Blwyddyn Newydd Dda: Happy New Year

Here’s Worm’s Head on the Gower Peninsula, named from the Viking Wurme which means Dragon. So it’s Dragon’s Head which in Welsh is Penddraig. Anyway, I drew this yesterday during a very bracing walk on the cliffs at Rhossili, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I used black, sanguine and white contéContinue reading “Blwyddyn Newydd Dda: Happy New Year”

Sofa To Sea…..

Husb and I forced ourselves out of our comfort zone aka the settee and took off to the magnificent Rhossili Bay on the Gower Peninsula for a brisk walk. It was bracing as we headed past the National Trust centre towards Worm’s Head which had been cut off by the ferocious sea this afternoon. IContinue reading “Sofa To Sea…..”

Lowest Of The Low

There’s a little Unitarian Church at the bottom of Swansea’s High Street and every year since, well, at least since I was a kid, which is a long time, there has been a glass case with a nativity scene in it and a charity collection box every Christmas. This year, the church has been collectingContinue reading “Lowest Of The Low”

Blowing The Cobwebs Away

  The weather was glorious today, chilly but very sunny, so Husb and I went for a walk on the beach to start to work off the excesses of the last few days and blow the cobwebs away. Of course I had a scribble into my tiny little cloth covered Paper Blanks sketchbook and aContinue reading “Blowing The Cobwebs Away”

The Sky Caught Up With Us

  This time of year there are many family traditions being played out across the Christmas holidays and one in my own family is to visit memorials of those we have lost. Every year we go to the crematorium to lay flowers and clean memorial stones. I reflected on the ancient use of stone forContinue reading “The Sky Caught Up With Us”

A Modern Interior

I went visiting today and had a scribble, of course. I don’t often do interiors and still life but I think that maybe I should do more. When I see historical paintings in galleries it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that these were paintings of modern houses and possessions in their day, aContinue reading “A Modern Interior”

Impression Of Heat

I did some quick, impressionistic sketches while I was walking around on my visit to Portugal a couple of weeks ago. The earth is stratified, horizontally and vertically and made up of bright hot colours, reds, oranges, yellows and browns which contrast so vividly with the brilliant blue of the sky and sea. I usedContinue reading “Impression Of Heat”

Balanced Rocks

Exploring the local beaches around Albufeira last week, Husb and I found a cove full of balanced rock sculptures. It was a small sandy cove with a rock pavement jutting out from the base of the deeply fissured cliff and it was covered with little cairns. I drew this one with black, sanguine and whiteContinue reading “Balanced Rocks”

Hot Earth

  Here’s another drawing I did into my little Khadi sketchbook last week on the coast of Portugal. The colours were incredible, bright blue sky and sea and hot red and orange earths veined with dark greys. Extraordinary geology. There were also a lot of rock balancing sculptures in a little cove just to theContinue reading “Hot Earth”

Aloe Vera and Custard Tarts

I took a small Khadi sketchbook with me on my recent trip to Portugal and drew en plein air with Daler Rowney soft pastels. The landscape is very dramatic and I spotted these gigantic wintry Aloe Veras spearing the land and sky. The colours are so intense in the bright winter sunshine, so different to theContinue reading “Aloe Vera and Custard Tarts”