Exhibition 

I am mounting a small show of paintings and drawings at Kendals Framing and Restoration in Letchworth at the end of October. The work will be available to view and to purchase from Friday the 26th to Monday 29th. 

A year in the life of a garden

I have decided to visit the Cambridge University Botanic Garden regularly. My intention is to document the seasons in a series of drawings and paintings and to compile a collection of sketches that explore the beauty and tranquillity of this lovely place.

Here is my first watercolour done in the garden. I have no idea what form this project will take in the end and I am intentionally leaving it very open. Right now I am getting to know the garden and gradually becoming comfortable in its many different spaces.

Purwell fields

 Oil on board: 51.5 x 41 cm.
This is the start of a new adventure in which I am extending ideas gathered in the autumn of 2010. The stripes created by the combine harvester overlaid by the tracks left by a tractor create a compelling design. A sense of distance or depth is achieved but at the same time the painted surface demands attention and so the picture is visually ambiguous. I am particularly pleased with the colour and especially the use of grey.

In the grounds of Anglesey Abbey, a National Trust property in Cambridgeshire, there is a delightful hanging sculpture that resembles a Marimba strung between trees. I first saw it in the early Spring and was very taken by the dappled shadows and the sharp light piercing the lattice of branches.
It is a complex picture of dancing light and shade and really needs to be redone . Nevertheless, I am happy enough with this as a first step towards what promises to be a long and enjoyable journey.

This is a gouache. It marks the beginning of a new direction in my work. I am enjoying the freedom of this medium because it is so much more forgiving than "pure" watercolour. I can repair almost anything and make alterations till I feel happy with the outcome. I have an idea to print a facsimile of a sketchbook. This seems to be consuming most of my time these days. It is a most fulfilling project.

I am drawing again. The English countryside is so beautiful and the changing seasons offer endless inspiration.

Drawing again

I was given some flowers. They are swathed in shimmery grey organza and the whole effect is not unlike a glass "basket". The organza simultaneously contains and frames the flowers in a random manner and they are 'presented' in a way that makes them rather special. I was immediately inspired to draw and paint the flowers so I took a number of photographs while they were still fresh. I hope to do several more drawings and a couple of paintings. I only hope I can "hold my vision" and my energy levels for long enough to follow through to  the completion of my project.