England

From My Illustration Days…

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“The River Test at Stockbridge” gouache on illustration board-
from a photo I took on one of our trips to England in the 1990s

Back in another professional life before I became a painter in oil I worked in gouache and also a mixed media technique I learned at Mark English’s Illustration Academy. I also used watercolor and pen and ink for some illustration class assignments when I was getting my BFA Illustration at the Academy of Art (then College) from 1987-1989. Since spring is on the way I thought I’d share four that have a landscape or plant subject…two that play it straight and a two where I, well, didn’t and went for a humorous touch.

“Pond and Foxgloves” gouache on illustration board-
from a photo I most likely took in England
“Scarecrow and Friend” Watercolor, pen and ink on paper; this was for a class assignment which I think was to do a robot being used in food production. I always loved doing the research part and this was no exception
“Another Vacation Spoiled by Mischievous Fairies” Mixed media (acrylic and colored pencil) on illustration board; Don’t ask. I have no idea what corner of my mind this idea came from but once having thought of it I had to do it. I must say, it was a lot of fun and is unlike anything I’d done before or since

Images From England

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Me at Stonehenge

I’m currently on the road, having just spent a five days in England, my first trip there since 2004, and am now in Bucharest, Romania. I’m heading out to the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania tomorrow to Pietra Craiululi National Park hoping to see brown bear and other wildlife. There are more bears in Romania than any other European country, around 5000. I hope to get in some sketching and painting time also. As you can see from the above photo, I got to visit Stonehenge, which is as impressive as I remember it being from my first trip to England in 1987.

Here’s a few favorite images from The Sceptered Isle:

Great Tew, the Cotswolds
Great Tew, the Cotswolds

"Lyrebird" Sculpture on the Lakes
“Lyrebird” Sculpture by the Lakes

New Forest ponies
New Forest ponies

The 3 Cups Inn, Stockbridge, one of the places we stayed
The 3 Cups Inn, Stockbridge, one of the places we stayed

Black-headed gull, the New Forest
Black-headed gull, the New Forest

Road sign, Great Tew
Road sign, Great Tew