The Echo, Kings Weston

Returning to this blog after a long time, I'm going to use it as a record of my sketching journey. This is a quick sketch of a favourite place.

 

The Echo is a Grade II listed  C18th built about 1715  banqueting loggia, (a covered exterior gallery) in the Kings Weston estate, designed by Sir John Vanburgh. It got the name from the echo which once reverberated back in the same direction.

The Echo has a mystery too. A Georgian statue, ( a woman draped in classical robes with braided hair) once stood on the ornate plinth in the centre. She was last seen in a 1927 photograph.
The statue was toppled some time during WWII when the park was used as barracks for the US Army.
She then moved to the basement of Kings Weston House and until 1970  was in the students' common room of Bristol College of Science and Technology's architecture department. After that her location became unknown.  I'd love to see her found and brought back home one day!

Rupert

One of my FB group friends did a lovely picture of her two soft traveling companions,  and I responded with a quick sketch of our little plush Rupert Bear, who has been round the world with us.  Here he is, strolling along the waterfront in Sorrento,  Southern Italy,  overlooking Mt Vesuvius.

and here's my sketch of him in ink and watercolour!

Lytes Cary Manor - Dovecote

Lytes Cary is a  beautiful manor house in Somerset.  At the end of the formal garden there's a a dovecote, which is in fact a disguised water tower, so as not to detract from the house! It's seen better days but has such charm. I am a sucker for these sort of buildings, especially when they are falling into  disrepair, as such amazing textures are created. I took some artistic license with the background!

 Noodlers Black ink and Derwent Coloursoft pencils. W&N Sketchbook

A few pages from my Journal

I almost threw away the small sketchbook I've been using as a 'carry round'. The paper isn't nice to work on, and I thought there was hardly anything worth saving. But when I looked through, I found I'd done far more than I realised,  and the sketches will help me record my progress. So I spent today (I'm on holiday!),  cutting,  tearing, and sticking to create more journal pages. As I'd promised to  post here regardless of how I feel about the standard of work -  here they are! The photos are a bit wonky,  as it was late by the time I'd finished. I feel really glad I've done it though,  I realised that I've been trying to sketch a wider range of subjects and broken out of my comfort zone a bit!

 Some wonderful fungi in our woods this year. This is my favourite, the 'Artist's Fungus'. Watercolour.*

 A few quick autumn studies. This is the seed head of wild clematis or 'Traveller's Joy'. Watercolour*

 Random things sketched each day. 2B pencil and coloured pencils**

 A record of an afternoon's sketching at Blaise Castle Museum and old Henbury village.  I had to do these standing  up, which is challenging!Ink and wash*

 More vignettes from King's Weston. Ink and wash*

Two views from 'Poppy Patchwork' in Westbury on Trym. This is as much as I can see from behind the shop counter.I had to draw them standing up, again! Ink and wash* 

I'm actually jounaling! I just hadn't realised:)

* St Petersburg' White Nights
**Derwent Coloursoft.

Trying textures: Stone at Kings Weston

I've decided to post regardless of how I feel about the work.

This  journal page shows interpretations of very different stone objects at Kings Weston. One of the C18th balustrade pillars in need of renovation,  looking across to  the River Severn and the industrial landscape of Avonmouth; and two huge natural pieces of stone,  put into  a seat formation in the woodland.

Derwent Aquatone Pencils and Noodler's Ink on Saunder's Waterford 140g NOT.

I  bought my first Noodler's Flex nib pen this week and wanted to try it out. I'm thrilled with it.