Unknown Knight

Well, I'm sure someone knows who he is, but I don't.

When my wife and I stayed at Bodelwyddan Castle in North Wales some weeks ago, I spent many hours wandering around the castle grounds and formal gardens taking hundreds of photo's as reference material for future drawings and paintings. One of the features I discovered was this statue of a Knight set into an alcove in the East wall of the castle. Despite asking a few people at the time, and checking online since, I've failed to learn the identity of this guy.

I run various painting and drawing projects in my art forum, the primary aim of which is to encourage, help and challenge beginners. I chose this chappy for the most recent drawing project as I thought it might be a good way to tempt people who don't normally draw people, to draw a person without really drawing a person, if you know what I mean. LOL. Anyway, this was my effort and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sharing our art

Last week, my good friend Ingrid (Ingrid Ormestad Art) travelled down from Scotland to spend a week with my wife and I. Ingrid and I promised ourselves lots of art, and that's just what we did. In particular we agreed to get out and about with our brushes and do some plein air painting, something neither of us have done before.

We visited Castle Ashby Gardens, which is where I found the Secret Garden I painted a while ago. The sun was shining wonderfully and we sat in the shade of the Arches in the Italian Garden to sketch. It is a very formal Italian style garden with perfectly manicured hedges and bushes. Ingrid chose pencil to sketch a large Urn, and I chose my soluble ink pen to sketch the Orangery at the far end of the garden. I washed in some shadows using my Aquabrush.

After exploring more area's of the garden, including the Secret Garden which looked just as beautiful as it did the first time I saw it, we found a bench to sit on and attempted some painting. We chose this Urn which was set back in dark shadows. Although I'm happy with the Urn, I wish I hadn't tried to paint the dark background.


On the Wednesday we went to London for the day, mainly to visit the Society of Women Artists annual exhibition in The Mall Galleries. It was a great day that started with the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and ended at Westminster, at the foot of Big Ben. The art exhibition was all we'd expected and it was fascinating looking at so many superb works.

Many of our plein air excursions resulted in us doodling on paper as we discussed painting and drawing techniques and shared idea's. We needn't have gone out to do those things but we just did what we wanted to do at the time, and it was as much fun sharing our methods as it would have been trying to create a new masterpiece. On one occasion, having just set up all our stuff, the heavens opened and the rain fell. We sat in the car until it stopped and then set up again. Not long into our painting, it rained again. My 'masterpiece' got washed from the paper and Ingrid said it looked like a Monet. lol. I may try and finish it because I did take a reference photo before we started.

Not all of our outdoor painting involved travelling. We had several sessions painting and sketching in my garden. One item of garden furniture that received more than it's fair share of our attention was my rusting cast iron Chiminea. Not only did we both paint it and sketch it on more than one occasion, but one evening the three of us sat out until late burning logs and talking.


This was my first art experience in the company of another artist and I have to say I had the best time ever. Exchanging idea's, discussing techniques, looking over each others shoulder and allowing our own shoulder to be looked over, was a very rewarding, informative and satisfying experience. Thank you Ingrid for the best week ever. ;-)

Jack of all trades …

My last several pieces have been in pencil and so I was keen to get back to watercolours. Apart from anything else, I have just treated myself to a new desk easel and 5 new Windsor & Newton Sceptre Gold brushes. But I am somewhat disappointed … not in the new brushes but my own ability.

Recently I found myself waiting for my wife as she attended a funeral and I couldn’t help but kill time (excuse the pun) by sketching the quaint little chapel. The sketch had to be done standing under the shelter of a tree as the wind brought in the beginnings of a shower. (That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it).

Later, at home, I decided to paint the chapel in watercolours. Fortunately I had taken a couple of reference photo’s which I was very pleased about as my sketch really wasn’t good enough to work from. But the resulting painting was not good. Much too wishy-washy, flat and under-defined. I managed to ‘rescue’ it, to some extent, by using a pen which at least brought in some definition and lifted the flatness … a little.

