Palisander Recorders at the Newbury Spring Festival

Palisander are a recorder ensemble. They play all types and sizes of recorder, the range of which surprised me. This was an Open Studio / Newbury Spring Festival sketching opportunity, a performance at the Newbury Corn Exchange.

This is a selection from my sketches at the performance.

Moscow State Cellists

I was really excited to be asked, as an Open Studios Artist, to sit in on a number of Newbury Spring Festival events and draw them. My first event was this afternoon's rehearsal of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra in the church of Saint Nicholas in the town. The music was incredible and the whole expeience was utterly fantastic.

The lead cellist made a special request of me (in excellent English) to draw the cello group. They stood patiently at the front of the stage... and I ran out of page. Fortunately, I had another one.

It's not the best drawing - I think I did not capture some members of the group very well at all - and it's a dreadful photograph and a bodged-up composite. but I did promise to post it, so here it is.

There were a few other drawings of the cellists, in action, that I think were more successful:

The lead cellist

The lead cellist lost in music

Another cellist lost in the music

I'm sure he knew I was drawing him

Concentration

Focus on the hands and instrument - and the cellist's face, not playing

At rest

All of these drawings were executed in fountain pens.

Fair time!

Highlights of sketching-at-the-fair today...

This morning, when the fair was still being set up

Teenagers

My son and his friend spent all their money
and time on the dodgems My daughter had one go.

The lady in charge of this ride wasn't very busy

Welford Park Walk

On Sunday, we walked 6.3 miles on an organised charity walk at Welford Park, near Newbury. I took a camera (the batteries ran out) and my A6 sketchbook...

Grand Day Out

Ludgershall Castle

The other side of Ludgershall Castle

Danebury Hill Fort

A lovely day - perhaps the best this week - for driving round in circles in Andover and taking the children to free outdoor attractions.

Godrevy

The pages of my sketchbook were flapping in the wind as I made these two sketches between rain showers. I was wishing for an elastic band or two!

Hills

Two views of our local hills, sketched while out walking with a group, during the group's coffee and lunch breaks; two different pens and two different styles.