The Casino cafe Marbella

This cafe is bright and light and sells a range of bakery goods. I sit watching the mother and daughter eating lunch at the next table. I am in Marbella alone and am recalling how in a previous incarnation of this cafe years before I was locked in the toilet with my daughter. I had to shout ¡ socorro!  and eventually we were rescued by a passing gentleman. Returning to our table, which was roughly where I am sitting to paint, my partner and son were oblivious to our having been missing even though we were locked in for what felt like half and hour. The cafe then was traditional a Spanish affair, full of smokers with a casino next door and toilets with a handle that came off in your hand. I finish the painting and head straight to the toilet to see how far the refurbishment goes. They are no longer up the rickety staircase behind the kitchens. 

Man fishing by Max's beach

It's a very hot day and I decide to walk along the beach, I have passed the end of the wooden walkway and so am walking along the sand. I reach a rocky section where the sea is coming in and decide to sit on a rock. There are people sitting in a beer garden above me. I notice this man who has walked out onto a rock in his shorts with just a carrier bag and a fishing rod. He seems really content to just stand there in the way fishermen do and barely moves for the whole time I am there. While I paint several people pass and negotiate the slippery rocks. I have a short chat with a man who asks me if there is anything worth seeing beyond the rocks. Eventually the fisherman puts away his rod and leaves, he catches nothing.

And again La Cala

This is the final drawing in La Cala, after a long walk in the sun and a false start in a tourist cafe after my guests decide the Jubilados cafe is not what they are looking for due to its minimal breakfast menu. While they are enjoying the beach attractions I head back to the cafe for an intense drawing session. It seems my previous paintings have become local news and I am soon surrounded by onlookers. I discover more of the names and home towns of some of my subjects and am soon in conversation with Agustín and Manuel after they finish their game of dominoes. We swap email addresses and Manuel reminds me of my promise to paint his grand daughter. I ask how I can send it to him and he replies " bring it next year"

The Park cafe in Marbella

Early morning after a bus journey into Marbella. I head for this cafe as it's another favourite, I used to come here to the playground with my children when they were small. It hasn't changed and as I walk past the play area I am feeling a strong sense of all the previous visits with different friends and their families. This time I am alone and it feels strangely quiet. The cafe is as usual, quiet and peaceful, I recognise the waiter and feel a sense of timelessness. The man in the beige trousers is probably the owner, he matches the decor in his maroon shirt. There are regular visitors around me who exchange greetings and information about their grandchildren with the waiter. To the right of the scene and out of frame is a large family group with one small boy who seems loudly frustrated at the lack of attention he is receiving.

Back in La Cala

Am back in the cafe in La Cala where there is a sectioned off area for the pensioners to play dominoes. This is a favourite place of mine and worth the 30 minute walk along the beach. Great coffee and the men hardly move as they play.
I recognise the men  playing dominoes as I have drawn or painted them many times before. Sometimes they come and look at the paintings and pass comment. Today Manuel, back to me wearing a red T shirt, is very taken with his portrait and asks to take a photo, he wants me to paint his grand daughter. He gives me his email address and I send him some pictures. Another of the old boys remembers that I drew him last year.

Conversation in a Balham cafe

Cafe Boutique has several items of clothing for sale on rails dotted amongst the coffee, cakes and tables. The atmosphere is bright and light. I am drawing whilst sitting with Andrew by a small victorian fireplace, it is quite difficult to have a conversation without any eye contact but my eyes are focussed on capturing the constantly moving customers and baristas.

Snacking on Clapham Common

It is quite a cold day- but sunny. I am sitting close to the concreted area of the Common by the Westside drawing in characters as they cross my field of vision. It is not a busy day and those crossing through are mainly runners and dog walkers with the odd elderly person. After a while a man appears with his son and they have a kick about with a ball, the dad wears a puffa jacket and both father and son play with hands in pockets. The moment is interrupted by a local, loud voiced nanny and her charges who sit down on the bench next to me and go to some effort to make me understand that they require the entire bench for their snack activity.

Yet again more Liverpool Street

I am sitting in the gallery area overlooking the station concourse chatting with my colleague- he is new to the university and I am giving him a potted history to get him up to speed on the unique institution. Meanwhile one of our students has been taken in and is being questioned by the police for taking photographs in the station, he is later released without charge.

Costas Liverpool Street

Doing a drawing project on the Circle Line, coldest day of the year and I stupidly arrange to meet students on the platform at Sloane Square. It had not seemed important when I wrote the brief that its an above ground station and therefore I froze after 5 minutes. Moving on to the second contact point at Liverpool Street, seated in the warmth of Costa Coffee felt luxurious. Two Brazilian woman are next to me chattering loudly in Portuguese. The view is mainly looking out towards Boots with one eye checking out for anything untoward happening to students. Three girls tell me they have been approached by some unsavoury boys and later the police ask them about the interaction as the boys have been noted as being "up to no good". The girls tell me that the low slung trousers on one of the boys was so extreme it showed his bum crack........Nice

Queenswood Cafe Battersea Square

Sitting at the bar in the Cafe waiting for Pearl to finish ballet class. I note that every member of staff in this establishment speaks Spanish. The barista is leaving the following day and is mainly planning his leaving do, he has a final burst of energy going round asking people if they want more coffee. This is some contrast to a few weeks previously when he was sending customers away with the excuse they were too busy, yes even just for coffees ........(many tables were free).

Custard Cream

A portrait of a custard cream- I stared intently at this biscuit for several hours breathing in its custardy smell and never once felt like eating it.

Watching TV

TV watching family presents a good opportunity for observational drawing and for testing out new pens. In the top drawing is Andrew watching TV in a lovely apartment in Malaga, he is watching football which for me is a mainly green screen with some small elements moving across it and a droning soundtrack with universal intonation that sounds the same in any language. I had previously been watching a very niche local Malaga recipe channel, diligently following a recipe for cheese filled polenta buñuelos. The local chef was very proudly using a dish cloth he had been sent by a local Polish fan.
The lower two drawings are a Sunday afternoon viewing with Pearl engrossed while wrapped up in an O'Neil fleece. The light is dim but its only mid afternoon, gloomy January.

We All Draw Conference 2015

I presented a workshop at this conference in November 2015. The woman in the drawing to the left is Angela Brew, the conference organiser.  I like how she described drawing as "when two surfaces rub together and make a memory".