My work is mostly everyday things drawn in pen and ink and coloured pencil. These are then produced, either individually or as montages, as limited edition giclée prints which are available to buy. Many images were taken from or inspired by a daily sketching project started in 2018. These sketches were all made in small A6 sketchbooks, some of which will be on show, together with a video display of the 1000+ images from the project.
There will be also be a number of portraits on show, painted in oils, including one painted for the Portraits for NHS Heroes initiative, and a portrait of friends painted to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.
Visitors are asked to follow our covid safety policy, to wear a mask, use the hand sanitiser provided and maintain a safe distance from other visitors. Artwork will be displayed in a large room accessed through patio doors and will be limited to one household group, a maximum of four people, at a time. Spaces will be available in the garden for those waiting to visit. Further information will be displayed on site and you can read the full policy here.
[ up-to-date Covid information available closer to Artweeks ]
Should changes to the Covid restrictions mean we are no longer able to welcome you, or you are otherwise unable to visit in person, you can see an online exhibition here:
[ catalogue available closer to Artweeks ]
… and the 1000 sketches project here:
I have worked as a graphic designer, either running my own studios or working freelance, for over 30 years. Sketching and painting had been an occasional pastime, but never a serious pursuit. I had always kept a (mostly untouched) sketchbook, but on New Years Day 2018 I decided to try and make a drawing every day. I posted the first picture, a less than impressive doodle of our Christmas Tree, on Twitter and declared my intention to the few friends who followed me.
Thanks to the occasional tweet of encouragement I made it through January. Most of my drawings were of fairly ordinary, everyday things, and in the February I entered a sketch of a kitchen grater to The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Much to my surprise it was selected and with this additional boost of encouragement I just carried on.
The daily sketches were beginning to look like a body of work so, in July 2019, I had what I optimistically called my first solo exhibition, '365 Days and Counting', at Hemingway Art, in Cassington, Oxford, featuring the 365 black and white drawings made in 2018 plus others, some now with colour.
I also enjoy painting portraits in oils. In 2020 a portrait of friends, painted for their 50th Wedding anniversary, made it through the first round of judging for the BP Portrait Award. More recently I have produced one or two commissions, a portrait of a young paramedic for the Portraits for NHS Heroes initiative started by talented local portrait artist Tom Croft, and have been joining-in with the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Week challenge, which I hope will help improve my technique and the speed of my painting.
In September 2020 I made my 1,000th daily sketch and am currently taking a break from daily drawings to concentrate on commissions and more involved projects. I still mostly draw ordinary things in pen & ink and coloured pencil but am also now devoting more time to oil painting and portraiture.