Not a bad day at all.

Friday:

Above is the second drawing I did last night and a bit more minimal than the one I forgot to photograph to share. I will put it up tomorrow. This drawing however marks the fact that I am now actually halfway through this project. A £6 sketchbook can go a long way with me. I started this whole sketchbook on May 3rd and it already has a working title of The Monochrome Set.

 Today started with me going up to Barnoon Workshop as I am now accustomed 5 days a week to do a 'tour and draw'. Today's subject was coastal flora and fauna and as I waited for people to turn up I started the drawing above.

There was a knock at the door and some drawers had turned up so off towards Clodgy we went on the coastal path to find a suitable spot. We got just beyond Man's Head and then got stuck into drawing on the cliff tops, I didn't manage to take any pics of what I did but it was a really nice session in the sun, hearing the waves booming under the cliff below.

 Above is the two middle pages so far although the drawing I did earlier before the tour I will certainly be adding to but I did kind of like the way it sat there before I carry on with it.

 When I returned to the workshop I was greeted my this lovely shadow on the wall created by a pot of cornflowers we have been growing at home but took up to draw in a drawing session and it just caught my eye. Two different views above and below.

After the tour I went back to the workshop and was joined by my wife and we had an invite by dear friends Lauren and Graham for a late lunch in their new flat. Honoured to be their first guests and great food banter and coffee was had. I love how this town rolls.

Above is the view out of their new lounge window, rather splendid!

We also picked up the rest of our work from The St Ives Society of Artists.

I am off to draw

New work and work in progress and stuff.

Over the last week or so I have been reviewing my last 'whole sketchbook' and whilst doing that and adding the odd dot or minor complication however I have added quite a number of extra dots to this one above. I might have finished but I won't really know until I give it another look when I start drawing later.

Today has been a muddled kind of a day, we got up early and drove to Newquay Airport to my wife's daughter could catch a flight that would eventually get her back to Dubai via Gatwick and The Ukraine. Her journey didn't start well because Gatwick was fog bound but as far as we know she is well on the way now.
Our friends Graham and Lauren lent us their car so we could to this one. So after getting up at 5 am and getting back by 8am we realised our colds were getting worse.

In the afternoon we have both managed to start work on some art, at these times I tend to get out a larger project so I did about 3 hours on this and it is nice to seeing it grow again but  I realise it is still going to take many hours of work to get it to completion.

Above are two close-ups of that larger drawing to give you a better idea of what is going on and how many dots it is taking to make up the full image.

I have also included some recent close-ups of some other recent drawings.

I think this cold/lurgy is going to stop us from joining in the St Ives New Years Eve celebrations. I am sure the thousands of fancy dressed up revelers will be stunning as usual and I am told the fireworks will be tops too.

Well I am going to slope off and listen and watch the new year in. I am hoping and maybe it is a big hope that 2017 will be better but I do fear for it. I still believe in Love, Peace and Understanding, on the side if I bury myself in my art more perhaps I will be a bit more insulated against this rather mad world we find ourselves in.

Good Luck all!

New, old and Lauren Sebastian's Private View.

Above and below are a new drawing/s I did last night trying to keep it more minimal but you never know I might add to them later on but I might not.

Above and below are another double drawing I did last night.

All the above were done whilst watching Friday night television, in my opinion the most entertaining program last night that I saw last night was Hip Hop World News and good look into Rodney P's vision of Hip Hop. He showed such reverence to Chuck D from Public Enemy and got all emotional but meeting your heroes is a difficult thing, he didn't talk as much rubbish as I did when I met Bill Drummond a number of years ago. It was in a work context but I had been such a fan since his Zoo record days and then as House music's agitator with Jimmy Cauty through to his varied and interesting  career as an author and co-author, The Manual with the afore mention JC through to 45, How to be an Artist and The 17 all fascinating reads. A very interesting man indeed and someone I still follow his eccentric career through the world. Lets face it he burnt a million quid after dissolving the KLF.

Above is a drawing I left at Cafe Art yesterday but I picked it up today, I know it is not the clearest photo ever but it gives you an idea of how my smaller works can been shown off.

Well here we are Lauren Sebastian's private view for her current exhibition at The Salt House Gallery. Above we have my lovely wife Zoe Eaton and Claire and Tim Stockings Baker.

Above Graham Emes the guitar maker and partner of Lauren.

Above Lauren in pink enjoying her private view.

Above Lauren's explanation of one of her Non Ordinary Beings paintings

Zoe, Erin Lacy and Lauren.

Above is a panorama shot that Graham took that he sent me so I could put it in my blog. It was a good night out seeing old friends and newer ones and nice to see for all of Lauren's hard work that she had some sales too. A good few years ago now we had an exhibition at Cafe Art by Lauren that was more drawings than paintings and I must say that Lauren has come a long long way with paint since then, her delicate touches of paint are now quite sublime and have a depth.

Having eaten a few flapjacks and a few glasses of wine I need to get some drawing done.

Cheers all.

All over the place day..... The Sloop Craft Market, Uys Gallery, Shanty Baba

Above and below are pics of Lauren Sabestian's new work place, congrats on getting one of the Sloop Craft Markets studios, she chose one of my sea pottery drawings for the new place.
Graham and Lauren look so happy to be in there. I visited them after collecting my cheque for my sold art work at The St Ives Society of artist.

Above is a pic of Melanie Uys in her gallery with one of my slate pieces and one of my wife's Zoe Eaton's painting behind her.

Above is one of Melanie's husbands bowls and I tell you, what Roelof Uys does with ceramics I think they are fab.

Above is one of my guitar student being put through his paces, he has been making strides forward recently.

Above and below are my new drawings that I completed last night.

I am very happy with them.

I am also very happy with this one.

More drawing to be done tonight and workshops to do at Barnoon tomorrow.

It has been such a 'mad' day today that at the end of play we went to The Castle for a couple of pints on the way home and bumped into Shanty Baba, St Ives's famous story teller. He does brilliant walks and fab show at the St Ives Arts Club.

Still feeling a bit tired now after two early pints so I will get in more art moded theories another day.

Cheers

Somebody else's studio etc

Above is a small bit of sea pottery that I did a little drawing on while we had an after work pint in the Rum & Crab Shack. We decided we would have a little relax after hosting a kids birthday at Barnoon Workshop. So not much art done today, mainly work for the workshop, turned clay at 11am then back up there before 3pm to get ready for a pottery party.

Above and below are our friends who have a studio in the shadow of Rosewall Hill. Graham and Lauren came back to St Ives towards the end of last year to set up a studio. Graham is making his own classical and flamenco guitars, I can tell you that Graham is a master craftsman. I have played one of his guitars and they are wonderful. The guitar above is a blonde flamenco that is having its final polish.

Lauren shares the studio and does her painting and she seems to be making great strides and selling too.
It was a lovely visit, some great coffee and cake and some very warm company, they really are very sweet people. We first met them when we opened Cafe Art and they soon became firm friends. Graham played a few little flamenco shows in the cafe before they left for Spain where Graham went to learn how to make guitars. I am so glad they are back because they were such a part of our initial St Ives experience.

I am aiming to finish my latest big drawing tomorrow, only a few hours work on it I think but until then I will be thinking and drawing in my sketchbook with a couple if ciders, well it is Saturday night.

As I am writing this Tom Robinson on 6Music is playing some great retro stuff The The and Wire, just up my street but hey I am still 'digging' new tunes too. Talking of music I was very impressed with Iggy Pop on Jools Holland last night, what a dude.

Cheers, more drawing to do.....