The Stone By The Motorway

This is a thumbnail sketch I’ve done based on field drawings and photos of the Tyn Cellar Neolithic stone, near the motorway not far from Margam. I’m doing thumbnails, small working sketches, to learn more about the subject, to get used to it, to explore different ways of making marks, looking for ways to developContinue reading “The Stone By The Motorway”

The Stone In The Lower Wood

  Continuing with thumbnail sketches from some of my original drawings, this is the Is Coed (Lower Wood) stone near Ferryside in Carmarthenshire. Ferryside is a gorgeous seaside village on a spectacular railway route from Swansea to Carmarthen that skips along right next to the coast for much of the journey. I’m doing the thumbnailContinue reading “The Stone In The Lower Wood”

The School Stone Redrawn

  I’ve been travelling around South Wales drawing ancient stone monuments in the field but I’ve now started to look at the drawings and photos to decide how to develop them; maybe more complex drawings or mixed media pieces: etchings or linocuts? The first stage in this process for me is to do some smallContinue reading “The School Stone Redrawn”

Battle Mountain, Little Mountain

Sometimes when I go out to sketch, the scenery is so atmospheric and so fleeting that only photographs will do. This evening was one of those times. Husb and I were driving along Mynydd Newydd (New Mountain) Road which bisects Mynydd Bach (Little Mountain) Common to the northside and Mynydd Cadle (Battle Mountain) Common toContinue reading “Battle Mountain, Little Mountain”

Cool Sea. Hot Sky.

  Husb and I went out to look for the Midsummer sunset this evening from the top of one of the city’s hills. I had a bit of a scribble, looking South West across Swansea Bay. The still sea was misty and smudged into layers of pale cool blues interspersed with pinky-purply smears. I drewContinue reading “Cool Sea. Hot Sky.”

On Midsummer’s Eve

  One lovely thing about having visitors is that we get to take people around the great places locally; it’s easy to be complacent about your home and take it for granted. It’s good to see your locality through the eyes of others. Today I took my friend down to Rhossili Bay at the furthestContinue reading “On Midsummer’s Eve”

Visiting Joe Bach

We have a friend visiting so we were out and about most of the day, taking in some galleries and museums. I think the best was the show of Josef Herman drawings and paintings at Swansea Museum. He was known affectionately as Joe Bach during his years in Wales and he spent much of hisContinue reading “Visiting Joe Bach”

Close Up

Here’s a closer view of the drawing I did of Maen Llia yesterday. We drove up to the Black Mountains in changeable weather but, as often happens, as soon as we stopped the car, thick black clouds loomed over the hills and dropped torrential rain onto us. Nearly Midsummer and we’re huddled in the rain!!!!Continue reading “Close Up”

The Licking Stone

  I’ve been travelling around South Wales drawing ancestral stones since February and today I paid a return visit to Maen Llia. I loved it so much the first time that I wanted to go back and draw it again from a different angle and also to spend some time there absorbing the atmosphere. LastContinue reading “The Licking Stone”

Dead Nature

  I don’t often draw a still life, I don’t know why because it can be varied and interesting and you don’t have problems with the subject moving. The French phrase for ‘still life’ is ‘nature morte’ or dead nature which maybe a more accurate description. I drew this into my A5 leatherbound sketchbook usingContinue reading “Dead Nature”