New drawings, Slate Etching and Graffiti Art.

Friday:

What a horrible weather day it is here today, so I am going to start this blog like most of the others reflecting or just showing what I have done over the last 24 hours. I do this blog on a daily basis as part of my routine and to show what an artist like me does with my art time outside of life and work although sometimes I disclose a bit of that as well to give context.

So above and below are two pages I worked on last night and a little bit of today.

As you can see above are the two pages together, it is quite a bold statement in one small-ish book and I am wondering if I will get much done tonight as we are out at our friends Tree and Ally for dinner. They are the driving force behind the progressive music band Emerald Dawn.

Above are the results of my first etching on slate, I really like they way it has come out and want to get on with more partly because I would like to develop it for a workshop but I would also like to develop it for a series of drawings.

Above is a photo of Porthmeor today to show how deserted it is in these bad weather conditions, too rough for surfers and a great contrast to last week when it was still and warm, let us hope things improve next week. It is always a shame to lose an art tour to the weather but yesterday and today I really don't blame folk for not wanting to go out and draw in these inclement conditions.

As always in the quiet times of my day I start thinking of a whole range of 'art' thoughts and have just been reflecting on last nights art documentary 'A Brief History of Graffiti', an art form that I have always been down with, from the street art side up to the gallery works of its more famous luminaries. I like the way the program started with cave paintings and hand reliefs with ocre pigment right through to scratches into plaster and stone through the ages and how that kind of fitted in with my slate etching. There was a whole section that featured gallery work by Sowat and Lek and indeed their team. They took over a whole gallery and it ran very much in conjunction with the expansive thoughts I have had about what I would do with a whole gallery to play with. Other highlights were Blek le Rat and also the whole train works of Lee. The whole thing just makes me want to work harder to get more out in the world and to leave my mark.

New works on paper and Slate.

Thursday:

Above and below are the results of last evenings drawing session, above relates to the the previous drawing and below less so.

Today was a tourless day due to the weather so we continued up at the workshop and in the gaps I managed to do another drawing.

We spent some time coming up with new ideas for workshops so I started an idea of etching into slate and below is my first attempt although not finished but I am sure I can develop the idea.

This evening we had friends around for food and a development meeting and I must say it is a nice way of doing it. So consequently this is a less wordy blog than yesterday's but at least I have shown what I have been working on.

So a bit late in the day I am off to draw for a short while whilst winding down.

Cheers all and thanks for reading.

New drawing, Wet Wednesday, St Ives and Hokusai.

Wet Wednesday:

Above is the drawing I started last night and it was another of those ideas I have from time to time that seems to be pure and simple to start with and indeed the original though is. It is the amount of work such simple ideas bring up. The idea behind this was just horizontal lines with circles (hollow dots) across the page and 0.1 fine liner. I was still watching a documentary on Hokusai whilst I embarked on this the 92nd work in my latest book project. So as Hokusai's patient techniques were revealed I felt like I had a sort of kindred spirit or work ethic behind this drawing and my drawings in general. I drew for probably nearly three hours last night but hadn't finished but in some gaps and coffee breaks I manage to complete it so I can bring it to the blog as a new work

We both went up to Barnoon Workshop this morning so Zoe could get on with some painting and I was available for an art tour as I do five days a week at the moment. I really didn't think it was going to happen as it was another miserable day and such a contrast to last Wednesday which must have been 30 degrees or so. I was delighted and surprised that I had two people willing to go out to draw buildings in the rain.
We set off from the workshop heading for Barnoon Terrace to see if it was clement enough to get on with drawing, we almost immediately bumped into a chat looking for Barnoon Workshop because his wife wanted to join the tour, she found us shortly and we endured 15 minutes drawing. They actually did better than me as the had umbrellas, I did not. The decision was made that we would head off and go to The St Ives Society Of Artist and draw the inside of a building. We were welcomed by April who made us feel very at home so we got on with drawing. After a short while April appeared with a tray with a coffee and tea option with biscuits, very sweet and gratefully received too.

