Category: Drawing

As Ralph has his birthday on the run-up to Christmas, I’ve gone for a combined advent/birthday card this year.

Surprises include, in box no. 4, my copy of a Beano-inspired portrait of Ralph’s mum, Abby, drawn by his sister Ivy.

The traditional Selfridges hamper was a Christmas box from work for Ralph’s dad, James. Since the family moved a year ago, Ralph has developed a habit of trying out boxes for size, a human jack-in-a-box.

A jay screeches from up in the trees as I climb the steps to the Arboretum at Newmillerdam but woodland birds aren’t much in evidence as I walk briskly along, just the odd blue tit and great tit up in the branches and, more conspicuously, robins which are more on my level.

As a change from making a circuit of the lake, I’m heading up to the top end of the woods, towards the former railway cutting, where I haven’t been for years.

The original track between the drystone wall and the shelter belt of poplars gets steadily more overgrown with brambles as I walk along it before switching to the newer track alongside the Arboretum.

Reminding me of a scene from the Everglades, three cormorants, including a brown juvenile with a patch of white on its breast, sit on the twisting branches of a dead tree which rises from the shallows on a quieter stretch of the lake shore. A fourth cormorant splashes about near to them, going through a vigorous bathing routine.

It was a close thing, setting up The Night before Christmas display the Redbox Gallery’s telephone box on Queen Street, Horbury, this morning but with a few adjustments we were able to fit the sleeping dog, cat and mouse on the wedge-shaped space by the hearth.

The Christmas stockings that Barbara ran up at short notice work well with knitted characters from her late – and much missed – mum, Betty.

We were tweaking and trying to plan for every hidden snag we might meet but it all went smoothly, thanks to the help of Graham Roberts of Horbury Civic Society (who run the Redbox Gallery project) and Sarah Town who brought along the paper chains and baubles made by the local Brownies.

We particularly liked the clothes peg/paper doily doll angel they made which presides over the whole affair hanging in the crowded airspace amongst the paper chains.

The curtains were drawn but the Ektorp sofa was real.

With apologies to Spike Milligan and Ikea. And a shout out for Plumbs, who supplied the curtains.

Looking for a paint rag this afternoon, I picked out this relic from the Wakefield Centenary celebrations in 1988. Alan Brook was in charge of promotions at the Wakefield Express. I’d previously produced a Wakefield calendar so I stuck to the same landscape format throughout, drawing each on location around the city.

I think that Alan’s original intention was to produce a calendar too but for some reason that never happened, so he suggested the tea towel instead.

He later used the same artwork, with a few tweaks from me, for some commemorative china for the Millenium. As I’d sold the originals in an exhibition, it never occurred to me to ask for a royalty. If I’d known that the Express would have such success with the range.

Barbara was driving with her mum near Hornsea and came across the pottery where they were made. The man there said that I must be making a lot from them, as they were such a success he had to keep producing more.

If only I’d known that they’d turn out to be bestsellers, I’d have asked for a royalty!