- Goth weekend at Whitby

Went to the "Goth Weekend" at Whitby 5 days ago. Saw more "Steampunks" than Goths - had to Google that! They were so well dressed that the rest of us looked pretty scruffy. Sketched my memory of them on our last evening there - see top row on the attached image - the bottom row starts with our walk along the beach to Sandsend followed by sketches of Whitby harbour. The gale-force northerly wind provided proper crashing waves all the way from Norway!

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Hughes major and mini minor

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Family lunchtime at our home on Sundays. Ezra our 2 year old grandson wanted to do a bit of drawing this afternoon. Mixed media. Coloured pencils and crayons - combined effort. He was most fascinated by the effect of colouring around and over masking tape, then removing it. Think he might have covered the paper completely.... perhaps in the future. Now back to my other pieces of artwork.

Comogli, Italy

Started another. Love churches, love Italy so that's decided! Stage 1 again - rough pencil sketch that's going to be plastered with acrylic. 

Camara Del Lobos 02

Great news. I've started painting again. I've not done a "proper" painting since August last year - apart from some outside sketching, adding to our Ezra's diary/book and a couple of commissions! This one's another acrylic of Camara Del Lobos in Madeira. The attached photo is the pencil (stage 1) version with some tissue paper glued to the foreground to give a bit of texture. I've set myself a target of 20 paintings by the last week in October this year.... can I do it, will I survive that long? I'll let you know.

Ez's diary - walking with Gramps again

This time walking up Lowside Calver during the hot weather last week. Even closer to the pub!

Ez's diary - walking with Gramps

That's me and our Ezra walking down High Street Calver in the general direction of the pub. 18 years time he'll be taller than me (and I'll be 88ish!)

Sheffield Canal Basin 003

Another work in progress. Canal Basin Sheffield looking towards the Nabarro Building. This will be mixed media from my "IYF" (in your face) colourist style and my third Canal Basin painting. The narrow boats are ripe for a bit of colourist's creations! I did a lot of detailed production drawings on the Nabarro building in my previous life as an architect working for Hadfield Cawkwell Davidson in the mid '90's at the end of the last recession. Thanks HCD.

Tuscany

Another work in progress for Art in the Gardens submission day. This was one from our first visit to Tuscany last autumn and is between Florence and Siena. Lovely lush landscapes!

Selfie at Miranda

Went to see Miranda at Sheffield Arena last night. We weren't allowed to use cameras. Luckily I had a 3"x4" piece of paper and my Pentel pencil handy so I drew this selfie while waiting for her to appear. I'm the happy looking one on the left - not that I was dragged along! Liz loved the show. Thank you to the audience behind us - I guess they were wondering why I kept turning around and staring at them. Hello Sheffield.

Doug's dog Spike

More from our travels around Calver with our grandson Ezra. We usually stop (when the weather's okay) to say hello to the old gentleman Spike. He's Doug's dog. Doug used to be landlord of the local Derwentwater Arms and they live on the corner of High Street and Lowside. Ezra likes Spike and likes pointing at him! 

'omage to Van Gogh & San Gimignano 02 - stage 1

'omage to Van Gogh & San Gimignano 02 - stage 1 - the pencil sketch. It's A3 size and follows our visit to Tuscany last September and my lifelong liking for Vincent VG's paintings. This one is for the Great Sheffield Art Show Selection Day in April. I'll post the finished acrylic painting tomorrow.

Venice Rialto - stage 2

The collagey bit

Venice Rialto - stage 1

My next bit of artwork - Venice Rialto - stage 1 - the pencil drawing. It's going to be another over the top colourful acrylic/collagey painting! I suppose it should really be called "working boats at the Rialto Bridge".

Venice Rialto Working Boats

It was snowing yesterday which made us late to Palmers Café so I didn't have time to do the usual sketch for Ezra's Diary. Also too wet, cold and snowy to go to Heely Art Club's Tuesday evening meeting so I roughed this out in pencil - I'm going to finish it in acrylics. Thought I'd get the bridge arch correct, so I got my drawing compass out. Must be the first time in 15 years! Good job I didn't bin it when I started doing AutoCAD in 1997. The painting will be for the Great Sheffield Art Show in July - hope it'll get selected. 5 more paintings to go by April 13! I'm going to finish it in the style of my Blog 21 August 2013.

More from our Ezra's diary

Our Ezra continues to develop.... extreme putting funny shapes through the matching funny shaped holes! Square shapes through square holes too easy for this 11 month old. He has no problem with the Giraffe Roller Slide Toy shown above - we're impressed, but then we're his grandparents.

Puerto Soller - from the old monastery

Come to the Octagon SHEFFIELD from 9th-11th July to see 6 of my paintings at the Great Sheffield Art Show.