Wednesday 23 December 2015

2015 a good sketching year

2015 has been an intense year, busy in many ways and very enjoyable on the sketching front. Through the Pushing Your Sketching Boundaries courses that I organised with Swasky, with guest tutors from UK, Simone Ridyard, and Spain, Miguel Herranz and Mercedes Carmona.  We enjoyed teaching in Coventry, Oxford and Segovia and shared our passion for drawing and painting on location with many of you. Thanks!


To me it has been a great positive highlight to 2015 and one that I am looking forward to continue in 2016.


Personally, I feel fired up recording what happens around me and sharing it with others.
Here I've chosen a drawing for each month in 2015, a great exercise to remember where I was throughout the year. Enjoy!
January 2015 - St Martins in the Fields, London, 10 minutes, waiting for Alex and Karen at the door of the National Portrait Gallery
February 2015 - Aurelia, 30 minutes, she sells the Big Issue in Newbury ans we chatted whilst I did this portrait of hers that formed part of an Exhibition in Newbury called Overlooked.


March 2015 - Chandelier V&A London, by Dale Chihuly, drawn at the USk London outing, 30 minutes
April 2015 - Newbury Parkway rooftops from St Nichs church, 45 minutes, part of Overlooked exhibition

May 2015 - sketching demo part of our Artists at the Chapel, Open Studios 2015 exhibition
June 2015 - Jurasic coast, Dorset,  20 minutes, amazing folded landscapes


July 2015 - Ukelele band, Cowley road festival, 20 minutes
August 2015 - Castellfollit de la Roca, 30 minutes, a one street town on volcanic rocks

September 2015 - Broughton Pl / Broughton Street, Edinburgh, 20 minutes, a great trip on search of good coffee, art and old buildings.
October 2015 - Newbury market place in the round - 45 minutes -  part of a one day Picture This event, free of charge, Newbury Style.


November 2015 - Borough Market, 30 minutes, during the USk London outing.
December 2015 - Stonehenge - 15 minutes - the power of stones and landscape, cold and sharp and amazing.


Wishing you all a great 2016!

Monday 12 October 2015

Sutton Hoo, Suffolk uk

This is an old burial place where Saxon Kings are buried near criminals of possible a later age, called Sutton Hoo (which means Southern Dwelling High) and which was ordered to be excavated by Mrs Pretty who had heard spirit voices near the mounds. Some of the tombs (ship burials) where already ransacked but one of the larger ones was intact (except the body was not there only buckles and other goods left). 
Liquid watercolour sketch.

Sutton Hoo significa Domicilio Al Sur Alto. Este es un cementerio Anglo Saxon con tumbas barco que se encuentran al lado de otras tumbas de criminales más recientes pero también antiguas.
Algunas e las tmbas barco habían sido ya robadas cuando se excavaron en los años 30. Pero otra, principal, estaba intacta. Era una sepultura dentro de un barco y se encontraron la hebilla de un cinturón,  casco, escudo y otros bienes pero el cuerpo no estaba ya allí.
Dibujo con acuarela liquida.


Friday 18 September 2015

Summer into Autumn

I've had a great summer teaching two urban sketching courses in Oxford and Segovia. It is exhilarating seeing people's confidence come alive and enjoying playing with watercolour and mark making.
He tenido un verano fructífero ensenando dos talleres de dibujo urbano en Oxford y Segovia. Recompensa ver como los participantes ganan confianza y aprenden a relajarse usando acuarelas y dibujando. 
Oxford 2015
Segovia 2015
Segovia 2015
On the trip going and coming back from Spain, I started and continued sketching non stop and recorded most of our stopovers from Angouleme to Sos del Rey Catolico, Zaragoza to Colliure, Carcassone to Millau and more. Here I show only a few from the begining and i will upload some more soon.
En el viaje de ida y vuelta de España, empece y seguí dibujando y recopile casi todos los lugares en los que paramos, de Angouleme a Sos del Rey Católico, de Zaragoza a Colluire, Carcassone a Millau y mas.  Aquí muestro solo algunos de los dibujos del principio pero ya ire subiendo mas.
Angouleme cathedral rear
Angouleme cathedral front
Sos del Rey Catolico


Happy 2015! - Feliz Año Nuevo 2015!

2014 has been a year full of activity for me - art forms are a greater part of my life and have made loads of new plans for 2015. I will continue to teach sketching workshops and working hard at making City Arts a great art hub in Newbury. Also I have a few architecture projects also  in progress.
A few sketches from my Portugal trip with Dean in September, a very busy M1 (part of the Cover to Cover sketchbook exchange) and a sketch in Madrid in December to say - Happy New Year!
       
2014 ha sido un año muy activo y el arte forma una parte mayor de mi vida. El 2015 traerá más talleres de dibujo, y continuaré trabajando en la creación de un centro de arte, City Arts, en Newbury. También sigo teniendo algún proyecto arquitectónico que otro. 
Os dejo unos dibujos de Portugal, la M1 en Inglaterra y uno de Madrid arriba para desearos ¡Feliz Año 2015!