Yellow Stone Blue Sheep

  Husb and I had a couple of days away in mid-Wales and drove back along the old unnamed road between Trecastell and Tafarn-y-Garreg in the Brecon Beacons where we stopped near the source of the River Tawe. We only had time for a short walk so we followed a dry stream bed down theContinue reading “Yellow Stone Blue Sheep”

Make Your Own Pocket Watercolour Paintbox

I did a blog recently about a little watercolour paintbox I made from an old tin. Lots of people were interested so I thought I’d put up instructions for it. I do a few hours teaching each week for a charity working with homeless people and I did this with the people in our watercolourContinue reading “Make Your Own Pocket Watercolour Paintbox”

Time Off

I didn’t do anything arty today, I’ve had a day off to relax a bit. I did some baking …. vegan coconut macaroons which didn’t quite work out. They taste nice but they don’t have the gooiness that condensed milk gives the traditional ones. And a tarte tatin with cooking apples from our allotment andContinue reading “Time Off”

My Geographic Palette #5 – Australian Ochre

This Australian Ochre is the fifth pigment I’m trying out from my geographic palette – plants and minerals from different places that I’m converting into paint and/or ink. I’m using them to develop work that I’m doing with Swansea University’s FIRE Lab project, which brings together science and the arts to do research and engagementContinue reading “My Geographic Palette #5 – Australian Ochre”

Heavy Metal

I spent a happy afternoon at Swansea Print Workshop, starting to prepare for a new series of printmaking for my artist residency at The FIRE Lab. I’m planning a mixed bag of techniques based on my drawings en plein air of Victorian culverts. I rummaged around in the drawers of my plans chest to findContinue reading “Heavy Metal”

The Dog Had A Bath

    The dog had a bath and now she’s running around like a maniac! Husb and I are dog-sitting while her people are on holiday. She’s a Pomerpoo – a Pomeranian / Toy Poodle cross – very small with lots of black fluffy fur. When we bathed her it stuck up all over theContinue reading “The Dog Had A Bath”

Squirting Blobs

  I recently made myself a tiny watercolour paintbox, using an old tin that originally had a dried up stamping ink pad in it. I filled one side with DAS airdry clay and pushed 6 semi-circular depressions into it with the round end of a menthol inhaler. And let it dry – it took aboutContinue reading “Squirting Blobs”

In The Graft Garden

Here’s another quick sketch in ballpoint pen and watercolour from the summer supper event at Swansea’s Graft garden yesterday evening. It’s been developed in the grounds of the National Waterfront Museum, started by artist Owen Griffiths as part of last year’s “Nawr Yr Arwr” art festival. Pop in and have a look. The museum isContinue reading “In The Graft Garden”

The Beekeepers

Husb and I spend a good evening at the Graft garden at Swansea’s National Waterfront Museum. It was Graft’s summer supper event, with food grown in the garden and cooked in the new cob oven. There was a very interesting honey extraction demo from local beekeepers Alyson and Chelsea. And a little boy put onContinue reading “The Beekeepers”