Inspiration and stuff

For a long time my inspiration has come from a love of interiors, architecture, windows and mantle pieces.

The first house we bought in 1985 when we emigrated here was bought PURELY because of its two beautiful mantle pieces...I kid you not, there was no inside bathroom or loo and only a cold water tap in the kitchen, but AWESOME ornate mantle pieces :P

Every drawing in the first series of 10 has a mantle piece, a window and a chair in it ~ and multiple patterns including my favourite check, which appears everywhere and is quite possibly the fall-back pattern when my brain is foggy.

This was one of the very first drawings, really simple lines where I was just beginning to work out how to play with the perspective - I like the idea of drawing the room inside the room or the mountain behind the fireplace - still havent discovered the sinking staircase concept at this point!

I often get asked if I've always drawn - and to be honest I can't remember a time when I didn't. When I was really little I can remember drawing on those blank pages on the inside of books if I couldn't find any paper - eeeekkk!  My Grandfather taught me how to draw so many things ~ especially daisies, tiny sweet little daisies that you see growing in the lawns in Wales ~ he was always drawing, in black pen .....hmmmmm

(This is one of his - a drawing of his wash stand circa 1920 ish)

Maybe, just maybe, I'm a bit of a "chip off the block" - I would love to think so

but I've got a loooooonnnngggg way to go yet!

Am I obsessed with black and white?

Perhaps I am - I love the clean sharp lines that a reeeeaaaalllly good pen creates!


I like the fact that I have to make a mark and know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I CAN'T change it,

I can't erase it. I might be halfway through a commission piece, days of work and one mark in the wrong place and the whole piece fails ~ (ok maybe 'fails' is a bit dramatic - but I'm a Virgoan perfectionist and if its not right - its all wrong!)

Every now and then when a line takes off in a direction that I didn't anticipate, I have to fix it - and sometimes, that in itself creates something amazing...and no-one is more surprised than me :) YES!

That's how the black and white interior drawings all began.


I was drawing a staircase, put one line in the wrong place, and all of a sudden the staircase changed direction and appeared to sink - I was horrified and then fascinated at what had appeared! So I worked on that, deliberately attempting to put perspective lines in the "wrong" places - and its brilliant how it continues to surprise me!


This is my assistant who just so happens to be my perfect colour combination - <3

   

New Beginnings!

Yesterday I made the decision to FINALLY get around to writing a blog....today I'm doing exactly that...IF I can actually post something and not keep deleting it!!

                                                                                  ~ Welcome to the Windows to my World  ~ 

                                               filled with  pattern and perspective, black ink and fine penwork and  my latest adventures into portraiture  















 



SIGH! I did it, finally the very first post is up and running - that wasnt too hard now was it? (dont need to tell them that it took HOURS ~ hope you like my work!