Artist at work

Artist Viv Richards very kindly let me draw her in her studio today as she worked on some new pieces of work.  Although based in London, Viv’s work is inspired by coast and, her studio, at the end of a pebbled path, is like a timber-clad beach hut, festooned with pretty fairy lights. She uses old magazines and paint to make evocative collages of the seashore and you can view her work online at http://www.vivrichardsart.co.uk/#!

Her work is also exhibited at the following galleries;

William Perry Gallery, Lyme Regis, Dorset

Harbour Gallery, Whitstable, Kent

Broadstairs Gallery, Broadstairs, Kent

coffee shop

violin

under the fence

Westfield cafe

reading the paper

baked beans

Print Giveaway Result!

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my ‘Virtual Exhibition’ page.  The winner picked out of the hat is Dave Heron.  If Dave can contact me by email sometime over the next week, I will get the print of ‘The Gherkin’ ready to send off to you.  

Dandelions

fork 'andles

at Tower Bridge

Courtyard at Somerset House

Dorito

Fairy lights

 Animated fairy lights 

original drawing from December

Bay leaves

Coffee queue

Inside the Palm House

Tree at Kew Gardens

Meeting of minds

Planning for the ‘Visual Arts Trail’ of the Sydenham Arts Festival 2013, in South East London, is well underway.  The committee, made up of local creative people, kindly invited me along to a planning meeting to sketch them as they discussed their plans for this year.

The Arts Trail, in which local artists open their homes and studios, is in its fifth year.  A map with the complete listing will be available nearer to the time of the Festival, which runs from Saturday 29 June 2013 and Sunday 14 July 2013.

For further information about this year’s festival, and to see highlights from last year, go to http://www.sydenhamartsfestival.co.uk/

 (urban sketch)

GIVEAWAY!

To mark the last week of my ‘Virtual Exhibition’, I’m planning to give away a signed print!

Just leave a comment on the ‘Virtual Exhibition’ page and I’ll pick out one name at random to receive the print.  Comments can be left until 19^th April 11.59pm (London time).  I will announce the winner on the 24^th April and they will have a week to claim their prize, otherwise another name will be drawn.  One print is available.

About the print

The print is of the building nicknamed ‘The Gherkin’ in London and I made the drawing originally in my sketchbook on the ‘Open House’ weekend in September 2012.  The image has been professionally printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art paper, 308gsm; using UltraChrome K3 pigment inks and has a hand-sewn centre replicating the one in the sketchbook. 

 The print, including mount, measures 50x23cm.

pigeon

(with a touch of Photoshop)

(urban sketch)

back to St.Pancras

Continuing from Sunday

a View with a thrill

Having only just recently seen ‘Skyfall’, it was a treat to sit in the National Portrait Gallery Restaurant and see a similar view to the one in the film across the rooftops of Whitehall and I managed to sketch a small part of the fabulous panorama.

waiting for Picasso

A quick sketch made at the top of the stairs at the Courtauld Gallery whilst waiting for a time slot to see the  'Becoming Picasso' exhibition.  To find out more about the exhibition and Gallery, which is part of the Somerset House complex, go to http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/exhibitions/2013/becoming-picasso/

train at St. Pancras

To be continued...

veg beds

Whilst at the Horniman Gardens yesterday, I thought it might be an idea to draw the large beds where, hopefully, in a few months time, they will be abundant with fruit and vegetables.  Need to follow this drawing up later in the year.

City view

Looking towards the city from the beautiful Horniman Gardens on a sunny but cold Saturday.  The Horniman Museum is one of the finalists in the ‘Art Fund Museum of the Year 2013’.

For more details go to http://www.artfund.org/news/2013/04/02/museum-of-the-year-2013-finalists-announced

grey day

urban sketch with a hint of colour from Photoshop

British Summer Time

The clocks went forward at the weekend for the start of British Summer Time, so today it snowed in London!

(urban sketch before animated snow added)

French Connection

I made this drawing in the Art Deco Reading Room of the French Institute in Kensington, London.  There are plans to restore the room as part of a campaign to transform the building.  To find out more about it and the wide range of activities offered there, go to http://www.institut-francais.org.uk

Tulips from Amsterdam?

back garden continued

Continuing a sketch of the back garden started on Saturday before the cold got too much!  I think I may add some more another day , especially to the far sides.

Whilst drawing the trees, the work of Montreal Urban Sketcher Shari Blaukopf came to mind.  She has a great mastery of using watercolour to paint trees.  

See her work here http://shariblaukopf.com/2013/01/23/lunchtime-panorama/