Locked down, still? Yes. We can go no further than 5km from our homes, unless it’s for shopping or essential work. That hasn’t stopped much of Ireland from piling into their cars and travelling across the country for the long weekend. The roads are clogged with D-reg cars, meaning holidaymakers and hundreds of kilometres travelled.…
DetailsThursday 28th May Summer seems to have arrived in Galway. Everything is green and lush and it’s much too hot for anyone in their right mind to go for a walk from about 11.00am (only because we’re not used to it, it’s probably chilly by some people’s standards). My girl Liv (15) lies on the…
DetailsTuesday 26th May I emerge from my studio late this afternoon into a tranquil garden scene. The sun is still warm, even though it is time to start cooking dinner. I have just spent two hours teaching a group of utterly charming children via Zoom, and I need a little rest. I settle back on…
DetailsSaturday 23rd May I work on Saturdays until quite late, too late to start cooking dinner. So my husband Marcel cooks on Saturday. I thought it would be nice to capture him in action in the kitchen, and I was put in mind of Parisian urban sketcher Mat Let’s USk Talks Challenge: “Observe and Sketch…
Details
Monday 18th May At long last my face masks are available for sale. Forgive me, I know masks are a symbol of this awful time, but I wanted them to be completely perfect. Black elastic with a navy, red, yellow and white patterned fabric? Are you crazy? Only navy elastic will do! That took a…
Details
Saturday 16th May Today in my Zoom class I show some great students the benefits of a limited palette. I really enjoy spending time with them, albeit through a fibre optic cable connection. It is great to be with other adults after all this time – especially adults who like sketching and all things art,…
Details
I say “loosely” locked down, because we can travel 5km from our home now, and by next Monday certain shops will be open. I might be able to buy a vital piece of plumbing paraphernalia, which would mean I would be able to commission my en-suite bathroom (all the white ceramic bits – the sink,…
DetailsEvery week, the Urban Sketching organisation hosts an hour of talks with some favourite sketchers from around the world. This Sunday gone was the turn of Mário Linhares and Hugo Costa, bot from Portugal. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay for Hugo’s talk, but I will catch up with it on You Tube. Mário spoke to Rob…
Details
Saturday 9th May So…I started my new Zoom class with a group of students from all over the world. There are occasional tech issues, but somehow we get over the speedwobbles and manage to have two hours of concentrated learning. The above sketch was of a horse chestnut tree in my garden, and it was…
Details
I am Lounging In Lockdown, because I handed in my latest book for publication the other day. Yes, I know I have mentioned this before now but I am going to milk it for a while longer! My dear husband Marcel came home with a bottle of Blanc de Blancs. “My mother loved this,” he…
Details