Mondaymonday : Saltwell Towers Garden

 

Saltwell Towers Garden

(markers in 21 x 26 cm sketchbook)

Because of the Lockdown, it's over a year since I was last out sketching with the Mondaymondaysketchers, so it was nice to return to Saltwell Park on Monday and meet up with them again. 

They'd settled down at a picnic table on the lawn opposite the Towers which didn't suit what I wanted to do, so after catching up, I wandered off to the little secluded garden by the side of the Towers. Taking a chance on seeing something interesting, I sat on a bench, opened my Saltwell Park Sketchbook, and looked around.

And this view caught my attention. It presented difficulties, in that I needed to find different marks for the various foliage - not something I'm well versed in - but I'm happy enough with what I achieved.

Mondaymonday : Turret near the Maze

 

Turret near the Maze

(Markers in 21x26 cm sketchbook)

Another fine day with Mondaymondaysketchers in Saltwell Park. That's a very busy corner and people came by quite often, not always respecting social distancing. My drawing was inspected by a woman and her grandson and not found wanting. Her grandson, of course, is a very good artist.

Big Log

Big Log

(markers in 21 x 26 cm sketchbook)

For the first time in over three months I went for a walk to Saltwell Park today to meet up with the revived Mondaymondaysketchers. It was great to see someone face to face, other than Pat or the woman in Nisa. I was pleasantly surprised to find that although the Park was quite busy with families enjoying the sunshine, they all exercised social distancing, waiting at the beginning of narrow parts of the path while someone passed. Not a mask in sight, but outside in a park, I guess that's not a problem.

Towards the end of the sketching session, a rainy shower hung about a bit more than I liked and rather than sit with the others to eat my non-existent sandwiches, I suggested we cross to the bandstand area where there was shelter and Colin, at least, started to follow. Under the shelter I found I was on my own and when I went back to the Towers, everyone was gone. I suppose when it rains and you've done your drawing for the day, you might as well eat your sandwiches in the car and go home.

This is the fallen giant I drew in my Saltwell Park Sketchbook today. Not the side I'd planned to draw, but someone had taken a chainsaw to that side.

Coins in a Wooden Box

Coins in a Wooden Box

(mixed media in A5 sketchbook)

After a short layoff, it's Mondaymondaysketchers time again, and the subject was "This turned up". I found a little wooden box my late Uncle Ken made, god knows how many years ago. It was full of coppers, including a 5c piece.

Although I'm usually quite happy to leave my sketches as simple black and white line drawings, I thought this one needed a little colour. Close at hand was a refill bottle of Rotring blue ink, a small bottle of orange dye and a glass jar of rather dried up sticky wood stain. They did the job well enough, I think.

My Back Door

My Back Door

(markers in A5 sketch book)

It's Mondaymonday again and for a change, I'm on time! Colin's Challenge this week for Mondaymonday (Isolated) Sketchers was "My Back Door". I planned on sitting outside but left it too long and the sun went elsewhere, so I sat and drew the back door from inside the french windows. 

The very patient wood pigeon sat on the wall for almost all the time it took to draw this, certain I'd go away and leave him to the bird seed, but eventually he gave up and flew off. An hour later, he was back, of course.

My Favourite Painting

My Favourite Painting

(markers, watercolour and collage in square sketchbook)

A bit of fun, really, and late for this week's Challenge from the Mondaymonday (Isolated) Sketchers. In fact it turned out to be a Thursdaythursday sketch.

It's a painting by Michael Scott (1946-2006), whose son Jonny I went to University with. Michael put the painting in our blind postcard auction and i was wise enough to buy it. It's titled "The Fisherman in Search of his Lost Soul"(December 2000).

Telephone

Telephone

(markers in A5 sketchbook)

In these days of Coronavirus Lockdown I find the days merging into one another, so it's not really surprising that it wasn't until members of Mondaymondaysketchers started posting their sketches online on Monday evening that I realised I'd forgotten it was Monday and hadn't done the Monday Challenge.

The Challenge, set by Colin again, was "This has meant more to me since the lockdown started". A challenge indeed. On Tuesdaytuesday, I asked myself what to draw? Abandoning the idea of drawing a bottle of gin or whisky (someone had beaten me to it!), I finally decided on the telephone in my studio.

If truth be told, I rarely use the landline these days, preferring emails, but I think the telephone serves as a symbol of the need to stay on contact we all feel at the moment.

Stay safe and well, y'all!

Studio Chair

Studio Chair

(marker and coloured pencils in A5 sketchbook)

When the Government advised us, as over 70s, to self-isolate for the sake of our health in the face of the Coronavirus onslaught, the fate of urban sketch groups was sealed, at least for the foreseeable future.

Not to be defeated, Mondaymondaysketchers decided to try to maintain group involvement, even if only online. So last Monday it was suggested that members should draw their favourite chair and post them on the group's Facebook Page.

This is my studio chair. It belonged to my Mum who hated it, but I've found it very comfortable; its only drawback is that whenever I drop something (which is often), it's really difficult to bend over the side to pick it up.

Monday Monday ...

Paul at the Biscuit Factory

(0.5 marker in A5 sketchbook)

There's a new gang of urban sketchers in town. Colin H has organised a weekly outing for his friends to go out sketching on a Monday with the idea, I guess, as my Mother would have put it, to "get the smell blown off you." He kindly invited me too.

"Meet at the same time," his email said.

"What's the same time?" I asked, not unreasonably.

"The same time as last week, of course."

"I wasn't there last week".

To his credit, he apologised and gave me the information.

Anyway, a nice day out was had, despite the furious winds, with the Mondaymonday Sketchers at The Biscuit Factory. I couldn't see anything from the balcony because of the people in between, so I drew Paul.

Then I drew Trudy.

Trudy at the Biscuit Factory

(0.5 marker in A5 sketchbook)

It felt good to have made some marks on paper again, but by then I'd drawn everyone within range and the wind was getting colder, so we retired to the cafe for coffee.