Tuesday 22 April 2014

Oh my hat, Dillinger AND Yellowman AND Lee Scratch Perry at Colchester Arts Centre !

After The Abyssinians played there last summer Colchester Arts Centre seems to be on the circuit for Jamaican bands touring the UK. Within a few weeks of each other I've recently had the pleasure of seeing, hearing and indeed drawing first, Dillinger and Yellowman  (both backed by the excellent Sagittarius Band, who didn't even pause for a moment or a drink between the two headliners), and second, Lee Scratch Perry and The Upsetters, who were supported by a cracking local band, Hobo Chang - www.hobochang.co.uk .
Anyway, I managed to get down to the front and, with some discreet illumination from the phone torch, get these pen drawings done. I used a 0.2mm Unipin fineliner in a Pink Pig spiral-bound A6 sketchbook and coloured them in with watercolour later.



 
 
 
A couple of Dillinger, one with The Sagittarius band behind...
 
 
 
 
 
 
.... and a couple of Yellowman, one with the band.
 
 
 
Hobo Chang ....
 
 
 
 
.... The Upsetters ...
 
 
 
... and Lee Scratch Perry !
(yes, that is a birthday cake on his head, with lit candles too)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

36mm Dell'Ortos

Prior to cleaning the years of petrol stains off these carbs I thought they'd make a good subject for a painting. There was no particular intention to use such a restricted palette - they really were (and indeed still are) just shades of ochre, grey and mauve.


 
36mm Dell'Ortos
Oil on canvas    12" x 9"
£300

Beware of the Flowers ....

These are some of the flowers from Rachel's garden, which she takes down to The Loft for table decorations.  I was inspired to paint these from life last summer; after a particularly onerous commission I needed some simple beauty.  
Selections of flowers were picked and artfully arranged (really !) and painted in oils in the portrait booth up at the studio..
They're currently on display at The Loft



 
Jar I 
Oil on canvas   9" x 12"
£200




 
Bottle
Oil on canvas   9" x 12"
£200
 
 
 
 
 
Orangina I
Oil on canvas    9" x 12"
£200
 
 
 
 
Orangina II
Oil on canvas   9" x 12"
£200
 
 
 
 
Jar II
Oil on canvas    16" x 20"
£450
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 

Monday 7 April 2014

Maverick 2013

We spent a great weekend at the Maverick Festival - www.maverickfestival.co.uk - last July and I managed to get loads of sketching done, while listening to superb music and meeting all sorts of interesting people. It's a thoroughly civilised set-up at Easton Farm Park, and with a complete freedom that has long disappeared from the bigger festivals.
Here are a selection of the drawings; they're all done with the usual UniPin 0.2mm in an A6 spiral-bound Pink Pig sketchbook, then coloured in with watercolours later.