'Atrophy and Arrival'

Fineliner pen on Somerset paper 29 x 49cm

WIP update

Little abstract detail of my new piece which is slowly taking form;

It is a significantly smaller piece than my previous endeavours (49.5 x 30cm), but no less intricate. 

'Our Coat of Arms'

Fineliner pen on Somerset paper 60 x 79cm

600 hours & 17 fineliner pens

I am almost in a position to unveil my latest piece. Very excited about presenting this one as it turned out to be my most meticulous creative undertaking to date. 

Teaser showing an abstract detail:

Horse head plaster cast study

I have just got back from my annual break in Valladolid, located in the heart of Castilla, Spain. Whilst there, I stumbled upon a separate part of the Museo Nacional de Escultura (National Sculpture Museum) that I was previously unaware of. Known as ‘Casa Del Sol’, this additional building is located less than a couple of hundred meters from the main museum. It houses a permanent collection of outstanding plaster cast copies of well-known classical sculptures, all on display in one epic grand hall: 

What a fantastic coincidence that I discovered this place when I did, as I had recently been itching to execute some meticulous drawings in an academic manor akin to what would be produced within an atelier curriculum (traditional ‘master and apprentice’ system of art instruction). In fact, I had been keeping an eye out for classical plaster copies to draw from for some time, but to no avail. Now I found myself completely overwhelmed by choice!

Having sought permission from the museum, I set about producing a precise study of a compelling horse head, cast in 1944 by Sánchez Aspe. I believe the original was sculpted in the 5th century BC in Lanuvio, Italy. There is a good chance that the original is currently in storage within the vaults of the Bristish Museum, but I have not been able to verify this.

Although I was immediately excited by the vivid presence of this sculpture, I was determined to remain focused and level-headed. My sole aim was to work in a purely objective and truthful way that was devoid of emotion. Essentially, I wanted to mitigate any subconscious embellishments creeping into the work. It helped to mentally reaffirm to myself at regular intervals that this was to be a 'cold' exercise in visual accuracy. Nothing more.

The finished drawing took about 16 hours in total, spread over the course of a week:

To be able to draw this beautiful cast directly under such a dramatic and constant light source was a rare and privileged experience. The museum staff were very accommodating and were kind enough to provide me with a small foldable stall throughout the time I was there:

Casa Del Sol will now be a guaranteed fixture on all my future excursions to Valladolid and I am looking forward to producing more cast studies over the coming years.

Sketchbook study

'The Cyclical Return'

Fineliner pen on Somerset paper 60 x 79cm

Preliminary studies for next piece

With the new year comes new fortuitous situation for me; I no longer work a full-time day job and have afforded myself a dedicated block of studio time each week to focus on creating artwork. I am eager to start realising some of the ideas that until now have only existed in note form, scrawled on scraps of paper tucked inside my sketchbook. Essentially I will be continuing in a similar thematic and stylistic vein to "A Cause for Celebration". I have a lot of material planned, which should hopefully come together as a unified body of work further down the line. 

Alongside a series of thumbnail composition sketches, I have also been working on a couple of detailed studies over the past few weeks, trying to work out some technical kinks before I execute the first of my planned pieces. The first prep drawing is of a solitary magpie, which will play a central role in the narrative of the final work:

The second element will be a small collection of toy marbles:

I learned a lot from producing these sketchbook studies and I now feel confident that I can render the final piece to the standard that I envision. I just have rebuilt my still life shadow box, settled on the lighting and I am now massaging a few details of the composition. I plan to progress the piece over the coming weeks and will be sure to post an update or two along the way.

'A Cause For Celebration'

Fineliner pen on Somerset paper 60 x 79cm