Stardust.

This is from a few years ago now. It was done at a life- drawing evening class but was not influenced purely by the model. It's also derived from a dream I had when I was very ill in hospital some time earlier, the impression of which has stayed with me to this day. It is also influenced by the scientific theory that everything in the universe, including our own bodies, is constructed from stardust, ie basic elements. That all sounds a bit deep but I had a lot of fun doing it!! 
Watercolour and wax crayon.

Edgewick Farm.

Work is still very demanding at the moment and I'm having to snatch a few minutes here and there. This is a picture I did earlier this year and is the last of the snow scenes. I tried to get a bit more colour going here and that's something I want to continue to develop. Watercolour on Langton 140lb.

Pen and Wash

Work is crazy at the moment. What little time I have off finds me tired and completely devoid of inspiration. At times like this I can stare at a blank piece of paper for hours without moving, totally powerless. However, rather than wasting precious hours, I've spent the odd 15 mins or so here and there putting watercolour washes over some old ink sketches. One of them shown here is a sketch from earlier in this blog. I've really enjoyed doing this as the guidelines are already in place, as is some of the tone, it's just a matter of colour selection. Ideal for an addled old brain. I also quite like the way washes behave on cartridge paper. I'm definitely going to do more work like this when time is short and energy is low.

St Ives

This is the "twin" of the St Ives painting which I posted at the start of my blog. Again it was done for my wife and I had the countless hours these things take to hand because I was off work with an injury at the time. I claim absolutely no credit for the style and would like to acknowledge Polly Gardiner as a major influence. I had so much fun doing this, I found it so liberating being able to disregard perspective rules and realism, as well as playing with pretty colours. It also transported me back to happy holiday times and sunshine. Watercolour on Langton 140lb NOT.