Above is the group drawing in The Society and below is one of the drawings I did whilst in there. We all said our fair wells and I headed back up to the workshop to get on with our improvements. I also snuck in a little drawing.

I have been thinking a lot recently of ideas for exhibitions as we are planning some exhibitions at Barnoon in the coming year some of these will be curated open shows and also a group exhibition and maybe even a solo show each for my wife Zoe Eaton and myself. It has also made me think of ideas for other solo shows should I be fortunate enough in future to get some offers.
I would love to do a solo show where I would continue to work on one room of the show for the duration or maybe to get the general public to continue a large room sized drawing or alternatively work on a long scroll work. They are just a few of the many many ideas I have including the drawings and some concepts to go with them that would have some interactivity. I want to make the most contemporary drawing exhibition ever, that is what I am working towards. I have started writing notes on it but I am not sharing all of those at this stage as some of them are not for public consumption as yet so that should I get the chance there will be some surprises and some are not fully formed yet.

So with that all in mind I will be off to draw soon on number 93 and to have my own little thoughts of 'world domination' and my breakthrough show by the time I am 60. Hokusai said that when he was 60 he was reborn, so 'ad astra adhoc', to the stars occasionally which coincidentally is the motto of the band The Monochrome Set and will be the title of this whole sketchbook work that I continue with tonight, I started the book on 3rd May so I think I have done well in under two months. I have some larger individual drawings in my head that I need to get out soon too.

Peace to all.

91st drawing in my book complete.

Tuesday:


In last evenings drawing session I kept on thinking about the art of Japan and those thoughts remained with me whilst I continued my work on the drawing above and indeed while I did the drawing below. At the end of the evening I was satisfied with what I had done and already had a firm idea of what I would do next.

Today started with me doing a Draw and Tour around St Ives and whilst I conducted the tour we stopped to draw on Smeatons Pier and I have been doing various different views across the bay and the one above is towards Porth Kidney and The Hayle River, only a scribble in some ways but it is a style I am working into at the moment and I really enjoy the freedom.

 Tour done and lunch eaten we then got on with doing some more improvements to the workshop and we also had time for a bit of art too. Below is the result of that time and the 91st drawing in my book, so less than fifty to go.....!

Whilst writing this blog I have been watching a documentary on Hokusai and I am rather captivated so I will ramble on on art another day.

Off to watch and draw.

Starting the week, St Ives Artist and drawing.

Monday:

In last nights drawing session I worked on three drawings but only finished two, above is the drawing I started the night before as you can appreciate it took quite a number hours to complete so as light relief I did a quick drawing below, on a slice of holly wood that was donated to me by Graham from The Barnoon Workshop Monday drawing group.

 Today started with the drawing group session at Barnoon run by my wife, the theme this morning was drawing with the senses. We started with feeling our faces and drawing what we felt with pens and the charcoal.

We then went on to drawing with smell, as that sense I feel is a bit more abstract and I had sniffed lemon oil I took that as a literal start without really thinking and the melded that with a bit of the style of my latest series of drawings and so above is my abstract lemon.

We had done the first half of the workshop in silence apart from our banter, Zoe then introduced a musical element in the form of some Brian Eno instrumentals and this above is what came out.

Above is the last drawing I did as part of the drawing workshop, I didn't quite finish it but managed to complete the 'colouring in' during gaps of continuing to spruce up the workshop.

I am just about to watch a television program 'The Art Of Japanese Life'. It is the third and final part of this documentary series, I have been fascinated so far and with it starting with Bento Boxes is a great start. Life and art, I can feel that.

New drawing and some from my drawing tours.

The day of rest:

Last evening I spent quite a bit of the night watching/listening to Glastonbury whilst drawing. I only finished one whole drawing last night but I did start a second which I have spent quite a bit of time on but should get it finished in my session tonight.

Above is an art drop I did today whilst sorting out a few bits at the workshop and making more space up there.

Below are a few of the drawings I have done whilst conducting our drawing tours this week.

Above one from Wednesday's 'buildings' drawing tour from Barnoon Terrace.

