The Lido

blackpill 2016

I had a meeting today so we took advantage of the extraordinary dry and sunny weather to go al fresco at Blackpill Lido, half way between the city centre and Mumbles. I met up with my fellow artists Sylvie Evans and Graham Parker to hatch some plans for the future of our artist collective, 15 Hundred Lives. Of course I had a scribble; there were loads of people enjoying the sun, supping tea at the Junction cafe, playing in the paddling pool, looking at the wildlife on the beach. I drew with a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen into a leatherbound, Steampunk style A5 sketchbook. Here’s an interesting site with historical anecdotes about Blackpill.

Blackpill Lido
Blackpill Lido

 

I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

Disaster In The Print Room

 

dud

Making art can be so frustrating, things don’t always turn out right. I was down at Swansea Print Workshop yesterday working on a new full-colour monotype. It’s a complex process and things can go badly wrong at any stage. But more often than not, it will go wrong when you remove the final plate, after a long day of printmaking. And that’s what happened yesterday. The technique produces two pieces – the first one is full colour and the second one is much paler, a ‘ghost’ monotype. Well, the first one I did I left far too much dark blue ink on the plate for the final layer and the whole thing is almost black!

dud ghost

Then when I put the final plate onto the paper for the ghost image, I wasn’t paying attention and I put the plate on the wrong way round so the final print is a higgledy piggledy mish mash. Thank goodness yesterday is over.

 

If you want to find out more about the full-colour reduction monotype technique, please click here.

 

I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

The Lucky Winner

Winner

 

I rarely win anything, probably because I don’t enter competitions or do the lottery and things like that. But sometimes you see little competitions on Facebook and Twitter asking you to like and repost / retweet something and then you’ll be entered for a prize draw. I often click these and I’ve won twice. The first time I won a lovely printed tote bag designed by illustrator Gayle Rogers from the Workers Gallery. And recently I clicked on a link to the Sunday Times Watercolour competition organised by Parker Harris and my prize came through the post today, a pad of very expensive Saunders cotton paper from St. Cuthbert’s Mill. Lovely.

I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

Before And After

Tair Carn 4

This is a piece of Fabriano Accademica paper, prepared with charcoal, acrylic paint and my home made walnut ink.

Tair Carn 5

And this is the same piece after I have visited an ancient monument and drawn it onto the paper in charcoal and Daler Rowney soft pastels.

The Giant

Tri Crug

I went out drawing up the mountains in the Carreg Cennen area, at Tair Carn Isaf (The Three Lower Cairns). The area is covered in cairns, skipping over the countryside along rocky outcrops arranged like a spine across the landscape. In the distance is a rounded hill – I think it’s called Tri Grug – and legend has it a giant lived upon it and for entertainment, he created the cairns in the area by throwing stones from his hilltop.

Tri Crug 2

I took with me a portfolio stuffed full of Fabriano Accademica paper prepared with charcoal, white acrylic and home-made walnut ink – see how I prepared it here. I used Daler Rowney soft pastels (artist quality) to draw lines representing the contours of the landscape in front of me. It was difficult to do because although the weather was very sunny, there was a ferocious wind up on the mountain which kept buffeting my drawing board and wrenching it around.

 

I’ve been travelling around South Wales with archaeologist Dewi Bowen, who is researching his new book on Neolithic / Bronze Age monuments. His previous book on the stones of Ancient Siluria (South East Wales) can be found here. Also with us  is film maker Melvyn Williams, recording a documentary about our experiences. Some of Melvyn’s short films can be seen here. If you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

Bronze Age Piles Of Rocks

Tair Carn 2

Drawing at  Tair Carn Isaf (the Three Lower Cairns) yesterday with Dewi the archaeologist and Melvyn the film maker. It’s a complex site made up of many cairns, large and small, with more in the distance, lining up along a number of large rocky outcrops gambolling across the landscape. The problem for me as an artist is how to approach drawing these monuments which, although Bronze Age graves, are basically piles of rocks and to be honest, one pile of rocks is much the same as another.

