This drawing, made this afternoon in pen and ink in an A5 sketchbook, depicts a stack of five devices around which evenings chez Birtall are often wont to revolve. Before Judith and I were married last year we invested in white household blinds and entry-level projector, using which we intended to challenge the stamina of…
Tag: black and white
The Fruit within the Husk
A satisfying day tidying up the garden yesterday, as its winter hiatus draws to a merciful close, threw up some unexpected delights in the shape of a handful of Chinese Lantern (Physalis alkekengi) husks. I find this plant and its flowers magical and have returned to draw and paint it at regular intervals over recent…
Keep an Eye on the Amaryllis #1
It was my intention to regularly sketch the development of this little amaryllis as it grew from nought but a bulb to full flower, but it has outwitted me with the speed of its growth and the ruthless manipulation of my festive indolence. However, I did manage to get a couple of sketches in before…
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…
Drawing Upon Life 