Ardsley Road, Chesterfield

My home street. A sketch done during the Coronavirus lockdown.

 

Blaenavon World Heritage site

I really enjoyed spending three days exploring this landscape. As it happens, all my sketches were at the Old Iron Works, but there is so much to see around here.

Belfast, Banks Building

Later in my visit to Belfast, I learned that this had been a Primark Store, but was badly damaged in a fire in August 2018. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-45330801

White sheeting was draped across the top of the frontage (presumably as a protection from the elements) and the remains from the interior sticking up above it made me think of the Titanic sinking in the North Atlantic. Belfast is Titanic Town! Two hours and a few minutes.

Brisbane, South Bank station

When I started sketching I was immediately reminded of the incredibly atmospheric drawings done by Richard Kennedy for Paul Berna’s “A Hundred Million Francs.” I’ve taken the liberty of posting some of his work here, just to show his skill, and my lack.

https://www.librarything.com/author/kennedyrichard-1

   

Brisbane, Highgate Hill

We were constantly reminded of the colonial history of Australia each time we encountered a location with a very “English” name.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highgate_Hill,_Queensland

Brisbane, Somerville House

Just a bit away from the river is Somerville House. Now a girls’ school, it was once the home of the Stephens family. Its original name was Cumbooquepa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbooquepa

Brisbane skyline

The next day I decided I’d try and draw the bridges again. But I just couldn’t get the curves to look right. So I turned my back and looked the other way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane

Brisbane Bridges

The north bank was the site of the World Expo 88. These two bridges link the CBD to the Cultural Area on the south bank.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodwill_Bridge

Brisbane, St Lucy’s

The hustle and bustle of an early evening all around me at this very pleasant café. https://www.saintlucy.com.au/

Elstow, Bedford 02 Moot Hall

As I started on this a man came over from the Moot Hall. I’d seen him going in and out a couple of times, carrying things. He introduced himself as the curator and said he was an artist as well and wanted to see how I was getting on. “The challenge is to get all the beams right,” he said. That seemed worth accepting. He was very complimentary on his subsequent visits. However, life is too short, really, and so not all the beams are right, actually!

After three hours a cavalcade of about 30 vintage Singer cars pulled up. I think they would have been more fun to sketch. 3hr.