The Satisfaction in the Completion of an Old Painting

Sometimes I feel like I’m going round in circles with a painting – applying layer after layer of paint and never getting any closer to finishing. Occasionally under such circumstances I’ll leave a painting indefinitely. This is one such painting, which I started and left sometime last year. I was searching for something, but I…

Art and Stress

I am sometimes surprised at the extent to which it is assumed that painting and drawing is a relaxing pastime. I generally find it quite the reverse. My brain often struggles to process the many simultaneous decisions that it is forced to make each moment working on a piece of artwork. I find this process…

Library with a View

Liverpool Central Library recently underwent a substantial refurbishment, during which it acquired a roof terrace boasting impressive views of the city. The vista takes in landmarks from St George’s Hall to the tops of the Liver Buildings. I visited the terrace for the first time yesterday, accompanied by my trusty A5 sketchbook and fine line…