Views of Preston
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If I don’t draw and paint every day I don’t know when I will. I started trying to teach myself to draw and paint properly in 2011, but it was a side project to help fill the walls of my pottery studio. And over 2011 and 2012 I would fill quite a few sketchbooks, especially at the start of 2012, when we had another had our second child due, but my eldest was at preschool, so when we went out together I would take a sketchbook and practice and practice from life.
Read more: Why I draw and paint dailyMy youngest was born in the summer of 2012 and I decided to professionalize my teaching skills, I had been teaching ceramics and that was the main earner but I wanted to get better at teaching. So I applied for a teaching qualification and got into the program and despite the fact I was teaching art at a sixth form I rarely picked up a brush, pen or pencil.
In fact between caring for my young family, and doing teaching prep and assignments for my university course, I was working in placement four days a week, and on the fifth day, I was at University in classes. I forgot how much I enjoyed it over that year and didn’t really pick up on drawing much at all till I had finished my Master’s degree which was a completely different course.
By this time it was 2016 and four years had escaped me, and I knew I was probably going to have to find work so ceramics was out of the way of finding the calming influence of the flow state, where you forget everything else apart from what is in your hands with a narrow focus and the world is blinkered without care.
As a teenager, my dream had been to be an artist and create spaceships for Lucas film and with my pottery, I was also looking at doing sgraffito through layers of slip on my pottery and loved drawing boats and bins, so threw myself into practising those days by day.
I quickly found my pace and I got up at 5 am every day so I would have some alone time without the children to paint. I also found a day job working in a school so then I was term time and school time so then I was around with my children and I did that until getting furloughed in early 2020 and then never went back after my furlough ended.
I also really enjoy drawing and painting every day it is the highlight, of my day. For me the drawing is the more challenging stage, laying down watercolour I can reach the flow state where you forget everything around you, and honestly it is so relaxing.
I honestly wish that all I had to do day by day was to paint, just relaxed not worry about everything that needs to be done from marketing to trying to sell all the work I am producing on a day-by-day basis. Eventually, I will find a way to be prolific and sell enough to remove the stress of selling.
Another reason I draw every day is because it helps me improve, I am always trying to push what I can draw, the quality of the marks that I make, and most importantly whether I focus on ceramics or painting it helps improve my fine motor skills which because I am very dyspraxic and clumsy by nature, and had Occupational Therapy as a teenager where I worked on my gross motor skills and learnt to finally catch by sitting on a chair and through a can of deodorant hundreds of times till I could throw it and catch it without landing on my head.
There was also a void without painting in my life and I don’t want that void back again. I always felt like I was missing something, which is why I am currently working on a secret project, make sure you are on the mailing list to be one of the first to here about the project when it gets launched soon!
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus mauris a diam. Tortor consequat id porta nibh venenatis cras. Integer enim neque volutpat ac tincidunt. Pretium quam vulputate dignissim suspendisse. Mi quis hendrerit dolor magna eget est lorem ipsum dolor. A pellentesque sit amet porttitor eget dolor. Elementum sagittis vitae et leo duis ut diam quam nulla. Vel pretium lectus quam id leo in vitae turpis massa. Et sollicitudin ac orci phasellus egestas tellus rutrum. Feugiat nisl pretium fusce id velit ut tortor pretium. Augue ut lectus arcu bibendum at varius vel pharetra. Sed ullamcorper morbi tincidunt ornare massa eget. Ipsum faucibus vitae aliquet nec ullamcorper sit amet risus. Mi eget mauris pharetra et. Mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus mauris. Metus dictum at tempor commodo.
Tortor vitae purus faucibus ornare suspendisse. Non odio euismod lacinia at quis risus sed vulputate odio. Nunc mattis enim ut tellus. Habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames. Et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Odio tempor orci dapibus ultrices. Orci nulla pellentesque dignissim enim. Feugiat in fermentum posuere urna. Imperdiet massa tincidunt nunc pulvinar sapien et ligula ullamcorper malesuada. At auctor urna nunc id. Id aliquet lectus proin nibh. Ac felis donec et odio pellentesque. Facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a. Turpis massa tincidunt dui ut ornare lectus sit amet. Est pellentesque elit ullamcorper dignissim cras tincidunt lobortis. Nunc pulvinar sapien et ligula ullamcorper malesuada proin. Vivamus arcu felis bibendum ut tristique et egestas.
Tortor vitae purus faucibus ornare suspendisse. Non odio euismod lacinia at quis risus sed vulputate odio. Nunc mattis enim ut tellus. Habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames. Et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Odio tempor orci dapibus ultrices. Orci nulla pellentesque dignissim enim. Feugiat in fermentum posuere urna. Imperdiet massa tincidunt nunc pulvinar sapien et ligula ullamcorper malesuada. At auctor urna nunc id. Id aliquet lectus proin nibh. Ac felis donec et odio pellentesque. Facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a. Turpis massa tincidunt dui ut ornare lectus sit amet. Est pellentesque elit ullamcorper dignissim cras tincidunt lobortis. Nunc pulvinar sapien et ligula ullamcorper malesuada proin. Vivamus arcu felis bibendum ut tristique et egestas.
