My Christmas pictures take you not only to Oxford and Oxfordshire, but to two of my other favourite places in Britain. Nottinghamshire is my county of birth, and where one of my sons now lives. As for London, I have been visiting and sketching there since I was about 11.

I have always liked Christmas - the brightness and warmth of the decorations, the smells and tastes of the markets, and the carol-singing. Where I live, we sing in the village square, accompanied by a brass band - and naturally, with mince pies and mulled wine.

I also enjoy painting Christmas pictures - although the season does present challenges. When I began adding watercolour to my sketch of the old chapel in Lower Heyford, the day was so cold - with snow on the ground - that the paint just would not dry. I had no alternative but to stop and finish the picture in my tiny studio at home. For the pictures displayed here, the sketches were done on the spot, but the pastels were all painted in the studio, using photographs as references.

For Artweek last May, I transformed the old wash house in our cottage garden into a pop-up gallery. Against the backdrop of the weathered brickwork, I showed a collection of pastel, watercolour and pen pictures.

Subjects include Oxfordshire, the West Country, London, Venice, Greece, New York and Amsterdam. Pictures of villages, cities, harbours and coastlines. What attract me are the atmosphere and colours of the scene. Almost all my pictures are based on sketches or photographs of places I have visited.

I have sketched since I was nine, but started painting more substantial pictures only after I retired. About four years ago, I began to use pastel -- which surprised me, because when I first tried it a long time ago, I didn't get on with it. I found it messy and unresponsive. But I now realise I was using a cheap, brittle set of pastels that I'd bought on the high street. Most pastels you can buy from an art shop are a delight to use, and are much more resposive. It's so simple to add pure colour to the paper in an an instant. You need no water or white spirit or other medium ...just pure pastel.

For the past two years, I have had pictures selected for the Pastel Society annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London. I am self-taught; I learned from studying books by artists, attending exhibitions and workshops, regular sketching and experimenting.

If you are interested in finding out more about pastels, I recommend visiting the Pastel Society exhibition which in 2024 is at the Mall Galleries from January 24 to February 10. You can see a wide range of styles - and, who knows, you might be inspired to have a go yourself, like I was!