Here’s a plant drawing I made yesterday as part of my still-life explorations. It’s in oil pastel and soft pencil again on paper slightly smaller than A1. I let the drawing talk back to me and it became the stalk and the shadows around it that interested me most. I took some close-ups which I’ll share next. I feel a painting coming on through one of those. I’m looking for colour and light next to shade in these dark January days through these drawings.

Here’s a still-life I made last Monday on paper that was slightly smaller than A1. I’m enjoying my drawings on this theme as a result of my response to the TV programme, ‘Apples, pears and paint’ that was broadcast on Channel 4 a couple of weeks ago. I have some more thoughts as to how to develop it further inspired by Bonnard, who I’ve always loved, and David Cook an artist who I know and who doesn’t live so far away from me in Yorkshire. My work is always being nudged in different directions by the people I’m looking at, either masters I see in the flesh as it were, or on twitter or the work of artists I know. Ultimately I want to make my own new statement though whatever that is! It may work or it may not, but I never stop trying to say something. It is strange and illusive this visual world. I’m thinking of light and shade, colour and marks as an undercurrent to my days. Motifs and subjects present themselves to me as I go along. These cactii have been in the front porch of our house for a very long time. The bag behind them was given to me by my son. The mango in the previous still-life was a gift from a friend which I very much enjoyed eating afterwards! I bought the lemon and lime myself. These stories weave themselves into my days.

I made this still life that follows on from the drawing of my brushes that I made last week I arranged the fruit on the window ledge in the corner of my studio. It was wonderful to immerse myself in the colours of the fruit whilst I was drawing and I can revisit the memory of the experience whilst writing this for you. The contrast of shadow behind the subjects interested me too. I’ve been very inspired by the Channel 4 TV programme ‘Apples, Pears and Paint’ which I watched recently.

I made this still life drawing on Monday whilst I had the light in the afternoon. I often like to make still life drawings or paintings as in-between pieces interspersing larger explorations of my ideas. This was just a corner of the studio, my brushes and some other things. It wasn’t arranged atall. The things were just as I found them. I’d watched a programme on Channel 4 the night before entitled ‘Apples, Pears and Paint’ on the history of the still life genre. It was superb and hugely inspirational and revealing about the very nature and role of still life in our world. I thoroughly recommend it and will share the link. My drawing makes itself. I just let it emerge. I’m not controlling, but looking and feeling until I sense I need to stop. I’ve decided not to photograph the stages as it interrupts my flow. I do have a couple of cropped versions of this image though which I’ll share next.