Albert's Chop House, Manchester

This is my final urban sketch from our group sessions this year. It's of the Memorial Hall, Albert Square, Manchester - remembered by Mancunians more fondly as the Square Albert (pub). Recently and beautifully refurbished by architects Ombler Iwanowski, and now Albert's Chop House - companion to the celebrated Sam's and Mr Thomas' Chop Houses. A welcome addition to Manchester hostelries, but I digress! Because it was so bitterly cold, I sat indoors, in the adjacent Slug and Lettuce and drew what I could see through the window. The sketch took about an hour, maybe just over. I wanted to make it quite jolly with splashes of bright watercolour - Tampopo's red signage and blue signposts. You can see the window frames and brick arches I am looking through.

In case this is my last post of 2012, and that depends very much on wi-fi in Cornwall...I make the long trip south tomorrow to Rock, near Padstow. To anyone reading this, I wish you all the very best for the new year, and hope you are having a lovely festive break.

Couple of quick Manchester views

Drawn quickly whilst out urban sketching. Both took about 20 minutes including watercolour. Any Manchester people reading this, hopefully should recognise the views..?

Pier Arts Centre, Orkney

I thought these images might be of interest. The building is the award-winning Pier Arts Centre in Orkney by celebrated Scottish architects Reiach and Hall and the photograph is by Gavin Fraser which was reproduced in the Guardian and architectural magazine RIBA Journal. I am really drawn to it....maybe it's the fading light contrasting with the illuminated gallery, or the highlighted pink of the buoys and adjacent red building - and look at the colour of that water...all with a backdrop of rather dour Scottish granite and pebbledash - I hope I won't upset anyone by saying that, but it's a wonderfully juxtaposed colour palette for the aspiring watercolour painter!

A very close architect friend of mine spent the best part of a couple of years working with the Orkney Council Architects' Department, and I hoped to visit her whilst she was there. I particularly wanted to visit Pier Arts Centre, and enjoy this view for myself, but sadly, didn't make it in the end - however Orkney remains on my wish-list of places to visit! The original painting was completed about 2 years ago, directly inspired by the photograph. It's since been sold although I do have a rather low res digital copy...so it isn't lost to me forever. I am thankfully much better these days at keeping a record of my work.

Urban sketching in Didsbury Village, Manchester

Last Friday I wasn't at work, so in the afternoon walked down to the village to do a bit of 'urban sketching'. It was a particularly mild autumn afternoon so I based myself outside Cafe Nero with a large americano coffee to keep me warm. This is the sketch I produced over an hour and a half. I am quite pleased with it but think I need to draw quicker and be less fussy with some of the detail. A combination of approaching dusk and a sudden chill in the air, bought my enthusiastic sketching to an end for the day!

Sketches from our first urban Sketching event

For a couple of hours on Wednesday afternoon, I completed the following views. The first took about an hour and 15 minutes and the second view, slightly unfinished, just over half an hour. I was pleased with my progress and my ability for the first time in ages, to completely absorb myself in simply drawing...or urban sketching, I should say.

The first first view is from All Saints Gardens looking towards the Manchester School of Art with Chatham Tower behind and the second view is also from All Saints looking towards St. Augustine's Catholic church with the new MMU Business School behind.

All Saints looking towards Manchester School of Art with Chatham Tower behind

All Saints Gardens looking towards St Augustine's Church

Mann Island, Liverpool

As part of a visit to Liverpool Biennial with our students on Wednesday, we walked down to the Tate at the Albert Dock, and it was really interesting to revisit the view I had painted last year from unfinished photographs of Mann Island - a new commercial development by architects Broadway Malyan. I was quite surprised, and rather pleased, at how similar the painting and photograph were. 

The reason I am so drawn to this view, is the complexity and layering of the city...dock, ferry, Victorian building, modern architecture at its most inscrutable (as an architect I really like it, but can appreciate it has had a mixed reaction from the general public) - and the stunning backdrop of Liverpool's Three Graces. I actually have quite an emotional response to this view and would really like to do some more paintings in this area. If our Urban Sketchers group gets off the ground, I'll definitely organise a Liverpool day-out!

Mann Island, Liverpool October 2012

Liverpool skyline, painted 2011

London skyline

This is a drawing from Greenwich Observatory looking out across the Naval College and River Thames, over towards Canary Wharf.  I was partcularly interested in the complicated juxtapostion of classical buildings in the foreground, with the modern city skyline beyond. The drawing is A3 sized and taken from from an assemblage of my photographs. I have had it professionally printed onto watercolour ready to paint.

Albert Square, Manchester

Two architectural paintings of the same view, one preparatory and one more detailed. Both watercolour and pencil. The view is from Clarence Street looking into Albert Square, Manchester and shows the Christmas Market. Painted 2010.

 

Another sketchbook drawing

Stockport Town Hall ceiling detail drawn during a Stockport Symphony Orchestra concert, December 2011. Fascinated by the overly ornate ceiling and (I think) slightly Rococco detailing.

ManchesterInArt exhibition

I am delighted to be one of the artists in VenturesInArt's 'ManchesterInArt' exhibition, at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, Piccadilly Place. I have five Manchester city views on display and they are available to buy online via VenturesInArt's website. The exhibition is an interesting mix of original artwork with over 70 paintings and photographs by 18 local artists. Definitely worth a visit and runs until January 2013.


ManchesterInArt website
ManchesterInArt Simone Ridyard

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Manchester skyline watercolour (reworked 2012)