Above a few gestural drawings from Thursdays 'beach life' and below some from Friday's Flora and Fauna. I really do enjoy drawing plants.

I am now off to draw and watch Poldark.

Glastonbury Festival, New Drawings and Sea Pottery.

Saturday:

It is Saturday now but let me bring you up to date with the drawing I managed to complete in the last 24 hours. Above is the first drawing I completed even though I had already made a bit of a start yesterday. As I am accustomed at the moment I slipped into the next idea and started drawing almost immediately

Above is that drawing started and completed whilst watching the Glastonbury Festival coverage, it went from a round up of some of the highlights and onto the entire Radiohead set. I have been quite a fan probably from the second album The Bends although everyone knew Creep before that. I have always been delighted by their stance and the more avant garde side of the band and last night was two hours of strange wonder from them. Safe to say I was totally enthralled.

I started the drawing above last night also and made a good start but didn't finish as we had work tomorrow.

So Saturday started with us opening the workshop up for a drawing workshop that was booked for a group of ladies. We found out quickly that this learning to draw session was booked by one lady as a surprise for the group' I did the first three quarters of an hour with them before my drawing tour which took slightly longer than usual as when we go to look at two of the large paintings housed there as we had finished looking at these painting I realised the council chamber was open so we popped in to take a look at a very special oil painting inside. I have only given it a quick look before at a seminar earlier in the year on online marketing. I had spied it then and so with this opportunity we popped in for a gander. It was quite a bit older than the works in and around the stair well and showed only some visible signs of modern St Ives. Some of the Harbour, the Church and The Terrace above up where the Leisure Centre and The Junior School is was a tin mine. I must get back in there for another look sometime and find out more about it too, it was also a fitting end to our tour and draw.

After the tour we went and manned the workshop where we were intending to do a portrait session however the weather was against us but I had one taker for one of my 'Ostraca Profiles' but quite frankly it was very quiet. A friend and fellow artist Gazelle came and joined us and we spant a happy afternoon chatting and working on some of our own drawings.

 

Above is the drawing I finished in the gaps this afternoon.

I have also managed to do my next art drop which is below. Five fragments of 'sea pottery with ideas flowing out from my book ideas. These sea pottery fragments I like to collect from the beach and then draw on them it makes quite a change from flat paper. I tend to leave them around for people to find and pick up and sometimes I also give them as little presents. All the most recent ones have been found and that was a bit of the motivation to do a few more so I will probably sign these tomorrow and put them somewhere.

I am off to draw now and probably watch more of the Glastonbury Festival music coverage.

Cheers all!

Friday, New drawings etc.

Friday:

Today has been a day of a drawing workshop on the coastal path, good weather but a little windy. Some lovely drawings done of the flora and fauna around Man's Head. I saw a baby adder moving off the coastal path at quite a rate, it was no more than 6 inches long and almost worm thin. Whilst drawing we spotted quite a few Common Blue butterflies, we also had quite a close low level fly-by of RAF Hercules. So all in all a nice session.

This afternoon we worked on improvements to the Workshop.

 Above is the first drawing I did in last evenings drawing session a much lighter treatment to some of the drawings in this book so far and a lighter contrast to more intense works.

And above is the second drawing I did last night and I think it is probably number 82 so far out of 140, so quite a bit over halfway and I have already started the next one which is well on the way and what I will be getting on with soon.

I am now watching the Glastonbury Festival coverage on the BBC. I first went in 1979 and the last time was 1992. One day who knows I may return and I think that every year when I watch it on TV.

I am off now.

New drawings and drawing.

Thursday:

In the last 24 hours I have done three drawings, The one above is from my whole sketchbook work that seems to have taken over all my drawing hours and to break that up a little I sometimes do smaller drawings on small sea pottery fragments that become my 'art drops'. The two below I left out and about for people to find. These are informed by all these recent drawings I have been doing in a real flow in my recent project. I am now really starting to think about doing some larger drawings inspired by this book project and also trying to work out how to fit in the time to do so.

