NZ people and landscape

As it happened i arrived in NZ the first day of the #oneweek100people2017. Starting in Narita airport, i did sketch a lot of people everywhere in the next few days - some of my favourites here.

Narita airport and Auckland bar dinner

Lava Glass below had a great glass blowing demonstration - with the glass blower doing a double colour glass bauble - it is interesting the repetition of movements, subtlety and slow or fast as needed but precise, very precise.

In Taupo, the place where we had dinner had a live band which was great and also great people watching all those subtle friendly gestures people have, some businesslike, some friendly, others loving, flirty...

Nothing like a queue of people to build up the numbers for the people drawing challenge, this time waiting to board the tourist boat at Taupo. And a quiet portrait of Dean on the boat, with some other passengers.

Below a great cafe in Napier, Chantal, an organic shop as well, with great atmosphere, great coffee!

I couldn't leave NZ without sketching the fern trees, a national symbol, so lush, so green and fresh, i love them!

It was a great time, resting and travelling, exploring new places, beautiful in the rain and the sun. We'll go back sometime!

Tokyo - Japan - Feb 2017

Tokyo was a revelation, huge but ordered, quiet and clean. 

A quick four days visit, for the occasion of the marathon that my mother in law was running. I managed to catch up with Kumi of the local urban sketchers and enjoyed a day drawing the Tsukiji Hongan-ji temple where there was a Sunday ceremony inside (imagine the incense smell and soft chanting) and the view down from the Tokyu Plaza Ginza shopping mall from where the cars and people appear tiny.

Tokyo Marathon - cyclists

Tsukiji Hongan-ji Ceremony

Tsukiji Hongan-ji - Drum

Tsukiji Hongan ji - Exterior

View from Tokyu Plaza Ginza

We also managed to catch up with architecture views that I remember from my student's days, the Tokyo International Forum and some more historical temples, Senso-ji.  

The views from the top of the Tokyo Sky Tree (that appears in the Senso-ji sketch) showed the enormity of the city, no end in sight.   

Tokyo Forum

Senso-ji

2015 a good sketching year

2015 has been an intense year, busy in many ways and very enjoyable on the sketching front. Through the Pushing Your Sketching Boundaries courses that I organised with Swasky, with guest tutors from UK, Simone Ridyard, and Spain, Miguel Herranz and Mercedes Carmona.  We enjoyed teaching in Coventry, Oxford and Segovia and shared our passion for drawing and painting on location with many of you. Thanks!


To me it has been a great positive highlight to 2015 and one that I am looking forward to continue in 2016.

Personally, I feel fired up recording what happens around me and sharing it with others.

Here I've chosen a drawing for each month in 2015, a great exercise to remember where I was throughout the year. Enjoy!

January 2015 - St Martins in the Fields, London, 10 minutes, waiting for Alex and Karen at the door of the National Portrait Gallery

February 2015 - Aurelia, 30 minutes, she sells the Big Issue in Newbury ans we chatted whilst I did this portrait of hers that formed part of an Exhibition in Newbury called Overlooked.

March 2015 - Chandelier V&A London, by Dale Chihuly, drawn at the USk London outing, 30 minutes

April 2015 - Newbury Parkway rooftops from St Nichs church, 45 minutes, part of Overlooked exhibition

May 2015 - sketching demo part of our Artists at the Chapel, Open Studios 2015 exhibition

June 2015 - Jurasic coast, Dorset,  20 minutes, amazing folded landscapes

July 2015 - Ukelele band, Cowley road festival, 20 minutes

August 2015 - Castellfollit de la Roca, 30 minutes, a one street town on volcanic rocks

September 2015 - Broughton Pl / Broughton Street, Edinburgh, 20 minutes, a great trip on search of good coffee, art and old buildings.

October 2015 - Newbury market place in the round - 45 minutes -  part of a one day Picture This event, free of charge, Newbury Style.

November 2015 - Borough Market, 30 minutes, during the USk London outing.

December 2015 - Stonehenge - 15 minutes - the power of stones and landscape, cold and sharp and amazing.

Wishing you all a great 2016!