Another day I decided to paint a Lily from a recent photograph I’d taken. I wanted to make an indistinct background so thought I’d do some wet-in-wet. That soon turned into a mess. I lifted the background off and then reapplied it once the paper was dry, but only managed to achieve the same muddy mess as previously. I considered returning my brushes as “not fit for purpose” but thought better of it. lol. These recent, but not uncommon, struggles with the medium are very frustrating and it has me wondering whether I would be better off concentrating on one medium. Many of my blogging friends seem to work regularly in the same style and medium whereas I am frequently switching back and forth … and that can’t help. You know what they say … “Jack of all trades, master of none”. Ok … so I’m making excuses … I’m off to create a masterpiece … in my dreams. LOL.

Not just a flag.

As we all know, this weekend marks the Diamond Jubilee of the reign of our Queen, Elizabeth II. I'm not sure why we are celebrating THIS weekend as she acceded to the throne on 6th February 1952 and was crowned on 2nd June 1953. Hmmm, I'll have to go and do some research. lol.

My own contribution to the public celebrations going on this weekend is very small .... I have erected my Union Jack outside my front door. But that in itself is a very special thing to do. 

My father-in-law was a very proud and principled man. He served his time during World War II as one of the Desert Rats fighting Rommel. He wore a handle-bar moustache more associated with the Air Force; stood upright; walked with his chest out and stomach in; and was a stickler for time. "Time is time boy!!" he would say. I had a great deal of respect for him and was very sad when we lost him after a very long illness in the early 80's. He was the epitammy of Britishness and would have been as proud as anyone this weekend. 

In 1953, in readiness for the young Queens coronation, my father-in-law obtained two Union Jack flags on short poles. He marked that occasion, and many other events since, by hanging his flags out of his bedroom window. One of his flags made it's way to me after his death, and I treasure it. It is old, worn, grubby and to frail to withstand washing, let alone hanging outside in all weathers. But I can't think of a better thing to help celebrate the Queens Jubilee ......

.... except a large glass of my favourite 21-year old Malt Whisky. "Cheers Ma'am".

As a point of interest, on my web site I have a brief explanation as to the origin of the Union Jack for anyone interested.

Sunset over Buttermere

While working on the Daffodil and appreciating the need to push my darks, I found myself recalling a photograph I took a few years ago and just knew I wouldn't rest until I'd attempted to draw it.

It was late one autumn afternoon and we were driving through the Lake District. It had been raining but had stopped you could sense the sun trying to break through the thick heavy storm clouds. The light was beginning to fade as we headed back in the direction of our cabin. As I rounded a corner I saw the most spectacular of views. Most of the landscape was in near silhouette and the setting sun, though still hidden behind a cloud, was breaking through with powerful beams of light shining down on Buttermere Lake. I stopped the car to take a photograph and the atmosphere was magical. The water was still, there was no breeze, there was no sound. A moment later the spectacle had passed.

Daffodil

My Daffodil drawing was only intended as a quickish drawing just to kill an hour. Following the nice comments you all made, I felt inspired to take it stage further and see where it took me. This is the result. In order to make the Daffodil 'glow' in the sunshine, a darkish background was needed and some strong shadows. I think I may have taken it a step too far, and I'll be very interested to hear what you all think.

White Rabbit

I know I'm not alone in this but sometimes I feel like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland .... "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date. No time to say Hello, Goodbye! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!!!". With a number of household and family projects that I've taken on since retiring, and given that it's one of the busiest times for the garden,  I seem to have less time than ever for my art. Still, I am getting things done and enjoying catching up on things that have been left far too long.

My art forum forces me to at least dabble with my brushes as I like to take part in all the projects. I painted my square for the Picture Puzzle. Look at the picture at the top of my side bar called "Making art fun". My square is in the top right hand corner of the picture - the body of the bird hanging off the side of the tree trunk.

I also painted this goose for the Monthly Painting Project.




As a treat for myself, I spent an hour yesterday with my pencils and knocked out this Daffodil. It wasn't intended to be a 'proper drawing', just a bit of fun, but it's turned out reasonable and so I might do a bit more to it ... especially the background.


And these small and quick pictures are all it takes to keep me in touch with my art and to 'scratch the itch'. Anyway, can't stop. I'm late, I'm late ......