Nearly time for the annual Art Show at the St Andrew Blackadder Church in North Berwick High Street. Now in its 17th year this exhibition features the work of around 60 local artists and raises money for the Church Repair Fund and a selection of local charities. During the show tea and coffee along with homebaking is served - even I am baking! (a rare event, if I am honest). Opening hours 10am until 5pm on Good Friday and Sat 20th, and 1pm until 5pm on Easter Sunday. Note that the exhibition is not running on Easter Monday this year, but if you still need an art fix then pop down and see me in my beach hut studio!
All my paintings in the exhibition shown below.

Actually there isn't much sign of it at all - an unseasonable 19 degrees here today - although we are firmly into autumnal territory foliage-wise. Nevertheless this week I have been fixated on snow and have painted these two acrylics on board 'Winter mist, low sun' and 'Winter Crow'. Both A3.

October was mainly taken up with pen and ink drawing, and the result of all this effort is a colouring book which features fifteen new drawings of iconic North Berwick buildings and views. It is printed on heavyweight recycled paper and is now for sale in Why Not? in North Berwick High Street, and you can also find it in Dirleton Gallery in the lovely village of Dirleton. Both establishments also carry some of my paintings and prints.

This is one of a series of black and white line drawings of prominent landmarks and buildings of the town, and is what I have been mainly working on over the last four weeks. I intend to produce a colouring book - the sample is currently being printed.

when you have a pencil in your hand. Here are just some of the sketches I have been doing whilst working out a 'building caricature' - a commission and the largest of this type of pen & ink drawing I have tackled so far. Scariest thing in the world? A big empty white sheet of paper!

Today I am having fun doing a pen and ink caricature of Quality Street again, this time featuring the lighthouse that celebrates Robert Louis Stevenson's connection to the town. A 20p coin in the slot lights up the lamp and the furnished interior, which can be viewed through small windows. Just a small drawing as it need to be less than ten inches framed size for the Art Group show coming up soon.

And here it is finished. Just a small one, to bear the imaginative title "Quality Street 3".

 ...(slightly) with the geography of North Berwick! But only in order to fit in all the most recognisable bits in this view of the New Clubhouse in Beach Road and the starter's hut (although I notice that it has a swanky new sign proclaiming itself a 'Starters Lodge')
Two things I have realised whilst working on this series of pen & ink drawings 1. There really is an astonishing number of flags in North Berwick. 2. I am probably going to get a repetitive strain injury from rendering the grass.

What a marathon masonry drawing session that was! Thanks to Pat for the title of this work (whether that is tea-time or gin o'clock has not been established)

Just about finished this view of Anchor Green. I may add some lettering to the finger signpost. Or I may not. And I really feel there ought to be at least one seagull (maybe having a peck at the dropped cone?)

I have been wanting to get my teeth into a bigger drawing for a while so this morning I have started laying out this quirky view of North Berwick, looking towards the harbour and featuring the Lifeboat Station and the town's historic Anchor Green and Auld St Andrew's Kirk. There will be a lot of work in this!

A few days later - making quite slow progress as I have had several meetings and a day of CPD this week. Although breaks can help with a drawing like this - it is fairly intense and requires quite a lot of thinking. I have also discovered that it is more or less impossible to 'wonkify' the Seabird Centre, as it then no longer looks like the Seabird Centre. Must be wonky enough to start with!!