue reading “Before The Singletons…”

Changed My Mind.

These two single figures drawn with twigs and ink have a dynamic relationship between them, even though I did not draw them with that intention. I thought that figure on the left needed something else on the paper but after I had done it, I changed my mind. But that’s the way it happens sometimes.Continue reading “Changed My Mind.”

What Is Their Story?

These little drawings from imagination I did on my recent artist residency in Germany are powerful on their own, I think. But some of them can be put together and become even more powerful, they start to tell a story. Look at these two. What is their story? I used a twig dipped in inkContinue reading “What Is Their Story?”

How It Turns Out…

Carrying on with the twig and ink drawings I did in Germany, I did these very quickly and intuitively, one figure per page (Khadi 320gsm size A5). These two were one after the other. It wasn’t my intention that they should be looking at each other but that’s what happened. There’s little control when you’reContinue reading “How It Turns Out…”

Trees Or Stags Or…

I took a set of 20 pieces of hand-made Khadi paper, size A5, to my artist residency in Germany earlier this month and after making over a hundred drawings on a very large piece of paper (see here) I switched from a big studio in a barn to a tiny ancient stable to work small.Continue reading “Trees Or Stags Or…”

Private View: In These Stones (new date).

THE PRIVATE VIEW IS NOW ON TUESDAY, JULY 30th AT 7pm. You are very welcome to join the artists at the launch of our exhibition in Aberdare. I spent three years travelling cross South Wales with Rhondda pre-historian Dewi Bowen and Swansea filmmaker Melvyn Williams, drawing and painting Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age stone monuments.Continue reading “Private View: In These Stones (new date).”

Working Small

During my artist residency in Germany a couple of weeks ago (is it that long already?) I made over a hundred drawings on a very large piece of paper (see here) and with a couple of days to go before coming home, I retreated to the tiny studio space in an ancient stable and workedContinue reading “Working Small”