Will and I

As I work steadily on the preparatory sketches of my next picture, i thought I'd post these two drawings I did at the beginning of 2006. they were part of a series of pictures funded by Arts Council England and saw me step up to full time self employment. they were exhibited later in the year at my solo exhibition entitled 'Project spectrum'. this picture is of my youngest son William. he's seen posing against a wall opposite our house which he liked to play football against.

This second picture is of course a self portrait..i'm not trying to look glum..but I am serious and concentrating..and I do look rather different now. In the picture , the most important element id the model seagull.Whilst on holiday in August 2005, we stayed in a little village in Devon..a couple of miles up the coast from a village called Boscastle. Terrible heavy storms hit Boscastle whilst we were there and all the residents were airlifted to safety as the tiny river that ran through the village burst it's banks and swept all into the sea. A few days later on our beach..this seagull was washed ashore still bearing it's price tag.(It came from the village gift shop..one day I intend to go back there and pay for it!)

On return home..I was made redundant from my job as a Children's Residential Social Worker...it was devastating news to come home to..but that was the point that lead to me doing what i'm doing now...a new beginning and the chance to spend my time doing what i'd always dreamt of doing.

The seagull represents coming through 'rough seas' and that survival and life come out of something we at the time do not see.

The Spitfire represents the pioneering adventure I set out on and coincidentally was the subject matter of a print which sold fairly well on my old Ebay site and lead me to dare to consider making a living from my work.