Sketch Blog 2023

Still sketching in 2023.

After I stopped sketching StStephens below I saw this view down Brunel St., with the trees looking like an explosion with a stormy gre blue sky behind. Again I: took some photos on my phone, and did this picture from them.

November

St. Stephen's church in the centre of Pill. I drew this from life, but had to finish the painting at home due to the inevitable rain downpour.

November

Another sketch from life, but this time in the shelter of a flat on Argossy Way. The flats have a great view of the riverbanks, and of course the Transporter.. A storm was about to hit.

November

Sketching from life again I thought I would show some of the work being done on the Transporter Bridge

November

On the same day as the sketch below I saw another possible picture made by the autumn sun on the trees around St. Mark's church at Gold Tops. I sketched a very rough composition and took photos to paint this at home later.

November

On a rare day of decent weather in November I sketched the Old Green Crossing. The autumn trees had started to make ordinary scenes more interesting..

November

A doorway to the market, next to where Turner's butchers once were.

I finished with my unit in Market arcade at the end of October. The minimal footfall gave me time to paint some more scenes nearby.

County fans waiting for the game at the cross Keys

The Newport urban sketching group met up again, and this time we all did sketches in Newport station.

October

Passing the town bridge in the morning I liked the green stains on the bridge piers, so I took some photos. This picture was based on them.

October

Newport's 'Urban Sketching' group was out doing their stuff in High Street near the end of Market arcade, so I joined in and sketched this view..

September

The other arcade, Newport Arcade. recently refurbished. It has rather more footfall than the Market arcade.

September

Claudio's Barbers

More time to kill in the arcade, so I sketched some of the other tennant's units.

Kev's Lucky Seven Tatoos

On another beautiful hot day I drove to Monmouth and painted the famous fortified medieval bridge.

September

Painting bridges over the Usk isn't unusual for me, but I don't usually get as far as Crickhowell. I had just got a reliable car for the first time in years, so I went for a drive.

August

Keeping shop is very boring, so I sat just outside the arcade and sketched Market street.

August

During August I took over a shop unit in the Market Arcade. Right next to Driftwood Brian, shown here working outside his 'Uskwoods' shop.

August

I noticed that the scaffolding on Clarence Quadrant had come down, so I looked for a spot to get a good view of the refurbished façade.

August

I noticed that the scaffolding on Clarence Quadrant had come down, so I looked for a spot to get a good view of the refurbished façade.

August

I have sketched the bridge from this area before, but I added the MV Balmoral from photos (taken by the Argus) to create a picture to fill a space on the wall in The Potters pub.

July

Later HMS Severn manoeuvred out of the dock. which I photographed and later did this picture basing the backround on my sketches.

Unexpectedly, also in the docks was another vessel I have painted before, HMS Severn, which is officialy associated with Newport, so I drew this as a sort of extension to the picture below.

I have sketched the dredger Penfret many times from the shore, so I was happy to get a closer view from inside Newport Docks

June

Back in Newport again , outside the Cwtch on its open day, I painted a view of the Handpost.

June

A lime kiln near fourteen locks

I still like to cycle and sketch along the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, shown in the three pictures here. I spotted the heron, went home to get a proper camera, and came back to try a sketcht- it was still there, so I took some pictures a n got my stuff out to paint. It immediately flew off, so i did the picture from the photo. A little further along the mother duck and ducklings were more obliging, staying asleep while I painted.

May & June

Another visit to the Mynde Walls. These look like old fisherman's cottages

June

I was very difficult to get a view of the Goldcroft, so many road signs and other street furniture, and so many parked vehicles it's difficult to get a clear view. I positioned myself so that one of the more obnoxious signs was directly behind the tree so I couldn't see it. I thought the post van looked more interesting than the various others which I saw.

June

May

The Mynd house built into the Mynde wall. I presume that traffic was less of a problem when the millionaire Ironmaster built it.

May

Back in Caerleon, perhaps its defining structure, the amphitheatre.

May

A couple of miles on from Caerleon in the Usk direction is the very pretty village of Llanhennock, where this is its ancient church.

May

A view the opposite direction in the same place as below - I didn't have time to paint it - I'll probably do a finished vesion some time.

May

I had to try a view of the main square. I particularly liked cedar tree giving a shape to the composition - which made me redraw my pencil sketch to fit it in the composition better.

May

Another recognisable scene in Caerleon, -\the Red Lion in Backhall Street. It never looks quite like this though - I sketched behind the parked cars which changed round constantly.

May

In April I started a bit of a campaign to paint some views of Caerleon. I started with what seems to me a typical Caerleon structure - the workman's cottages crammed against the massive walls of the Mynde.

April

Right after I finished the large picture below I thought that I would make a more detailed sketch of the nearest timber structure. I photographed my pencil sketck before I started painting it. It may be better than the painting!

It's the Transporter Bridge of course, but from a new vantage point (to me). The big timber piles in the foreground are the original entry to the Alexandra Docks.

April

Just around the corner from Conway Road, The Cross Hands on the corner of Chepstow Road and Somerton Road.

April

Sadly Gabbi, Mr Dorian Gabbidon, passed away last year, but after painting the last two pictures from life I looked through my old photos and found one featuring him which I painted a picture from. The vehicle is one of the most decrepit vehicles he ever touched - an old Bedford camper van belonging to me.

Inside the garage is still familliar. Dave Gabbion was a kid when I used to frquent the place, but its his garage now, so I painted him at work.

Gabbi Motors on Conway Road is a place I spent a lot of time at in the late 80's & early 90's. I had o string of sub-optimum vehicles which Gabbi - Mr Gabbidon spent many hours working on, and even more cursingat..

April

Twmbarlwm again, this time from Spytty Pill. That's 'Monkey Island' on the left.

April

View down St Woolos Rd Baneswell. I loved the sun on Twmbarlwm in the background.

April

Fanny's Rest Stop Cafe at the end of Alexandra Road has been a bit of an institution for years. I've painted the outside before, so in the rainy winter weather I may as well paint the inside. Which was a lucky decision as a fortnight later it was unfortunately closed for good.

March

Another view of one of my favourite places.

February

Some of February's snow was still lingering on the hills in the distance when i noticed a much better composition for the picture of Caerleon bridge which I have show below. Unlike those sketches though, this wasn't painted plein air. I was too wet and cold for that.