Ryan In England

"Ryan In England"

Watercolours and acrylics on watercolour paper, 2010.

Artist's Comments-

This is a painting of a recent acquaintance. Ryan was travelling around Europe during the summer with an American friend of mine. When he was over at my house I showed him my art work. It had been a few months since I'd done any artwork and he was insisting that I get back into it before I lost the habit. After much pestering I agreed to do a painting and he agreed to be the subject. So I asked him for a photo of himself that he was happy with for me to work from. I feel quite happy with the end result. I'm starting to get braver with colour, especially with skin tones. It's such a shame that my photograph of this painting doesn't capture all the subtleties and details I put into it.

Horchata Sunrise Sketchbook - Page 3

"Horchata Sunrise Sketchbook - Page 3"

Watercolours on paper, 2010.

Artist's Comments-
When I turned 21 my friend Frances gave me a jar filled with small goodies. These included two origami paper rabbits. When I started sending pen pal letters out in early 2008 I decided to separate the rabbits. I kept one rabbit for myself, and sent one rabbit to the USA to my then good friend Jeremy (who I am now married to). It was meant to symbolise that they shared a connection that would never end. I have wanted to do a painting about these origami rabbits for a while now. So I was happy to do a painting of it. I also included the image of the stationery paper I used to send letters.

Horchata Sunrise Sketchbook - Page 2

"Horchata Sunrise Sketchbook - Page 2"

Watercolours on paper, 2010.

Artist's Comments-
This page is inspired by Frida Kahlo's 'What I Saw In The Water'. It's actually based on an older sketch from my black sketchbook from the previous year (below). I drew it whilst I was back in England, between trips to the USA. I spent a lot of time taking baths and thinking about returning there, counting down the days. I just wanted to get back on a plane and escape the English winter. The image of the bathwater serves as the Atlantic Ocean dividing the UK and USA whilst the bath steam serves as clouds. I'd already booked my flight with British Airways and I was due to land in LAX so I added those images into the piece.


"Black Sketchbook - Bathtub"

Pencils on paper, 2009.