This is industrial Gloucester looking over the canal, the photograph taken quite a few years ago now. I’ve converted it to black and white and will be doing a charcoal drawing first to plan it out. The next one is an even older photograph that I have a fancy to paint sometime.I’ll draw this too before the brushes make an appearance. This is in South West France. Continue reading Candidates for painting…
One of a series of drawings before I dip into painting again. I find that doing the drawing sorts of prints the image into the grey matter, parking itself next to thoughts of ‘Where did I put those socks?’. I wonder if Cezanne had similar thoughts; he was reputed to have red socks, I think. Most of the drawings are black and white, but when doing this one, a yellow pastel was hanging around doing nothing. Continue reading Buttercup Field
Preparatory drawing for a painting. It seems to help me when I do a simple charcoal drawing before I commit to paint. At least with something like this, there’s little chance of being overdrawn, tell that to the bank manager. Continue reading The River Coln in Charcoal
Apart from the sound of the rain beating on the glass, there’s little to distract me from ‘Mission Paint’. I’ve gone back to how I really started, always loving to draw and always encouraged to draw. This started as a landscape with trees, and I’ve reworked it to a painting of a barn/shed, which is located in the middle of a field on the edge of Chalford. The landscape wasn’t working for me, so I merged the two pieces. It’s one of my favourite spots in this area. Is it finished? Management tells me it is, but there are times … Continue reading Paintings, I blame the rain.
For some unknown reason I got a posting on Facebook featuring Jodie Foster, the well known American film actor now an equally, if not more talented director, asking about impossible words to pronounce in French. She is a fluent French speaker. Now I did ‘O’level French and then got another one when I tried to do the ‘A’ level version, way back in the mists of time. I never got around to doing the reading of all those French classics, like the eternally miserable books by Albert Camus. Wrist slashing stuff. My French is not great despite my being a … Continue reading Jodie could…
One of my recent paintings, this one is not an abstract effort, but just a celebration of a fine corrugated shed that I found locally during lockdown. I’m not sure if it survives, but it does in my painting. Acrylic and a little bit of pastel is the medium. Continue reading Corrugated Shed celebrated…
Insurance? It’s a mystery tour to me. Seems like they get their prices by throwing a few number blocks in the air and then settling on the red ones. Some companies, like plumbers, give you such an astronomical price that you wonder if they do it to make sure you won’t buy.. Of course, as one gets older, it gets more expensive. I’m talking about travel insurance here, but it can apply to driving. While driving, the risks do increase as our faculties and reactions slow to the same speed we now drive. Younger drivers toot for no apparent reason. … Continue reading Who buys this stuff?
It’s an unusual phrase and very apt today. someone keeps throwing their toys out of the pram and it’s embarrassing for those who are ‘related’ in some way. People have different opinions on how to deal with the naughty child, after all he’s always done this sort of thing. Most keep their own children away from him, especially their daughters. Others think it might be best to give him what he wants, but others counsel caution saying he’ll only do it again, and will grow up to be a sulky troublesome teenager, and then end up either in prison or … Continue reading Expect the Unexpected
One or the other, not sure if it was a commission or just a little personal sketch, came out of the bottom drawer. Reminded me a little of that chap on the telly, who was called Professor. Doctor Robert Winston, that’s the man it reminded me of. Used to be on the telly quite a lot… Continue reading Prof or Doc?
Another from the bottom drawer, I have no idea who commissioned this, but someone did. Yes, folks, I was paid money for illustrating a ‘frightened blob. Continue reading Gloop!
Getting into painting, one of a series of paintings I’m working on. All landscapes. I have a way to go yet. A journey of discovery and a pleasant one too. After years of drawing and not a lot of colour, it’s now a lot of colour and not quite so much drawing. I’m attempting abstract landscapes with mixed results, but mixing those colours is remarkably relaxing. It’s all a matter of knowing when to stop. Continue reading Splishy, splashy…
Another cartoon done for the English Tourist Board Magazine, many moons ago, for an edition that would include Shrove Tuesday, when we all make pancakes. Interestingly, the art editor has put a note at the top saying ‘don’t lose any of the pancakes at the top’ This is obviously a person who cares for my work. Continue reading Automatic Tosser
Paul Davies Cartoons & stuff 