Monday 27 February 2012

Buttons




Everyday Matters - Something with buttons.
I had a good look around and my daughter's coat  fits the bill...it has buttons everywhere!
Down the front, on the cuffs, on the pockets, on the shoulders and one at the back on the belt loop!
She looks lovely in it too!

Thursday 23 February 2012

Fluid Reflections





The still water in the fountain reflects perfectly the surrounding buildings like a mirror.  That is until a lone pigeon disturbs the water and the reflection becomes a shimmering fluid pattern.

Monday 20 February 2012

Oranges and Lemons











It's that time of year again, when the oranges and lemons are nearly ready to be picked.  It seems as if I live in a field of yellow and green and everywhere I look there are lemon trees.  Spring will soon be here, the almond trees are just starting to flower and that is a sure sign! 

Watercolour 25x18 cms




Thursday 16 February 2012

Backstreet Sketches





It's been a busy week but I managed to grab a few minutes each day to do a few sketches while out and about.   All sketched from my car (it's not very warm just now) and often in the rain!  These are all backstreets, it's surprising what you can find.





The old building above looked as if it had once been something grander, all the windows were different and looked as if they had been knocked out of the original wall, but there were also some small details left from its previous life.


This last one is a side entrance to Villa Palagonia (the one with all the monstrous statues), bricked up and forgotten down a side street.

Saturday 11 February 2012

Popularity



Mixed media sketch

Your popularity depends on what you have to offer!
The fishermen on the seafront sell their catch and are followed by all the local cats.

Wednesday 8 February 2012

The Red Dress


Last weekend we had a series of events to mark the 100th anniversary of the the birth of a local artist, Renato Guttuso.  One of these events took place in a recently restored villa and was staged by fashion students who designed dresses inspired by Guttuso's paintings.  The dresses were modelled by dancers while the paintings were projected  on the wall behind them, impossible to sketch on the night because of the dark (and smoke) but I enjoyed drawing from my photographs the day after.



This red dress was inspired by a portrait of the Artist's wife.

Mimise (Renato Guttuso)

You can see more of Guttuso's work here

Sunday 5 February 2012

Missing


Watercolour sketch

This is a sketch of my big ginger cat that I started in the autumn and didn't finish. 
It is now one week that he hasn't come for food and I'm getting worried.  He was last seen drinking some milk on next-doors's front step, I can only think he's wandered off looking for a girlfriend.
If you see him please tell him to come home!

Wednesday 1 February 2012

Inside my Sketchbook




Here are some of my sketches from this week.  The first one is of my son and two nephews watching a football match on TV.  Their team was losing so you can imagine the tension and rude words!



This is a tree in town that I often sketch when I'm waiting about. While I was sketching some young kids gathered on a bench below smoking, now I know where the graffiti came from.





This last one is a real giant.  There are four of these giant soldiers guarding a large arched gateway.  So big I could only fit one side on my page and if I stood next to him my head would only come up to his feet.  The light was fading so I will have to return some other time to sketch the others.