"The artist...is also a born adventurer. His explorations, unlike those of a tourist, are rewarded by the discovery of beauty spots unmentioned in the guide books, and with tireless curiosity and an exceptional proneness to wonderment, he will come upon objects of remarkable interest overlooked or even shunned by more disciplined observers."

Augustus John, R.A.




Sunday 20 July 2008

Report Illustrations

Great Northern Diver
Pencil and Ink Wash. 130mm x 150mm.

Started work this week on illustrations for the 2007 Huddersfield Birdwatchers Club Report. After some deliberation I decided to have a change from my usual Pen line drawings and tried some monochrome wash drawings which hopefully should reproduce quite well. These are the first three completed drawings.

Male Red backed Shrike.

Pencil and Ink Wash. 130mm x 110mm.



Shelduck.
Pencil and Ink Wash. 130mm x 170mm.

Monday 14 July 2008

Ash Tree

Shaped by the wind.
Pastel. 12'' x 9''

A pastel painting, worked up from the small pen sketch posted earlier and intended as a study for a possible larger work.

Saturday 12 July 2008

Hiraeth

Low Tide at Laugharne (detail).
Acrylic on gesso primed board. 335mm x 245mm.

This small West Wales town was my home for almost three years from September 1982 until April 1985. For an artist and naturalist it was ideal, with wide open views across the estuary of the River Taf south across Carmarthen Bay to Rhossili Down and Worms Head on Gower.
Inland the woodlands held breeding Buzzards, Ravens Badgers and Foxes. In winter Black Redstarts could be found on the castle ruins and all manner of wildfowl and waders on the estuary. I saw my first Hen Harriers here, hunting the saltmarshes during the winters and once came across a Grey Phalarope feeding on the mud flats.
Originally a Norman fortress, the castle passed through a variety of owners including The Lord Rhys. It was destroyed and rebuilt twice during the thirteenth century. In the late sixteenth century Sir John Perrot turned it into a mansion house with a formal garden but like many castles it was finally vandalised by Parliamentary cannon fire during the Civil War.

Friday 11 July 2008

Wood Wasp

This female Wood Wasp Urocerus gigas was dropped on my desk at work by two of the fitters who had come across it whilst working in Manchester. Its the first one I've seen, shame it wasn't a live specimen.

Sunday 6 July 2008

Siskins

We spent the weekend in Galloway but the miserable weather gave little opportunity for doing any work. These Siskins drawn from the breakfast table this morning, are all I've got to show from the two days spent there.