Hello all I'm moving my blogs - please read this blog

Hello anyone who's following my blogs - I'll now be posting them on my new website (on the "news/blog" tab) - www.brynhughes.co.uk starting today. The "shop" section of the site is not visible or operational yet..... but soon, hopefully!
Here's the last one on this site (and first new one on my website):
Chicago from Lake Michigan

Hope you all keep following... and Lisa P keep the comments coming.
Bryn

My website

You might have noticed that my website www.brynhughes.co.uk is being updated and is out of action at the moment. It is visible (but not working fully for sales) if you type in the password. Contact me on hughesring @gmail.com if you want the password to look at the new site. Otherwise browse my picasa site on https://plus.google.com/photos/117235147329899148544/albums?banner=pwa which I'm keeping up to date.

My Mallorcan sketches

All my sketches from our Mallorcan Holiday in the beautiful Soller Valley:

 

Puerto Soller boatyard - our breakfast view over a cappuccino con crema & Napolitano chochlatino (not sure about the spelling!)

 Can Prohom high above the Soller Valley - good welcome and good cake and fresh orange.

 Soller Cathedral - right hand entrance porch from over a cool Coke at Café Aro at Placa Constitucio.

 Placa d' Espanya at Fornalutx where we met the Policia Locale who helped find the wallet I lost last September

 Fishing boats in the corner of the marina at Puerto Soller below the old monastery now a maritime museum.

 The old monastery at Puerto Soller viewed from lunchtime at the Nautilus Bar. The view vertically down to the Mediterranean is absolutely spectacular!

I was sitting under the ramp up to the Town Hall in Soller at the Placa Constituticio to sketch this one looking towards the Carrer de Vives. This was my final sketch.

 The Tobacos at Placa Constitucio, Soller over a cool San Miguel at Bar Firo

The upper lighthouse overlooking the Puerto Soller Bay. This sketch is from over lunch at the picnic tables to the Refugi.

 

The lower and disused lighthouse at the entrance to Puerto Soller - looks good from any direction!

This was the view from our first cappuccino and cake breakfast in the Port. I wasn't quite warmed up.

Manarola, Liguria, Italy

Manarola one of the 5 towns of the Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy.... just 4 more to paint in pen and watercolour!

Duomo di Siena, Italy

Duomo di Siena from the terrace alongside the Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico. I think I'll stop the painting there.

Hughes major and mini minor

Family lunchtime at our home on Sundays. Ezra our 2 year old grandson wanted to do a bit of drawing this afternoon. Mixed media. Coloured pencils and crayons - combined effort. He was most fascinated by the effect of colouring around and over masking tape, then removing it. Think he might have covered the paper completely.... perhaps in the future. Now back to my other pieces of artwork.

My view of Barkers Pool Sheffield

I was up 'til 2.30 this morning to get this far - just couldn't stop! I even straightened the guttering on the red building - perhaps I should have done that on the original detail design drawings I helped on in 1986! Need to erase all the dirty marks left by my T-square, yes T-square, I'm a bit of a Luddite, or maybe re-writing history as is the fad for the last 5 years. 

Rhondda Valley?

How black was my Valley? Stitched 5 copies of my last painting together and this was the result - reminds me (from my memory as a youth) of terraced houses across one of the coal mining valleys of South Wales. 

Siena, Tuscany

Lines, lines, lines.... love them!

Matera, Southern Italy

Due to unforeseen lack of artist talent, had to put my painting of Portofino on hold this evening. Did this sketchette of Matera in Southern Italy to cleanse my mind... and palette! 

Venice Washday 02

Another washday in Venice. That's my ironing board  and iron in the background - thought it was apt with all that washing hanging there!  I do multie-task in my studio (ie. workroom) - the ironing board usually supports my paints, brushes and water bottles.

Cappella Vitaleta, San Quirico, Tuscany, Italy

Cappella Vitaleta, San Quirico, Tuscany, Near Siena, Italy. Couldn't resist painting this one - it's probably been painted a zillion times before! I've started drawing my Siena project - it's 18 months since we were there, time flies.

Edinburgh finished

That's it. I've (plus others) decided to stop there. It's such a complex scene I thought I'd emphasise the part the attracted me - Cockburn Street curving up to the Royal Mile  topped by the crown steeple of St Giles' Cathedral or more properly known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh (according to Wikipedia). Every time I visit Edinburgh I wonder how the steeple/lantern stands on it's 4 legs without spreading, but it's been there since the 15th century so they must have got it right! 

Sheffield Skyline

Sheffield Skyline looking up Fitzwilliam Street towards the University Arts Tower - that's where I spent the last 2 (of 5) years of my university career - a long way up (20 storeys) and a very very long time ago now!

Manarola, Liguria, Italy

I started (top left hand corner) some time ago! I'll be packing it in soon before I go crossed eyed. Time to blow the candles out. goodnight.

Camara de Lobos - 02

Finished this last night

Comogli, Italy

The finished (maybe) work. thought I'd try a low angle shot with my camera phone again. It's "very colourful" I've been told!

Edinburgh extra

By accident, my phone camera caught these views of my painting. They reminded me of being there - looking up at the cliff of buildings tumbling down from the Royal Mile!

More Edinburgh

It's coming along nicely but very, very slowly - this is not in my loose style! I might just stop sooner than I originally intended.

Edinburgh - my favourite view.

Photo of stage 2 of my Edinburgh view. Not sure if it's politically correct to admit to but I do love drawing straight(ish) lines! I've been wanting to do my favourite view of Edinburgh since our visits there in 2013 and 2014. Just the watercolour bit to do now - should be ready for Christmas!

Comogli, Italy

Started another. Love churches, love Italy so that's decided! Stage 1 again - rough pencil sketch that's going to be plastered with acrylic. 

Camara Del Lobos 02

Great news. I've started painting again. I've not done a "proper" painting since August last year - apart from some outside sketching, adding to our Ezra's diary/book and a couple of commissions! This one's another acrylic of Camara Del Lobos in Madeira. The attached photo is the pencil (stage 1) version with some tissue paper glued to the foreground to give a bit of texture. I've set myself a target of 20 paintings by the last week in October this year.... can I do it, will I survive that long? I'll let you know.

Our Ezra's 2nd birthday card

Our Ezra loves diggers as much as tractors so for his (2nd) birthday card on the 23rd inst I've drawn him this JCB digger 3CX with front bucket and back actor. He adores back actors so I'm hoping it'll be a winner.  

Daughter's Wedding

20 second sketch of our younger daughter's wedding on 31 January - drawn without spectacles (I wasn't looking at the paper anyway) and on the only piece of paper I could find in my (top) pocket. It was one of those moments I realised I couldn't miss.