work

Coach House Gallery Exhibition

The exhibition of my Leafcutter Bee Drawings is now on at the Coach House Gallery, Edgbaston, B15 2RT. The exhibition runs until 29th April, so plenty of time to catch it if you are in the area. There is a special event, "Bugs, Bees, Plants and Trees" in the garden at Winterbourne on Saturday 20th April 2013, which may also be of interest. Entry to the Gallery itself is free. Above: Some views of the exhibition. I have provided magnifying glasses for a closer look at some of the details…

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April 6, 2013
Coach House Gallery Exhibition
garden / work

Liverwort in Pencil

"Liverworts”, 2012Pencil on Cartridge paper, approx. 11" x 9" I have masses of liverwort in my garden around the edges of the pond, and in crevices in the pathways. Along with mosses they are some of my favourite plants. I love them for their simplicity and lack of colourful flowers, and as I have mentioned before, for the the way they give the impression of tiny landscapes, especially the tiny receptacles on the liverwort which resemble miniature palm trees. Pencil study of a liverwort This pencil study of liverwort is quite a bit larger…

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October 8, 2012
Liverwort in Pencil
garden / method / work

Leafcutter bee in flight

"Leafcutter Bee in Flight”, 2012Ink and brush on Fabriano paper, approx. 4.5″ x 7″ A solitary Leafcutter bee returned to lay in the bee houses this year. Due to the rain and cold weather she has completed less than one tube of cells this summer, on which the hope of leafcutters next year now rests. I will over-winter them in the tool shed to ensure cool, dry conditions, and hope for better weather at hatching time next spring. On the positive side, this bee has been feeding in the garden, and I have taken many photos of her on the poppies…

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September 11, 2012
Leafcutter bee in flight
garden / method / work

Leafcutter bee emerging, in brush and ink

"Leafcutter Bee Emerging", 2012Ink and brush on Fabriano paper, approx. 6"x 5" After almost a year lived in perfect darkness inside a leaf cell, a leafcutter bee emerges into the light. First its antennae, then its eyes experiencing the world for the first time. In its jaws are the dried leaves of the cell from which the bee has just broken free. One after another the bees hatch from the leafy tubes on warm, dry days, to fly into the garden. The leafcutters in my garden were very late this year. Usually…

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August 15, 2012
Leafcutter bee emerging, in brush and ink
method / work

Lichen

I have lots of lichen, moss and liverwort in my garden, and I like to encourage them, especially the mosses which are spreading to all sorts of places this damp summer. The way they form miniature 'forests' appeals to my love of detail and small things. Sketchbook drawings of lichen A few weeks ago I decided to start some sketches of lichen, and that same day when I was out walking I found my way blocked by a huge branch fallen from a massive oak tree. This gave me the opportunity to study…

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August 6, 2012
Lichen
method / work

A dry oak leaf in ink

Stages in the drawing of an oak leaf in ink Above: Four stages in the drawing of a dried oak leaf, using ink and a brush. Click on any of the thumbnails for a closer look. For this drawing I worked from life, using an oak leaf I had found during a walk. I lit the leaf low from the side, so that I could study its veins. I first drew out the main shape and veins in pencil, and added several layers of pale wash to give the form…

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July 2, 2012
A dry oak leaf in ink
method / work

Rose leaves in ink

Last summer I picked and kept some of the rose leaves from the garden, and I have dried these and kept them for making drawings from. Some of them include leaves which have lots of holes which have been cut by leafcutter bees, who use the leaf circles to construct their nests. You can read more about this process and how the bees use the leaves here. Over winter I have been studying these leaves in detail, learning about their structure, and drawing them in various media. The drawings have…

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May 1, 2012
Rose leaves in ink
method / work

Latest bee drawings – bees on a foxglove

Working in ink with pens and brushes I've been working more on capturing the movements of bees, as well as studying their anatomy, all the while learning about using the Indian ink in various ways. The materials I'm using can be seen in the first picture below left, and are: the Gillott 404 nib and dip pen, Winsor & Newton Liquid Indian Ink, a Winsor & Newton Cotman fine brush, distilled water, a lint-free cloth to clean the nib, blotting paper, and a mixing palette for the ink wash. All the drawings shown in this…

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August 4, 2011
Latest bee drawings – bees on a foxglove