Back in 2002 I used to go off roading with Richard and his daughter Amy and my son Duncan. Richard brought Storm along for the ride in his swb Defender. I had a lwb truck cab series 3 which was slow and noisy on the road but great in the mud. Duncan and Amy are both in the police now and none of us have land rovers any more.
One of my favourite comic book artists is Jean Paul Gibran the french illustrator. This is a copy of one of his illustrations, his chic french girls are beautifully drawn but appear deceptively simple.
I have been working on a couple of things for Christmas today so here is a sketch from a couple of weeks ago. Corfe Castle with sheep.
Today’s Sky arts portrait of the year featured the journalist Samira Ahmed. I used an acrylic ground with oils over the top, a technique I haven’t tried before. It took me two and a half hours which is probably the longest time I have ever spent on one portrait.
Today’s people are in a yoga class. I tried yoga once at home, my wife sat on the sofa in fits of laughter while my two labradors tried to join in by licking me and getting underneath me every time ai bent down, I am afraid ai gave up after that. Perhaps I would do better joining a class with these three but I am afraid I may lose concentration!
I spent today in Bridport visiting a sick friend so I haven’t had time to paint. This is a watercolour I did while we were away in the motorhome a couple of weeks ago. A bit of an autumn theme.
Today’s plein air session with Broadstone Art Society was to Pamphill in Dorset. There are lots of very picturesque thatched cottages, tall trees and grassy swathes making it ideal for artists. However I couldn’t bring myself to paint a thatched cottages so I chose a pylon.
We are staying on a small camp site near to Stratford on Avon. In a small paddock next to us I discovered this old Land Rover and chickens. Walking across the fields this morning Nuala chased a deer, I told her afterwards that thousands of years as a prey animal has adapted them to escape from wolves so they are not going to have a problem outrunning a labrador that wants to lick them to death. She is now snoring loudly in the caravan ( the dog, not the deer!)
We are staying on a site on the Blenheim Palace estate, it’s a nice shady site with a big field next door to run the dogs in. Yesterday we walked in to Woodstock which is a charming little market town with lots of honey coloured stone. It isn’t too posh which is surprising being right on the doorstep of the palace.
Couldn’t resist photographing this field of sunflowers just as the sun came up this morning. I may have to paint them later.
