Tag Archives: art

Birds And Bugs, Rubbish And Rugby

I’ve just finished an exhausting three days working with Edinburgh-based Australian artist Kelly Stewart to develop a boxed set of small screenprints based on drawings we did from the Swansea Museum archives – taxidermy birds and invertebrates. I also included some imagery based on rubbish – the sort that ends up in our rivers andContinue reading “Birds And Bugs, Rubbish And Rugby”

Birds And Bugs

  I spent yesterday drawing at Swansea Museum with a group of artists led by Edinburgh-based artist Kelly Stewart. It was arranged by Swansea Print Workshop who worked with staff from the Museum stores to select antique taxidermy specimens from their collection – a range of birds and bugs. I drew herons, a hawk, cockchafersContinue reading “Birds And Bugs”

Rubbish

  I’ve just done a dozen or so monotypes using rubbish. I recently became the artist in residence with the FIRE Lab at Swansea University and I’ve been going out on field trips with the science team along the River Tawe, looking at its ecosystem, which includes noting the rubbish. We used some rubbish weContinue reading “Rubbish”

Cleaning Up

  I was down at Swansea Print Workshop this afternoon, doing loads of monotypes (more about those tomorrow) and as I was cleaning up at the end, the printing inks blended together. I liked it. It was a pity to wash them away. Technical note: they’re Caligo Safe Wash oil-based relief inks in Process Yellow,Continue reading “Cleaning Up”

Scientific Stars Of Wales

  I spent a day in Cardiff with colleagues from the FIRE Lab. We had a stand at the Sêr Cymru celebration, all about the scientific research projects in universities across Wales funded by the Sêr Cymru research and development programme. It was fascinating to hear about how much high level technological research is goingContinue reading “Scientific Stars Of Wales”

The Grey Mare

  Here’s another view of the horse skull I drew yesterday evening at the little Zoology Museum at Swansea University’s Wallace Building. The Mari Lwyd (Grey Mare) tradition in South Wales centres around a horse skull, which is made into a lifesize puppet and decorated with flowers, bells and ribbons. It’s paraded around on theContinue reading “The Grey Mare”

Drawing A Horse’s Head

I spent a great hour or so down at the Zoology Museum in The Wallace Building on the Swansea University Singleton campus this evening. A drawing group meets there twice a month to make the most of the specimens tucked away. I fancied studying a horse’s skull, to tie in with my previous work withContinue reading “Drawing A Horse’s Head”

Old School OHP

  I’ve been posting about the field trips I went on recently with colleagues from Swansea University’s FIRE Lab, walking the path of the River Tawe and making cyanotypes along the way. Mostly we made photograms – photographic prints made directly from found objects placed on the paper. But we also took some time outContinue reading “Old School OHP”

While I’m Away …..

  Here’s a couple of ‘blind contour’ sketches I did recently on a field trip to Craig-y-Nos with colleagues from the FIRE Lab. I did the sketches without looking at the paper and without taking my conté crayon off the paper. Forces me to focus on what’s absolutely essential and gives the linework a lotContinue reading “While I’m Away …..”

While I’m Away….

  Another of my quick sketches from my field trip with FIRE Lab colleagues a couple of weeks ago. I like doing these very quick sketchbook studies, they’re dynamic because I have to work so fast.   The FIRE Laboratory I am currently artist in residence with The Fire Laboratory  at Swansea University and have been goingContinue reading “While I’m Away….”