After a 3 week intensive within London, England I created a large number of detailed sketches from life relying primarily on one pentel .2 mm and brush pen. After I returned I spent time in photoshop scanning and then polishing these sketches with color to give them added interest and depth. These pieces will be on display at SPUR gallery in Baltimore, MD starting September 7th, 2013.

Up: The grand Brighton Pavilion, a spectacular building that has been the hard work of conservationists to restore to it's former glory. Each room is more lavish than the one before. Outside the gardens are full of private spots, and people are scattered across the lawns, soaking up the rare sun.

Down: Brighton beach and pier, famous for it's victorian roots. The beach is covered in soft pebbles of black, white, and tan, and the water is numbingly cold coming in from the arctic. Striped beach chairs are set up all along the shore line in a colorful display.

Up: Highgate cemetery is the permanent residence of Karl Marx, Douglas Adams, and Patrick Caulfield. Filled with large and ornate tombstones as well as secret paths covered in layers of ivy. Large trees create a canopy over the gravestones and paths.

Down: The overground train is air conditioned, comfortable, and fast. Zipping through the beautiful english countryside was calming. I've always had a thing for drawing people on trains and the inside of trains, and there was plenty of time to settle in and create this sketch.

Up: In contrast to the calm overground train is the bustling underground or Tube. This drawing was done on the way to London from the airport, full of people excited to be getting into the city, or people returning home exhausted from their journey. As you can see Whitney Sherman happened to be sitting across from me twice when I did these drawings.

 

Down: Hever Castle was once the home of Anne Boleyn. As castles go it is very small, but extremely beautiful with it's own mote. More beautiful than the building itself are the grounds, full of paths through the woods, rose gardens, and bright green lawns. I took a rest on this beautiful curve of walkway filled with different grasses, ferns, bushes and trees. 

Up: Done from a color study in watercolor and then a loose sketch of the mansion at Kew Gardens. They don't perfectly overlap, but I enjoy that they aren't a perfect match, but still give the impression of space. Kew Gardens is vast with few buildings, and a stunning place.