Three sketches in conte crayon on black paper started outside and finished at home, stimulated by the recent life drawings of Rosie Scribblah.
Here are the original sketches, the first from my bike on the footbridge over the ford by the watermill, the other two on foot while my dog sat patiently by.
These drawings are a small respite, but with a pandemic uncontrolled by active choice of those with power, democracy devalued and the world moving to the tipping point for massive climate change, there seems small comfort in art. We are on the brink of knowing whether democracy can have a small win against careless self-serving misgovernment, a little step towards the next struggle, or whether the full force of devastation and destruction is to be unleashed on us at this time.
kestrelart 
These landscapes are austere and severe. Serious places. They are beautiful. I take from them the idea of endurance.
Thank you. I don’t know how I intended them. Technically they are an ongoing exercise in paring back my drawing to find some kind of essence. But the text carries my mood, and that has to leak into the art. I’m glad you found resilience there. That is a theme in my teaching and mentorship.
So nice! All the best and don’t despair, I think art is what we turn to for comfort in these times.
Thanks and sorry for the despair. It has the 1930s feel, we can sense the crisis sliding towards us and express this in art and poetry but somehow we have to be active in working to change that future. Trump losing next week will be one small step of it happens but his allies hold many of the levers of power.
These are INTENSE KA! Dark and intricate. I need to think some more around them. Not the usual solace in nature.
The touch of orange is like fire., it really reminds me of the uncontrolled burning of landscapes all over the world. Yours are holding on though…(k)
You have talent Neil ! Some of these are very nice! Keep up the good work!
These are powerful, working on the black background really emphasises the mark making. They’re so expressive. I really like them
Thanks. This started from your life drawings recently but I cannot find your simplicity of line and tone (see the field sketches).