Category: Art

Self Portrait, Batley, 1967

sketchbook

I featured my dad’s shaving mirror (which is still hanging on the wall in my studio) in this rare pre-beard self-portrait of myself, aged 16, from my first year at Batley School of Art in 1967.

I’d recently come across dip pen and Indian ink for drawing and I was fascinated by 19th century engravings, hence all that cross-hatching. This was probably drawn with the finest nib I’d come across, the Gillot 1950.

Self portrait sketchbook

At about that time I’d been reading J. W. Dunne’s An Experiment with Time and Nothing Dies, which might explain my interest in infinite progression:

  • the drawing isn’t complete without the sketchbook that is lying on the table in front of the mirror
  • drawing of the sketchbook isn’t complete until it includes said drawing
  • and the drawing of the drawing isn’t complete until . . . etc, etc, ad infinitum

Skechers

trainers

My last pair of Skechers proved so comfortable walking around Paris that I’ve gone for another pair.

shoe box

Groundsel, Fern and Sail Plant

A closer look at some of the uninvited plants which have made themselves at home around the raised bed behind the pond: groundsel in the disturbed soil (we do occasionally dig it) on top of the bed, lungwort at the edge of the wood-chip path and Spanish bluebell in damper soil.

fern

A couple of house plants: a fern and our new sail plant, Spathiphyllum.

sail plant

Tilley Hat

The woolly hat season is over it’s onto sun hats and with my Lowe Alpine Aleutian standing by for when this dry spell ends.
Delighted that a deer hide glove, which I’d assumed has disappeared into a compost bin amongst hedge trimmings, turned up today in a drawer at the back of the garage.

Cauliflowers

cauliflowers

Cauliflowers are ideal subjects for me to practice drawing as I attempt to get my right hand back in full working order.

cauliflowers

These, drawn in Adobe Fresco on my iPad, were some that I photographed at a greengrocers in Les Halles, when we visited Paris last month.

cauliflowers at Les Halles

Cauliflowers featured in Léon Lhermitte’s monumental painting of the market at Les Halles, on display at Le Petit Palais.

My drawing of cauliflowers at Les Halles from Léon Lhermitte’s painting.

Skechers Arch Fit

My latest trainers, Skechers Arch Fit, made in Vietnam, so currently in line for a 46% tariff in the USA.

In 4 days in Paris we walked 33 miles from Batignoles in the 17th Arrondissment to Montmartre and as far as Shakespeare & Co in ‘Kilometre Zero’ by the Seine opposite newly restored Notre Dame.

The Anatomical Snuff Box

The hollow between my thumb and my wrist is the anatomical snuff box. The tendon on its outside edge is an abductor, it pulls the thumb outwards. This muscle and tendon, the APL, is the one that I need to strengthen and rehabilitate on my right hand.

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Leeks

Our leeks are smaller than usual as we were late planting them out as we waited for our new raised beds to be constructed.

It’s rather late to be harvesting them but they’re fine. It’s encouraging to have such a good crop from the revamped veg beds.

They worked well in our leek, courgette and Boursin cheese tart.

Pigeons at Dawn

Latest trail cam shots from our back garden: pheasants, blackbird, a pair of robins and – what are you doing there?! – Butch (yes, he really is called Butch), next door’s Labrador but my favourite shot is the wood pigeon at dawn, looking hopefully up at the feeders.