Scraping On Another Layer.

On top of a canvas painted orange with some white areas, there are two flat paint brushes, a palette knife and a tube of purple paint. A streak of purple paint lies down the left hand side of the canvas, ready to be spread across the painting.
Getting ready for the next layer….

I carried on with a little bit more of my current painting, a nocturne with a fiery figure. I laid some Dioxazine Purple (translucent) onto the Cadmium Orange (opaque) ground with a palette knife and a couple of flat brushes, scraping it to let some of the orange show through.

A painting in progress with three colours, orange, purple and white so far. The paint is heavily textured as it has been put on with a palette knife.
Laying the paint directly onto the canvas.

I’m using Liquitex Heavy Body acrylic paint onto a stretched, sized canvas.

Rainbow Type.

From left to right, a newly printed typeface work with the upright letters FAFO in capitals and an exclamation mark and question mark lying on their sides.

I printed the type form I put together at the weekend, using a rainbow roll of Pthalo Green and Rhodamine Red oil-based relief inks. I printed with Swansea Print Workshop‘s Columbian Press onto Kent paper. I love the way the well-worn vintage letters have dints and dimples and rough areas that add to the character of the print.

Back Of The Head.

I often sketch when I sit behind people in audiences, but rarely get to draw such a magnificent pair of ears.

Listening Heads: 2.

A drawing of a young man with a distinctive haircut, shaved at the sides and swept up into a pointed quiff on top. He also has a small, neatly trimmed beard and is sitting facing slightly away from the artist in a puffer jacket.
Cool haircut.

Here’s another scribble I made when Husb and I went to a political panel event in Penybont ar Ogwr / Bridgend the other evening. I sketched this audience member and his haircut with a ballpoint pen into my leather-bound A5 sketchbook.

If You Knows, You Knows.

Spent a lovely day yesterday down at Swansea Print Workshop, learning how to set wooden type and print it up in our lovely Columbian Press. It was an introductory day course, headed by Mark Pavey. It was great, I loved it. At the end of the day I had a big smile and dirty hands – perfect!

The wooden stuff.

I can’t remember what the name of the font is, I should have written it down but I was so excited playing! I’m going in again this week so I’ll get all the technical details then.

And the meaning of the acronym? Well, if you knows, you knows 😉

#StandingStoneSunday

A painting of a reddish standing stone on a dark brown background. It stands behind a barbed wire fence, painted in white.
One of my favourites.

Here’s a favourite standing stone that I painted in the field while I was out and about with Dewi Bowen as he was researching his new book “Hunting The Wild Megalith”. It’s Garreg Coch in Carmarthenshire and it’s been protected for many years by a barbed wire fence.

We’ll be at The Workers Gallery on Saturday 29th April from 16.00 – 18.00 to sign copies. The Rhondda Valley is particularly lovely at this time of year, why not explore and join us? There will be cake!

Listening Heads: 1

A small drawing of a man's head in profile. He has a beard and a man bun and looks to be in his thirties.
A Face In The Audience.

Husb and I went to a political panel event in Penybont ar Ogwr / Bridgend last night. Of course, I had to have a scribble. I can’t stop myself. I scribbled this audience member with a ballpoint pen into my leather-bound A5 sketchbook.

Mucking About

I did some teaching today, with a group of adults at GS Artists in Swansea as part of their excellent 9to90 Community Arts programme. We did an introduction to charcoal drawing …. and it was MESSY! Loved it! I started out by getting people to play with blocks of compressed charcoal, to do mark-making and get used to what the charcoal can do.

Revisiting The Stones.

Maen Llia.

Here’s one of the wonderful standing stones featured in Dewi Bowen’s new book, that I was involved in. As Dewi travelled around researching the ancient megaliths of South Wales, I went with him on his journey, drawing and painting in the field – literally fields! This is the magnificent Maen Llia in the beautiful setting of Bannau Brycheiniog.

Maen Llia in Bannau Brycheiniog.

Dewi will be signing copies of his book on April 29th, 16.00 – 18.00, at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir (here).

Holiday Sketching

A photograph of a coloured watercolour sketch in a very long landscape sketchbook lying on the grass on Brikrigg common with a tin of Inktense watercolour blocks and a brush with a reservoir of water attached.
En Plein Air.

Spent a few days in Cumbria this week with very intermittent Internet access, which has been really nice, relaxing. The weather was lovely so I went walking and sketching with my Khadi landscape sketchbook, Inktense blocks and reservoir brush. Here’s a view from Birkrigg Common.