- my final London sketch (hope not ever!)

Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street sketched while sitting on a bench waiting for my dearest (not literally!) wife Liz browsing in the local John Lewis. The rains came just as I was finishing off the penwork so the watercolour was added in our cosy little home later. The original is hopefully by now in the U.S. on it's way to my top collector in Texas.

Admiral Nelson's Hat

Feb 23-2017 Storm Doris hits UK, winds blow plywood roofs onto rails, 2hr train journey from Sheffield to London turns into 6hrs, 5hrs standing. Inspiration for sketch of Admiral Nelson's hat blowing off at Trafalgar Square sketched from the steps of St Martins ITFs! The original sketch is now flying to a client in Texas.

- Goth weekend at Whitby

Went to the "Goth Weekend" at Whitby 5 days ago. Saw more "Steampunks" than Goths - had to Google that! They were so well dressed that the rest of us looked pretty scruffy. Sketched my memory of them on our last evening there - see top row on the attached image - the bottom row starts with our walk along the beach to Sandsend followed by sketches of Whitby harbour. The gale-force northerly wind provided proper crashing waves all the way from Norway!

- my list of paintings for the "Ten Artists Exhibition"

Here is the list of my paintings for the "Ten Artists Exhibition" at Baslow Village Hall tomorrow and Sunday. The weather forecast is good for tomorrow and not bad on Sunday - come and see us, the other 9 Artists are much better than me.

- 10 paintings

Ready! My 10 paintings for the "Ten Artists Exhibition" at Baslow Village Hall this coming weekend. Just have to get together all the prints and cards I've produced.... then relax (until Saturday)

- a view from my studio/workroom rooflight

This is my painting of a view to the north east from my studio/workroom rooflight in Ringinglow Village with a smidgen of artistic license - a doctored version again to protect the innocent! The pristine version of this painting will be at the "10 Artists Exhibition" (and 10 paintings by each artist) at Baslow Village Hall on Saturday & Sunday 22nd & 23rd October. This is my 10th and final painting for the Exhibition. It's Mayfield Valley in south west of our great city of Sheffield. The building in the centre of the painting covered with red Virginia creeper is Fulwood Hall.

- lovely, loverly Whitby

This is my painting of a corner of Whitby Harbour on the left bank of the Esk with a lot of artistic license - a doctored version again to protect the innocent! The pristine version will be at the "10 Artists & 10 Paintings Exhibition" at Baslow Village Hall on Saturday & Sunday 22nd & 23rd October.

- Whitby panorama in pen & Ink

I've always had in my mind to do a proper full width Panorama of the right bank of the River Esk at Whitby Harbour in pen & watercolour. Here it is (another adulterated version) - 600mm wide and the pristine version will be at the "10 Artists & 10 Paintings Exhibition" at Baslow on Saturday & Sunday 22nd & 23rd October.

Fornalutx, Mallorca (again)

Fornalutx, Mallorca, where the best Police and most honest Taxi Drivers on the Island helped recover my mislaid wallet in September 2014 - forever grateful. A postcard of Fornalutx tumbling down the hillside from a work colleague was the reason we first visited the Soller Valley in 1999 and almost every year since - quite often twice in the same year.

- make someone happy!

Apart from my sparkling wit and repartee I can't usually make people happy. I'm not a life-saving doctor, an accordion player or a stand-up comedian. However recently, when I was drawing and painting in the narrow street outside ARTiMANS Art Shop & Gallery in Soller, Mallorca where my prints of local scenes were on sale inside, an old gentleman with a walking stick stopped and spoke to me like a machine gun going off. My complete lack of Spanish/Mallorcan matched his English! The Shop owners were able to translate. Turned out that he wanted me to do a painting of his house a few doors away for the same price as a print. We gently (I hope) explained that an original painting is worth a lot more than a print. Overnight, I thought, I'll give him a surprise and do a sketch of his house as a gift. So I secretly stood outside his house and did the deed. The Shop owners kindly translated my description on the back of the painting explaining it was a gift to him. The following week, when I was painting in the street again, he happened by. I stood up and presented it to him. He smiled, kept walking away, kept coming back and shaking my hand.... he seemed very happy and it made me feel very, very good! Attached is me and my new best friend Jaime Umbert Vicens!