Just Ordained

Congratulations, Fliss!

Cyclist

A time before...

Of course, as you would expect, my beloved had a life before she met me, as did I, but now and again I feel cheated not to have known her earlier.

Sofa creatures

Can be found at any time of the day in their usual habitat, often with a carefully arranged nesting of cushions and blankets, in a firm but comfy sofa. The curled up poise of such creatures is their common stance, frequently positioned as to observe the television. It is not rare to note literature either within their hands or on a nearby sofa arm, perhaps even on the floor when an excess of reading matter has been accrued over a short period of time. Whilst they are solitary by nature and fiercely protective of their territory, by negotiation or an offering of hot chocolate they may make space for others of their kind. There is a great reluctance to leave their nesting place, which does become necessary after several beverages, because of the three second rule.

The laughing pony

Stopped in the New Forest for a cup of coffee, a laugh and a chat with the locals.

The maiden

A beautiful maiden I found at Maiden Castle, Dorset. Wind swept and interesting. Cold, but cuddly. Slender and lovely. I lent her my arm and she gave me her hand.

The house next door (in the garden)

It's not a sketch or a painting, but that's OK because I built it. This is the closest thing my son can get to having a tree house in our garden. Mostly made from old timber found and scrounged. He's decorated it with Doctor Who posters and sometimes has his tea in there. I have visited him occasionally but I tend to take up all the space!

Mummy's brave boy

Today he had an adventure. He took my hand and trusted me to lead him down 100 yards of a steep slope of loose dirt and stone on the South Downs, between the trees. I was proud of him. As he empted the dirt out of his trainers he told me it was fun and he wanted to do it again. I told him it reminded me of a time his mummy and I did the same thing on the isle of Symi - that was fun too!

Roots

Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.

-Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Time is against me...

Oh, to have the time to turn all the sketches into paintings!

'A time to be silent and a time to speak'

Feeling hippy?

I'm not sure why, but for most of my late teens and twenties my music interest led me to second hand record shops to seek out the albums of those hippy days: Joni Mitchell, Crosby Stills and Nash, and many more. I only say this so to tie in with this sketch from yesteryear.

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out.

Comic book art

I was never one for comic books as a child, the odd Spiderman or Batman, but I didn't crave them. It was in my early twenties when a friend suggested that I could turn my hand to that style of work that I began to take more of an interest. It was at that time that comic books were changing into the slick, glossy works a lot of them are now and graphic novels were becoming popular. The samples I submitted were not received well and I gave up quickly as I guess I never really had a passion for them. I do, however, like the works of such as Michael Turner, Travis Charest, J. Scott Campbell and the like. This drawing was inspired after seeing the work of Simon Bisley.

What you spend your time on influences you.

Motivation

I, perhaps like many who enjoy putting pencil to paper or brush to canvas, go for periods of time completely ignoring my drawing board. I know I could make time for anything I want to do by leaving other things undone, so that is not the excuse. It's not even that the inspiration is absent, rather that the motivation is lacking. There may be many causes for this but essentially they are all emotional. For motivation read passion and without it ideas are just laboured. And so I used to let myself get away with not doing because I wasn't moved to. Since I have learnt that the every act of doing can bring about the passion. So, no excuses, I'd better do a new sketch, and I would but...

'The trouble is we want to feel before we act.'

- Margaret Cundiff

Who's that girl?

Right, so, an old picture as I have nothing new to proffer. I had just come back from my journeys through Russia, China, Australia, New Zealand and Canada at the time I drew this, full of plans and ideas. When I wasn't working I was drawing and painting. Then I let other things get in the way. I still remember the words of another student when I was at college, I don't remember much else as it was years ago, but those words stuck to my brain like a poster pasted to a wall. Her name was Marnie and to paraphrase her she told me that she was going to concentrate on her career and not let anything else get in the way. It wasn't that I was asking, it just came up in conversation. I wonder now if she stuck to her plans.

This figure isn't Marnie. She had very ginger, very curly hair. This figure isn't anyone.

It's never to late to become what you might have been.

Feeling small?

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Travelling bear

This bear was not dangerous, just well travelled. Our lad brought him home from school for the week so we could show him the sights. His diary recorded his far flung visits to hot climes and Disneyland, but we couldn't compete with that. Instead we took him for a walk with the dog and let him rest a while on our Chesterfield.

'It's not so much a matter of solving the problems as learning to live through them in the grace which God provides.'

- David Prior

Love

This piece is so familiar that it sounds like a cliche and the words trickle past me like rain on a window, I hardly notice them. Then again there's too much in these short sentences to take in. Wedding couples often pick them for their big day.

Just recently they shot into my head and I reread them:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

As a yard stick it makes me feel like a midget; petty and small minded. But, like my little boy's school coat, I will try, with time and God's grace, to grow into it.

'We lose what we try to keep; we gain what we give away...whatever God gives is for passing on.'

- David Prior

On my mind

OK, so I saw a film 'Keeping Mum' and enjoyed it. Left with the words of Rowan Atkinson on my mind," I'm mysterious, folks... ...live with it!" A paraphrase of Isaiah, "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord." And so it is on my mind.

Giraffes

My wife's favourite animal is the giraffe. Because of her interests I would have thought it was the horse, but they do have similarities. Have you ever watched a giraffe walk? The most incredible and surprising thing I've ever seen; they seem to float along and, by coincidence, they just happen to be moving their legs very slowly, as if in a dream, at the same time. It's like they can slow down time all around them. Magical. We've visited Marwell Zoo in Hampshire a few times and spent most of it hanging out with the giraffes. They're a good crowd even if they do look down on you a bit.

If you'd like to see more of them, visit: http://www.marwell.org.uk/interactive_zone/webcams.asp



Old sketch

This is what I was drawing some eighteen years ago. Oh, those legs!!