Apart from my sparkling wit and repartee I can't usually make people happy. I'm not a life-saving doctor, an accordion player or a stand-up comedian. However recently, when I was drawing and painting in the narrow street outside ARTiMANS Art Shop & Gallery in Soller, Mallorca where my prints of local scenes were on sale inside, an old gentleman with a walking stick stopped and spoke to me like a machine gun going off. My complete lack of Spanish/Mallorcan matched his English! The Shop owners were able to translate. Turned out that he wanted me to do a painting of his house a few doors away for the same price as a print. We gently (I hope) explained that an original painting is worth a lot more than a print. Overnight, I thought, I'll give him a surprise and do a sketch of his house as a gift. So I secretly stood outside his house and did the deed. The Shop owners kindly translated my description on the back of the painting explaining it was a gift to him. The following week, when I was painting in the street again, he happened by. I stood up and presented it to him. He smiled, kept walking away, kept coming back and shaking my hand.... he seemed very happy and it made me feel very, very good! Attached is me and my new best friend Jaime Umbert Vicens!
- Carrer de sa Lluna, Soller, Mallorca
Saturdays 7th & 14th May - Carrer de sa Lluna, Soller, Mallorca. I was sitting outside ARTiMANS Art Shop sketching the street views - attracting passers-by. The Shop was selling my Soller artwork, then I signed the prints!
- Tram Terminus Puerto Soller Mallorca
This time last week we were there - Miramar Hotel Puerto Mallorca - sitting outside with a coffee looking at the tram terminus. Sketch time!
- St Cwyfan's Church
A slice of my painting of St Cwyfan's Church off the west coast of Anglesey with a bit of artist's licence - I've reversed a few details!
- old Lodge Moor Hospital Clock Tower
Back to watercolours again. View from my north facing roof-light across the Mayfield Valley towards the old Lodge Moor Hospital clock tower. It has snowed today but not as much as shown in the painting. Edges faded away again.
- White Edge Lodge near the Fox House
White Edge Lodge above the Grouse Inn and Froggatt in the Derwent Valley, Derbyshire, very close to Chatsworth House. We pass it twice every week on our way from Sheffield to Calver to enjoy 2 of our beautiful grandchildren. My memory is of the house silhouetted above the moor with a threatening sky - I think I might have overdone the threat! Again, I've faded out the edges of the painting to protect the innocent.
- view from the back of our house at Ringinglow Village
An approximate view from the back of our house at Ringinglow Village north across the Mayfield Valley. I've faded out the edges to protect the innocent! It's late autumn(ish)
- One of my acrylics from the beginning of this month
One of my acrylics from the beginning of this month - from sketch idea to finished painting! Done 2 really heavy ones since.
- "Platelets in Blueness"
My latest abstract - "Platelets in Blueness" - it's to recognise Queen's 90th birthday and her blue blood.
- 432 cards to Sheffield Millennium Gallery Shop
Spent most of the last 4 days printing, folding and packing cards into envelopes & into poly bags. I'm not complaining It's the 4th repeat order since my first order in January for another 432 cards for the Millennium Gallery Shop in Sheffield. It's next to the BBC TV "outside" studio for the World Snooker Championship 2016 in the Winter Garden. There are 216 cards in the attached photo - I delivered a previous 216 package on Thursday! Perhaps I can get back to actually painting tomorrow? Hopefully a little acrylic?
- 2 of my paintings at Sheffield Winter Garden
Two of my artworks on display in Sheffield Winter Gardens, with Heeley Art Club, 2nd-9th April. If you're visiting the Winter Garden, pop into the adjoining Millennium Gallery shop and see a selection of Cards and mounted prints of my Sheffield artwork
an evening of movement!
Heeley Art Club Working Evening "Movement" - my full portfolio for the 2 hour evening session. Don't usually use pastels but time was of the essence!
- the theme is "movement"
Heeley Art Club Working Evening "Movement". Last time the my mosaic artwork sent Victoria (who was sitting next to me) home with a migraine. This time I painted a fox chasing her cat...... she left early again! No animals were hurt in this artwork
- a bit of business.... then RELAX!
Posted the first 100 prints (of 500) to ARTiMANS in Soller Mallorca this morning, called into the Millenium Gallery Shop and discovered my Sheffield Prints and Cards are now on display... nice sunny day, some free time - went on a short cicular walk from home, down into Porter Brook Valley, up through the beech woods, along Fulwood Lane, looked down on Sheffield City 5 miles below, past the Alpaca Farm and back to the Village - Home Sweet Home!
- The Civil Service Club, Great Scotland Yard, LONDON
This where we stay when we visit London with our group of friends
- Prints & Cards ready for Sheffield Millennium Gallery Shop
288 A5 size cards
40 A4 size prints in A3 size mounts &
6 A3 size prints in A2 size mounts
in packages & ready to be taken into the Millennium Gallery Shop in the centre of Sheffield!
Pagoda at Kew Gardens London
This building is the Pagoda at Kew Gardens and is very special to me. I first saw the other side of it in 1967. I was the goal kicker for Sheffield University Rugby Team playing Loughborough College in the UAU "Cup" Final at Old Deer Park which is located on the far side of Kew Gardens. I missed 2 vital kicks which meant we didn't win the "Cup". I think I was admiring the Pagoda and kicked the ball towards the building instead of between the posts! I was reminded about those missed kicks over 40 years later. Anyway, the pencil sketch was drawn in-situ on the afternoon of 5th December this year, I ran out of daylight due to the time of year and have been so busy on the commercial side of my artwork, I've not had enough free time until today (29th Dec) to finish painting the work. This explains my lack of Blog/News for the best part of a month!
Brutalist Architecture
From our visit to London just over a week ago. Two icons of Brutalist Architecture of the 60's - The Hayward Gallery and The Queen Elizabeth Hall Purcell Room on the South Bank sketched from the North Bank of the Thames.
Heeley Art Club
2 weeks ago - Heeley Art Club Working Evening "Painting with Pure Colour". Thought it would be an idea to paint in the style of a mosaic The first image (sea eagle-like) was a practice. The second image is the base drawing for a seaside idea - Victoria (who was sitting next to me) complained she was getting a migraine and left the building early! The third image is the pure colour version, by the time I finished it I was getting a headache! The sun streaking across the sky is pretty obvious but can you spot the 2 seagulls, crab and rolling waves? The green & brown bits echo the colours and aroma of the seaweed and the blue and white streak in the foreground bring out notes of reflections in pools of seawater left in the sand by the receding briny. Before you ask, I have visited Park Guell. Feel free to print out the base drawing and colour it in but don't forget to take some paracetamol first!
Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, London
As the sun was setting last Saturday. The view of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, London. The location was a dead end narrow road called Warwick House Street. There was a police dog squad van at the end waiting for things to kick off in the Square (which didn't happen). There were enough yellow non-parking lines in front of me which lead me to believe that no one would park there. Wrong. Within 20 minutes a white van pulled up and straddled the lines. Finished the sketch under the street lighting - it's that time of year in the UK!
