The Stone In The Wall

Another standing stone on our hunt for the wild megalith. We tracked this one down, along with it’s companion (blogged yesterday) in a wall around a Christian church in Ysbyty Cynfyn near Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion. It’s looks like it’s a Bronze Age site that has been Christianised. The word Ysbyty is Welsh for Hospital andContinue reading “The Stone In The Wall”

Fish And Chips And A Hot Bath

A full day today hunting the wild megalith across West Wales. For the first time it’s been hot and dry. Two weeks ago we struggled against hail and gales, today I roasted! We headed out towards Aberystwyth on the Trail of the Boar, Y Twrch Trwyth, a route suggested by The Mabinogion. It’s been aContinue reading “Fish And Chips And A Hot Bath”

Sat With The Cat

I’ve been very slack about using my sketchbook and have fallen out of the habit of using it every day. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been doing any art, I’ve been immersed in drawing and printmaking projects but it hasn’t left me much time to sketch. So this evening, after Husb and I came backContinue reading “Sat With The Cat”

S’Up In May And June?

What am I up to? I’m working through a load of art events that I’ve been preparing for ages. I’ve done TRANSITION, a public art event on May 20th and 21st 2016 in Swansea’s Creative Bubble Artspace with the 15 Hundred Lives art collective. And then May 28th I was in Fringe Arts Bath’s “AContinue reading “S’Up In May And June?”

Rhubarb At The Castle

Too warm for me today, temperature around 21 Celsius, so Husb and I didn’t get down to the allotment until about 4pm, when it was staring to cool off a bit and I could do a load of digging without flaking out. Our allotment is on a site sandwiched between two woodland glades and rightContinue reading “Rhubarb At The Castle”

Copper And Stone

I etched two plates at the recent course at Swansea Print Workshop with Andrew Baldwin of Trefeglwys Print Studio, one aluminium, one copper. I’ve just done a first proof from the copper plate. I used a hardground and the traditional technique of drawing into it with an etching needle than adding aquatint. Andrew demonstrated howContinue reading “Copper And Stone”

The First Proof!

I spent this afternoon at an Open Access session at Swansea Print Workshop, ready to take a first proof from my coffee-lift-spit-bite aluminium etching plate, developed at last weekend’s BIG Etching course with Andrew Baldwin. I chose a soft textured Somerset paper from St. Cuthbert’s Mill and Intaglio Printmaker’s Drypoint Shop Mix etching ink. It’sContinue reading “The First Proof!”

Coffee And Spit Bite

More geeky printmaking stuff from last weekend’s B.I.G. Etching course with Andrew Baldwin at Swansea Print Workshop. The aluminium plate was degreased with whiting and soy sauce to get it ready for drawing on with instant coffee solution. I forgot to take a photo of mine being drawn, but Andrew Baldwin has kindly lent meContinue reading “Coffee And Spit Bite”

BIG And Greasy

  I spent a happy but exhausting weekend at Swansea Print Workshop on a specialist course in the ‘BIG’ non-toxic etching technique, pioneered and taught by Andrew Baldwin of Trefeglwys Print Studio. Andrew has invented a new etching ‘ground’ and has also experimented with a range of household materials to take the place of someContinue reading “BIG And Greasy”

Drawing The Environment

The second stone circle at Y Pigwyn on Mynydd Bach Trecastell is a lot more complete than the first, with almost all its stones still in place, although they’re not very big. We took young Nephew with us, he’s a country lad and used to the rough terrain, he found a sheep’s skull, a ram’s horn andContinue reading “Drawing The Environment”