Winter is the time to look back and ahead
As the days drift from one to another I am looking forward to new practices, mediums and workshops and in the months to come.
Apologies I haven’t been in touch with an update for a while, the days have drifted since the big one and the Sketcher clan are all coasting along quite happily in our own wee bubble. I do love this time of year, time for taking long walks with loved ones, big lunches and even bigger Lego builds as the usual festive films play in the background.
In this middle time between old and new my mind looks ahead to new options, styles and opportunities for the year ahead. New workshops, a summer exhibition with Arienas Collective to plan for and also soft wood engraving and printing tools to try which I have had in a box for 6 months or so waiting for a good time. And if the turn of the year highlights anything it is that waiting for a good time never works and I just need to get on with it.
My son received a Lino cutting and printing kit and we have all been having ago. Above are our printed creations from the carved pieces below. I love the bright colours, the challenge of working in reverse and the seemingly spontaneous reactions and outcomes which can appear from the same carving.
Journal Workshops for 2025
I love how a painting can capture so much feeling and by looking at a piece from almost ten years ago I am filed with the same emotions and thoughts as I was when drawing it. Looking ahead to 2025 I plan to help more people capture their emotions and a moment in their lives through painting. With the new Sketch Journalling Workshop plus new and more varied locations for my Outdoor Sketching Workshops I hope to see lots of you painting the every day beauty that makes life so special and unique to all of us.
Find out more about this year’s workshop options and dates ready to book now on my Sketching Workshops page.
My Top 10 of 2024
I was asked to pick out my top ten sketches from the last 12 months for an Edinburgh Evening News feature and below are the first three plus a link to where you can see the full ten. Amazingly this is the tenth year I have made this list of favourites so in January the paper and I will have a look back at the last decade and I will pick a favourite from each year for a special feature.
1. Turners at the National
This piece was inspired by a visit to see the JMW Turner paintings at the Royal Scottish Academy. In 2025, thanks to a swap with the National Gallery of Ireland, there will be a new set of Turner paintings which have never been seen in Scotland before.
2. Murrayfield Panel
Working on original one off pieces this year I created a series of drawings using india ink on wooden panels. The fine lines look great against the warm tones of the wood and highlight the detail in this sketch from the back of the Scottish Rugby stadium. I will be making more of these panels for an exhibition in the summer of 2025.
3. Victoria Street Showers
I remember this was a very wet May day bank holiday, the cobbled streets of Edinburgh were full of visitors all wrapped up against the downpour. I scribbled this beneath an umbrella adding the colour wash later, while drying off with a coffee.
Back Soon
I will endeavour to keep these updates regular through 2025, I do appreciate the support for EdinburghSketcher and I want to continue to sketch this wonderful and ever changing city with my watercolours.
Have a wonderful holiday season thank you for your support and all the very best in 2025. Oh and below is my latest Lino print of Edinburgh Castle. Back soon :)
Mark, ES
