Pick & Mix from the Archive

I’ve been putting together a portfolio recently and it’s been a good excuse to tidy up my plan chest and discover some things I’d completely forgotten about. And happily these ones are better than I remember them being at the time, so I thought I’d share them with you.

River view from Wapping.

A quick sketch oil I did on a misty but bright morning. In the process of learning to paint I made some horrendous images, but I recall that this small painting came from large painting I cut up afterwards, and liked using the rough, alread-painted-but-rejected surface to create something new. Reminds me that I really should go and do some more outdoor painting…. as soon as it warms up!

St Stephen’s Church, Walbrook, City of London.

A large charcoal drawing from my phase of a ‘fish-eye’ approach  to capturing the whole space. I never finished it, but now I think I should, in some ways I think the church deserves many more studies as Wren put so much time into the wonderful arches and recesses working with each other.

Building site, Aldgate.

I returned to this site after making these drawings, and made some more studies from the top of the workmen’s’ hut. That same afternoon, high on brick dust, I took my sketches to the print room and made this etching. It feels quite dark and eerie, like the machines are feasting on the carcasses. Ironically, it used to be an RBS building!

Male Figure.

A monotype I made not long after discovering the medium. I liked the indention of print plates on paper so much I made myself a round one, it somehow felt more like a stamp or seal or portal, and was interesting to experiment with composition with after being used to so many rectangular shapes.

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