Thoughts have now started to plan a joint exhibition with my wife's painting and my drawings in early October. We are slowly turning the inside of our workshop into not just a workshop but an exhibition space too. We are starting to think of a title, which may well influence what kind of work we do if we come up with it soon. The title may arrive soon or not who knows.

Today I did a small drawing tour/class down above Porthmeor, drawing beach life and the surrounds, an hour and a half went by pretty fast and since then we have done some very boring stuff.

So I am off to draw as I do a minimum of 360 days a year, it has become so much a part of my life over the last 10 years or more but if you had asked me then that I would be leading some drawing tours and classes in St Ives Cornwall I probably wouldn't have believed you although it was probably a small idea or fantasy but very very unlikely. How life can change.

New work, drawing tour and The Solstice.

Wednesday:

Above is the drawing I was doing last night, I hadn't quite completed it so as I awaited my drawing tour this morning I did a bit more but I still hadn't completed it when it came time for my tour.

Today's drawing tour was on buildings, so we went off first to Barnoon Terrace and then off to the back of Norway Square and above is what I did in my sketchbook. When I say sketchbook I now have several on the go, my abstract sketchbook project and several that I am using on my drawing tours.
I was watching a documentary on Turner last night and it gave a bit of an insight into his sketchbooks and how simple some of those drawing were and how they fed into his larger work. I am sure mine have fed into my bigger works I just wish I had time to do more big works but I have all the ideas for them piling up in my books and hopefully they will be unleashed at a future date, I have so many plans.......

This afternoon after our packed lunch salad at the workshop Zoe did some painting. My wife is making her way back into her work and is starting to make progress again and I am looking forward to the results.

Whilst Zoe was painting I went outside for some sun and to draw and above is what I have done, I nearly finished it off a we caught an hour or so on Porth Gwidden and then finished it off between then and now.

I had a five minute moment and also drew on this Shell.

Well after the hottest Solstice day I can remember I am off to draw.

Cheers.

New drawing and a drawing tour.

Tuesday:

Here is my latest finished drawing above, I completed last night and another in the series The Monochrome Set in my latest book. I am continuing on the book later when I have finished this blog.

 This morning I we up to the workshop as Zoe had a private drawing class and I left them at 11am to do a drawing tour for 5 which nice. One of the gathering is an electronic musician so we swapped details and keep up with what we are doing musically.

After the tour finished I bought a couple of cold drinks to take back up to the workshop it has been nearly 30 degrees today at least. We had a late lunch after the class finished and then went for a relaxing coffee at The Rum & Crab Shack.

 Above and below ia a little art drop I did there. I kind of left them as a bit of fun if anyone finds them or as a little tip. Both were signed.

I was looking through some recent-ish non abstract drawings and thought I would share this one I did of someone on the beach before the weather has hotted up.

Above a little view out of our bedroom window just to show how green it all is. Perhaps I should draw it sometime.

I am now off to draw and relax.

New drawings and more.

Monday:

 Above and below are 75 and 76 in my current book project, two very different drawings that seem to fit in a nice random way into the book as a whole, which is my intention for this work.

I also did this small pottery fragment drawing in last nights session and I am sure it will be used in a future art drop.

Man's Head

Monday starts as Monday does at Barnoon Workshop with my wife's weekly drawing class, it was good group today and we went out and about West Beach Bakery to draw and figure out perspective.
Something I think the whole group finds hard and above is my most successful drawing from this morning.

The weather was very hot today so we shared a spot of lunch on Porthmeor and even had a sighting of a pod of six or so dolphins, it always lifts your spirit.

Above is a pic in the blazing sunshine of our workshop.

This afternoon after doing a bit of planning went down town to get some fruit to draw in tomorrows private drawing lesson.

Whilst down town I bumped into Steve Jones who has been working on I should Coco's new workshop place. Steve is a well known local singer songwriter and we have played together a few times. Once in the Kettle and Wink where I play some guitar with him and Simon Guthrie and he also was the lead singer for a few Bobby Wotnot gigs that we did a few years ago and you never know we may again in the future.

I am off to draw and it is going to be a really warm night.

Cheers