My wife grew up in Scotland and moved down south for University when we were dating and we ended up living in Lancashire by the seaside. We have a family of our own here, but when we go back to visit my in-laws we often take a day trip out to Largs.
Yes it is by the sea but it is very different place to Fleetwood. I like it there, it is calm and quiet. That is when the Viking festival isn’t running, we did go one year to see the re-enactment of Vikings battling it out on the Promenade.
Another family favourite especially for my nephew and my children is riding the ferry to Cumbrae. It is a short journey but they love it.
A short walk from my old day job is Cleveleys Cove Cafe, perched right above the sea, the architecture is quite unusual for a local building. At the start of May though it closed for a time as a film crew descended on Cleveleys and dressed the Cafe and the promenade into something from another world.
I am a massive star wars fan and unfortunately due to back pain I didn’t make it down to look at the set in person but I did see plenty of photographs and footage. And I can’t wait for it to be released on Disney+ at some point in the distant future.
A5 drawing on Kraft card in Posca Marker and ink
A personal favourite of mine that I have painted in 2021, I just loved the colours and the shapes of all the buildings and how they work together. Especially with the clouds they help pull it all together drawing you back towards the Oyster Bar.
A4 painting, done in my signature style with watercolour, ink and Posca markers
Robert’s Oyster Bar is in Central Blackpool near the Tower and the North Pier overlooking the promenade and the sea front.
Just don’t venture too far from cover with food or the seagulls will make sure that they get their fair share of your food.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus mauris a diam. Tortor consequat id porta nibh venenatis cras. Integer enim neque volutpat ac tincidunt. Pretium quam vulputate dignissim suspendisse. Mi quis hendrerit dolor magna eget est lorem ipsum dolor. A pellentesque sit amet porttitor eget dolor. Elementum sagittis vitae et leo duis ut diam quam nulla. Vel pretium lectus quam id leo in vitae turpis massa. Et sollicitudin ac orci phasellus egestas tellus rutrum. Feugiat nisl pretium fusce id velit ut tortor pretium. Augue ut lectus arcu bibendum at varius vel pharetra. Sed ullamcorper morbi tincidunt ornare massa eget. Ipsum faucibus vitae aliquet nec ullamcorper sit amet risus. Mi eget mauris pharetra et. Mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus mauris. Metus dictum at tempor commodo.
Tortor vitae purus faucibus ornare suspendisse. Non odio euismod lacinia at quis risus sed vulputate odio. Nunc mattis enim ut tellus. Habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames. Et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Odio tempor orci dapibus ultrices. Orci nulla pellentesque dignissim enim. Feugiat in fermentum posuere urna. Imperdiet massa tincidunt nunc pulvinar sapien et ligula ullamcorper malesuada. At auctor urna nunc id. Id aliquet lectus proin nibh. Ac felis donec et odio pellentesque. Facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a. Turpis massa tincidunt dui ut ornare lectus sit amet. Est pellentesque elit ullamcorper dignissim cras tincidunt lobortis. Nunc pulvinar sapien et ligula ullamcorper malesuada proin. Vivamus arcu felis bibendum ut tristique et egestas.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus mauris a diam. Tortor consequat id porta nibh venenatis cras. Integer enim neque volutpat ac tincidunt. Pretium quam vulputate dignissim suspendisse. Mi quis hendrerit dolor magna eget est lorem ipsum dolor. A pellentesque sit amet porttitor eget dolor. Elementum sagittis vitae et leo duis ut diam quam nulla. Vel pretium lectus quam id leo in vitae turpis massa. Et sollicitudin ac orci phasellus egestas tellus rutrum. Feugiat nisl pretium fusce id velit ut tortor pretium. Augue ut lectus arcu bibendum at varius vel pharetra. Sed ullamcorper morbi tincidunt ornare massa eget. Ipsum faucibus vitae aliquet nec ullamcorper sit amet risus. Mi eget mauris pharetra et. Mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus mauris. Metus dictum at tempor commodo.
Tortor vitae purus faucibus ornare suspendisse. Non odio euismod lacinia at quis risus sed vulputate odio. Nunc mattis enim ut tellus. Habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames. Et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Odio tempor orci dapibus ultrices. Orci nulla pellentesque dignissim enim. Feugiat in fermentum posuere urna. Imperdiet massa tincidunt nunc pulvinar sapien et ligula ullamcorper malesuada. At auctor urna nunc id. Id aliquet lectus proin nibh. Ac felis donec et odio pellentesque. Facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a. Turpis massa tincidunt dui ut ornare lectus sit amet. Est pellentesque elit ullamcorper dignissim cras tincidunt lobortis. Nunc pulvinar sapien et ligula ullamcorper malesuada proin. Vivamus arcu felis bibendum ut tristique et egestas.
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