Pen
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Classical Ambience
I recently attended a lunch at Hylands House near Chelmsford in Essex. Apart from the enjoying the event itself, I was rather curious to see the interior of a house that I first new as a near ruin when I was a child, but which is now returned to something close to what I presume…
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Mayflower
More properly known as hawthorn, but if you use the proper name it is just that bit more difficult to remember exactly when this plant flowers! This picture was intended to look rather like one of those very arty photos where the object in the foreground is in sharp focus and the background is just…
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Pergamon
This is a view from the Asclepion of Pergamon towards the Acropolis, which true to its name is on the top of the hill in the background. We visited Pergamon as one of the seven churches mentioned in the Revelation to St John, found at the end of the bible. However, to me one of…
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Primroses
The plants which grow best in my garden are those that are often labelled as weeds! I’m not sure whether primroses are normally classified by others in this way, but given how vigorously they self-seed and then grow in my lawn they seem to fit the bill. However, they have the advantage of being colourful…
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Chion-in (知恩院)
I find it rather odd that the less paint I put on the paper the more effort it takes me to do so. I have long admired those who can seemingly capture the essence of a scene with just a few broad and (apparently) lazy brush strokes, rather than getting caught up as I often…
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Limes
I have become quite partial to limes of late, so a lime being cut open on a chopping board is quite a common sight in our kitchen these days. I was quite keen to paint a lime that looked as if it had the taste I crave from the fruit. In all honesty I think…
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Tuk-tuk
The roads in Sri Lanka (as in many other countries) seem to be full of these three-wheelers. If you are looking for a lift they are very useful – otherwise they are something to beware of, both for pedestrians and for larger vehicle drivers. The tuk-tuk in the foreground of this painting is driving along…
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Woolly Hat
It’s been quite cold recently, so I’ve been wearing my woolly hat quite a lot. So naturally, I decided to draw one! Now, on my other website I have a whole series of hat drawings where I imagine the thoughts of those wearing particular types of headgear, so this drawing is done in the same…
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Cat Temple
In the suburbs of Tokyo there is a curious temple, properly called Daikeizan Gotokuji but popularly known as the Cat Temple. The story goes that a local ruler was invited by a cat into the temple and thereby found shelter from a sudden and violent thunderstorm. In gratitude, the ruler dedicated the temple to the…
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Gatton Wood
I drew this picture a few years ago, and was reminded about it by the snow I saw lying around whilst walking in these same woods today. So this seems like as good a time as any to post a lock-down wintertime scene …
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Tram
I know we now have trams in England again, but to me the sight of a tram on the streets of a continental European city still feels rather satisfyingly foreign. I was pleased therefore to discover there are many trams in Budapest. This particular unit is running along the “Pest” bank of the Danube, where…
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Christmas Pudding
They say it is best to create a Christmas pudding early to give it time to mature – so here is a drawing of one that I made a few years ago! Ink and pastel crayon if my memory serves me well. Enjoy … and compliments of the season!











