Houses of Parliament on Father's Day

Re-union with the Uni of Sheffield Dept of Architecture Class of '67 in London last weekend visiting the Shard and Cutty Sark. Free on Sunday morning so did a 10 minute sketchette of the Houses of Parliament from under the London Eye. All equipment supplied by daughter Sian for Father's Day - watercolour paper postcard, squezzy watercolour brush, and emergency palette (seen in top RH corner) which consisted of 12 watercolour pencil dabs on paper... add the postage stamp, find a post box and the job's a good 'un!
Sian took my paintings to Art in the Gardens Submission Day and all 5 were accepted.

My 300th post - the Shard behind Tower Bridge

My 300th blog post. My latest version of the Shard - finished it a couple of nights ago. It's based on my "plein air" drawing from our visit to London last October. This one is A3 size and I'm saving it for the Great Sheffield Art Show in July (hence the grey and partially coloured low resolution images)  - hope it gets selected. We've booked tickets to see the view from the top in June - it's part of a re-union with fellow architectural students from the year of '67 - hope the clouds aren't too low and/or wet!

Diwali Stage below Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, LONDON

Sunday, 27 October, my last sketch of our London trip from the upper level in front of the National Gallery - showing the stage for the Diwali Festival under Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square. We were booked on the 2.30 train back to Sheffield the following day but the rails were hit by the great St Jude storm and we ended up after much wasted time and expense catching a coach back home the following day.

The Shard & Tower Bridge, LONDON

The lower image took me 4 hours on a jetty sticking out into the Thames last Saturday 26 October. I spent at least half of that sheltering from the rain and galeforce gusts. I finally packed it in when a mini tornado sucked the plastic lining out of a bin in front of me, sending 2 empty bottles of beer crashing onto the pavings frightening the b'jesus out of me! I was hiding under my umbrella at the time and didn't realise what was happening - I thought there was an express train coming. The umbrella I've had in my sketching rucksack for the last 7 or 8 years is no more, deceased, turned completely inside out.  I completed the drawing at home.


 

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Friday 25th October, London again. Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, West London. Friends inside inspecting the exhibits, me outside sketching the front porch!

St Barts, London

Guess who's been on their travels again! South-west entrance to the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great opposite Smithfield Market, London. Really picturesque church especially internally. Had a nice coffee in the cloisters. I sketched this from a convenient wooden seat while our group of 6 friends visited St Barts Museum behind me. Must draw the church itself when I have more time.

London, Old Royal Navy College

London - Greenwich - the entrance to the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College

London, Greenwich Hill

Greenwich Hill silhouette - my left leg was in the Eastern Hemisphere, my right in the Western - I was bang on longitude zero!

London, Royal Observatory, Greenwich

London, National Gallery, Trafalgar Squre

National Gallery, Trafalgar Square from the steps in front of St Martin in the Fields

London, Kensington, Brompton Road

Lunch break from the Brass Band Competition

London - Albert Hall

Albert Hall Interior - 100th National Brass Band competion of Great Britain. This was on from 10.30 to 6.30 but I managed to get outside occasionally to do a bit of sketching.

London - Albert Memoria

London - Albert Memorial Hyde Park opposite the Albert Hall!

PEOPLES' CHOICE

BRAGGING RIGHTS. This is me winning the PEOPLES CHOICE prize at Sheffield's Art in the Gardens Open Art Competition this afternoon. That's Joe Scarborough Sheffield's most famous current artist on the right. Hope the handshake passed over some talent! The winning Artwork is of Whitby Harbour, North Yorkshire - one of my Urban Sketches.

LONDON - St Pancras Station Hotel

Happy 200th birthday to Sir George Gilbert Scott - architect of St Pancras Station Hotel

London - Westminster Abbey

Topical building - 11.30am 29 April 2011

England, London, Channel 4 Building

This building by Richard Rogers - my favourite living British architect. It was so cold on the day I sketched this I was shaking like a jelly in a force 9.

ENGLAND - London, St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral Interior - my first "church" interior drawn on site.

London - Old Bailey

London - Old Bailey

Was walking down the Strand and Fleet Street to St Paul's and spotted a secluded corner formed by a pile of barriers ready to put out for the Lord Mayor's Parade the following day on 13 November. The news cameras were ready for some relieved customers!