St Mary's, Isles of Scilly

Been scanning my old boat paintings. This was from my first (and last) sailing adventure - from Falmouth to the Scilly Islands via Penzance in 1992. It's our good ship Jasper parked in St Mary's Harbour with a coke can gently drifting by.

3 spider webs

I was about to clean the window to our dining room on this bright sunlit autumn morn when I saw this structure of 3 overlapping webs..... the windows will have to stay slightly smeared for a while! See the spider on the left hand web.

Waxwings card

....... and my flock of waxwings card

Waxwing series

waxwings series 002 - in watercolour with yellow berry

Waxwing series

My waxwings series 001 - with red berry

Another using the Auryn Ink app on my iPad -

tree at Longshaw Estate 3 miles from home in the middle of the Peak Park

On a very shaky train back from Scotland last Thursday. Half way between Glasgow and Lockerbie in the Lowther Hills near Moffat, I looked at the scene, closed my eyes to fix it, opened my iPad (and eyes) and painted this in my Auryn Ink app.

Autumn leaves in Dundee last Wednesday - using the Auryn app on my iPad - I like the watercolour effect.

Last Tuesday afternoon - the Debating Chamber at the Scottish Parliament Building. They were debating whether Scottish MP's should be paid if/when they're in prison (it must happen a lot for it to take up so much time in a Parliament!) What a modern building inside and out, I could spend a lifetime drawing this one - it's architectural poetry! It wasn't easy to draw that roof structure in less than an hour - can see why the construction ended up 3 years late and 10 times over budget. The building's (Spanish) architect Enric Miralles died in 2000 (at the so young age of 45) and 4 years before the building was completed.

Edinburgh Castle again - in silhouette. The blinding sun was directly behind the Castle hence the lack of detail!

Edinburgh Castle

Tuesday 10th September. Edinburgh Castle from Princes Street Garden with the Scottish National Gallery in the foreground. Beautiful sunny day - I had to move the wooden bench I sat on to get a better view - I told an interested passer-by that it was easier than moving the tree that was blocking my view.

 

Sheffield Canal Basin - with a bit of artistic licence on the narrow boats! I've painted this for Heeley Art Club's "Sheffield in the Frame" Exhibition at Sheffield Winter Garden 4th-13th October. Hope it gets selected next Tuesday.

This is one of my boat series images which I painted in the cold and snowy Spring we had earlier this year. My memory of Whitby - with a bit of artistic license. I seem the have produced more boat images than anything else this year... my "Boatspring"!

My last sketch in Weymouth - Friday 19 July. Still Hope Square, lunchtime at the Red Bull. The building has deep red brickwork with lots of blue brick features. Thought I'd stop the watercolouring before the umbrellas got lost in the background. Goodbye Weymouth, hello Sheffield, good to be home despite missing sketching those picturesque fishing boats!

Friday 19 July. The Crows Nest Bistro at Hope Square, Weymouth. A cool place to be when it's so hot. Our group had lunch there the previous Sunday - I had my favourite - grilled sardines under that shady tree.

Still Thursday 18 July - now afternoon. I sketched this fishing boat CK109 "Boy Michael" from the same shaded spot as this morning but looking north across Weymouth Harbour. A couple of young women came up to me and said I shouldn't be hiding away with a drawing like this - I had to tell them I was only hiding from the sun! What a nice thing for them to say.

Thursday 18 July Weymouth Harbour with that huge catamaran ferry (sketched on 17 July) on the left of the drawing. I sketched this one in the shade of a tiny sales kiosk on the right bank - moving around in it's shadow in synchronicity with the sun.

The boat with no name

Wednesday 17 July. Left bank of Weymouth Harbour again - experiment with a really dark background. The boat had no name and number - the name on the lifebelt on board had the first part worn off but ended with the letters "hlade". Wonder what sort of life it had.

Weymouth Harbour Dorset UK, Wednesday 17 July. I arrive at the right bank at 11 o'clock to see this oversized toy boat! I was the Ferry to the Channel Islands. I didn't know when it was due to leave so I got my pen, paints and smooth paper (not my usual textured watercolour paper) for an extra speedy sketch. 11.30 there was a frightening loud blast on it's horn, the engines shook the whole harbour when they were fired up and the huge catamaran took off backwards. End of sketch.

The fishing boat FY33 "Caralee" at Weymouth Harbour

Tuesday 16 July. The fishing boat FY33 "Caralee" at Weymouth Harbour with the Pavilion behind. Still sweltering hot - only shade was in Weymouth Sailing Club Boatyard where I was locked in! Climbed over the gate to get out and was told off by one of the members of the Club. I suffer for my Art!