Dandelions and Double Yellows is an art, nature and noticing project that considers plants that are often dismissed as weeds and asks whether we might reconsider these plants. I’ve been sketching, painting and noticing pavement plants on the daily walk to and from my studio in Wakefield throughout the project. The more I take notice… Continue reading Dandelions and Double Yellows: Submissions for Your Gallery
Dandelions and the desk
I’ve been doing a lot of desk work for Dandelions and Double Yellows this week; planning, organising, and making preparations to invite people to be part of Dandelions and Double Yellows by sending images of pavement plants to be exhibited in an online gallery. I’m very keen to get back to making and painting and… Continue reading Dandelions and the desk
Noticing
Can we think differently about ‘weeds’, landscape management, the ‘need’ to tidy? Even in January there were many small plants growing in gaps between tarmac, concrete and brick in the back street behind home.Patches of green, of visual interest; habitat for wildlife at a scale we might not notice Recently the street appears to have… Continue reading Noticing
Story of the blues
Colour research, looking at metal fencing near Thornes Lane, on the outskirts of Wakefield. Back at the studio I made several colour swatches on paper and then returned to site the next day to match up against the fence. The colour tests are for one of the pieces that I’m making for the Dandelions and… Continue reading Story of the blues
The width of doubles – part two
In a recent blog post I wrote about starting a long narrow scroll painting based on memories of mosses. I’d carefully considered the width, measured and cut a paper strip 7cm x 350cm, and spent many hours painting, when the thought finally popped into my head – how wide are double yellow lines? I knew… Continue reading The width of doubles – part two
The width of doubles – part one
I’m making a scroll format painting for the Dandelions and Double Yellows exhibition, actually, the final format of the display is still to be decided. What I do know is that I’m making a very long narrow painting based on green gold memories of winter mosses. I’ve been thinking about the width of a line,… Continue reading The width of doubles – part one
Furtive inkings
On Monday evening (4th January) the PM announced a new national lockdown, coming into effect on Tuesday 5th January, with instruction to work from home where possible. My studio is at The Art House in Wakefield; we were notified immediately after the PM’s announcement that the studios would have to temporarily close. In my current… Continue reading Furtive inkings
Groundsel, Cathedral Grounds, Grounded
I started this painting early in 2020 to exhibit at Wakefield Cathedral later that year. When the PM announced the first coronavirus lockdown in the UK on 23rd March 2020 The Art House had to close its doors and I had to leave it in the studio. During lockdown my makeshift home studio was a… Continue reading Groundsel, Cathedral Grounds, Grounded
Sketches in the snow
As I cycled back form checking in with my mum this afternoon fast and heavy snowfall filled my eyes in icy globs and transformed the landscape and soundscape in moments. Once home and changed into dry clothes I couldn’t resist nipping out to snap a few photos and do a quick sketch on Charleswoth Way.… Continue reading Sketches in the snow
In the last light of 2020
A chilly and invigorating afternoon out sketching in the last light of 2020, on the edge of the vacant car sales plot on Charlesworth Way. Vibrant green margins of frost fringed mosses and tiny, ground-hugging rosettes of plants that I mainly can’t identify yet apart from the distinctive toothed leaves of Dandelion (which takes its… Continue reading In the last light of 2020