Tair Carn 3

For this one, I chose an aspect that shows the most easterly of the three cairns on the Tair Carn Isaf (Three Lower Cairns) site, with two of the three cairns on the Tair Carn Uchaf (Three Upper Cairns) site in the distance. I chose a piece of Fabriano prepared with charcoal, white acrylic paint and walnut ink (that I made myself). Then, with Daler Rowney artists’ soft pastels I used a variety of colours to indicate the contours of the landscape and the shape of the cairns against the sky.

Dewi is researching his new book on Neolithic / Bronze Age monuments. His previous book on the stones of Ancient Siluria (South East Wales) can be found here. Melvyn is recording a documentary about our experiences. Some of Melvyn’s short films can be seen here. I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

Cairns, Castle And Garlic

Tair Carn 1

Back to hunting the wild megalith in South Wales with archaeologist Dewi Bowen and film maker Melvyn Williams, visiting Neolithic monuments on the Trail Of The Boar, a legend from The Mabinogion. Today we took off to Tair Carn Isaf (the Three Lower Cairns) near Carreg Cennen Castle in Carmarthenshire. The cairns were a hefty walk from the road, steeply uphill over rough ground but worth the effort for the spectacular 360° views. The first and largest cairn we came to has been enhanced with a small rock sculpture perched on top. I like the way that modern people interact with the ancestors by adding to the cairns and even making new ones alongside the old.

I drew onto a piece of Fabriano paper I had previously prepared with charcoal, acrylic paint and my own home-made walnut ink. I drew with Daler Rowney artists’ soft pastels. I don’t want to do representational drawings when I’m out with the ancestral stones, rather I want to express my feelings about the place, to create my own personal impression.

Here’s  a bit of trivia. The castle name, Carreg Cennen is Welsh for Leek Rock – the area is covered with wild garlic, or Ramsons, which was apparently the original Welsh leek. We could smell it for miles around as we travelled to the castle for tea and cake after our trek.

Dewi is researching his new book on Neolithic / Bronze Age monuments. His previous book on the stones of Ancient Siluria (South East Wales) can be found here. Melvyn is recording a documentary about our experiences. Some of Melvyn’s short films can be seen here. I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

The Hat And The Fox

FAB 7 8

Here’s the final pair of drawings I made during Fringe Arts Bath last Saturday. Working with an ad hoc group of artists, The Plebeian Scribblers, we did some sessions of performance drawing in the street during A FAB Intervention, curated by Melanie Ezra and Tim Kelly. The drawing on the left features the hat of fellow Plebeian Scribbler, Melvyn Williams and on the right, the back of Lynne Bebb‘s head wearing a bespoke needle-felted fox mask by Ann Lucas. I prepared my A3 bound sketchbook with brown parcel wrapping paper, stuck in with Pritt stick glue and drew with conté crayons in black, sanguine and white with fine line work in Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen, size S.

 

I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral stones and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

 

Middle Aged Legs

FAB 5 6

Out with The Plebeian Scribblers at Fringe Arts Bath on Saturday, the four of use did a choreographed drawing performance. Well, simply choreographed. We turned and faced a different direction every 7.5 minutes, turning 90 degrees each time and drawing what was in front of us. After the complete 360 degrees we went back to HQ in the basement of the 44AD Gallery to recover a bit before the next round. It was pretty hot and very crowded and standing for half an hour at a time on the pavement was a bit heavy on middle aged legs.

A FAB Intervention was organised and curated by Swansea artists Melanie Ezraand Tim Kelly.

I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.

 

Fox In The Street.

FAB 3 4

I spent last Saturday drawing in the street at A FAB Intervention, a public art event in Fringe Arts Bath. I am part of an ad hoc group called The Plebeian Scribblers and four of us drew in unison in the centre of Bath, giving passers by the opportunity to see artists in action. I did 8 drawings in all, here are the third and fourth, a generic street scene and a close up of fellow Plebeian Scribbler, Patricia McKenna-Jones, who happened to be wearing a fox mask by Swansea artist Ann Lucas. I prepared my sketchbook in advance by pasting in pieces of brown wrapping paper. We stuck to a very strict timescale, changing position every 7.5 minutes so each drawing was done quickly which forced me to focus on the absolute essentials of the subject. It’s good practice for not getting too precious about your work.

A FAB Intervention was organised and curated by Swansea artists Melanie Ezra and Tim Kelly.

I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.