On the basis that if I try to do something (within my own realms of possibility of course) and I find it difficult then I have nothing but the utmost admiration for those who do so and do it with such apparent ease.

For the last 18 months or so I have been trying to be more spontaneous in my approach to drawing and painting by spending a little less time in the studio and more time outside learning to observe the world around me.

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  Man asleep on train (c) Anne Blankson-Hemans 2016

This approach has taken me slightly out of my comfort zone and whilst I find safety in numbers when I go out plein air painting or urban sketching I decided to venture a little further by going solo on the underground.
So, inspired by my friend, the self confessed addictive sketcher Adebanji Alade, I decided to sketch people as I traveled on the London underground.

It took some doing I have to say! A couple of years ago I had a chat with Adebanji and was pleased to find he had had reservations (he’s a mere mortal like us after all ha ha) as well but had managed to get over his inhibitions and doesn’t even think twice about going out now.

Man asleep on train (c) Anne Blankson-Hemans 2016

So… I asked myself, what exactly is it I am worried about? Shyness? I am a little but that’s never been a problem? Worried about what observers might think? Who cares? They don’t even know me ha ha! Might my sitters turn aggressive because I am trying to draw them? Apparently they are flattered… who knew?
So armed with all the courage I could muster I picked out a couple of people during my last trip to London and gave myself 5 minutes per person.

I did say as much courage as I could muster didn’t I? Both my subjects in of two of the three sketches I managed were fast asleep and the third was engrossed in a book but hey I did it didn’t I?

The Girl on the Train (c) Anne Blankson-Hemans 2016

I am looking forward to the day I know won’t be that far off when I can whip out my sketch book without thinking twice about it and until then I will just keep sketching.
Who knows, one day I might inspire someone too!

The temptation whenever I start a new painting is to delve straight into it with the paintbrush and paint making all the necessary corrections as I go along. I am a colourist, I love colour and I want to expel all that colour information that makes up my painting as soon as possible.

I know however from bitter experience that this does not always yield the results I want; that somehow the information that passes from my head through my hand and onto the canvas gets lost in translation somewhere along the way. So it is a useful thing sometimes probably most times to take a step back and plan a little.

I have started my latest painting; a fruit and veg stall from a sketch taken on a visit to Marrakesh in 2011. Preparation is everything and so after laying on the coloured acrylic ground – a mixture of cadmium red light hue and yellow ochre to set the warm tones I am now sketching out the details in charcoal. I look forward to laying on the colour but not before I am satisfied that the drawing is complete.

I spent the best part of Sunday morning washing my brushes as in properly rinsing them out in white spirit and then lathering up some brush cleaner and rubbing the brushes in my palms to get all the oil residue out of the ferrules. This is an onerous task especially if you don’t do it as often as you should but to make sure you get good clean colours it us like everything else a necessary evil.

Have a blessed day my friends. Stay focused.

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There comes a time with every painting when you know you are done ie that’s it, I am finished and for those of us nutty artists who speak with our paintings and wait for instructions you know your time is up when the painting speaks up loud and clear ‘enough already!’

So it is with great pleasure that I present to you ‘The Circle, Accra’

There is an element of poignancy in  this picture as whilst I was painting it, I was reminded more than once that  the area which I had last visited almost eight years ago had changed beyond recognition with major development to the road network this is being developed into a concrete jungle of flyovers and overheads.

Looking at the bigger picture I am glad to have been able to preserve a small part of Ghana ‘ s history. The concrete jungle in time will tell it’s own story.

Stay blessed my friends. Stay focused and have a fruitful weekend.

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Well I crossed the finish line in the wee small hours of  this morning only to discover (as if I didn’t know) that I still have to do the lap of honour by dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.

Would you believe I still haven’t worked out what to paint in that bottom right hand corner? I am not too worried truth to tell as I know something will pop up in my mind as I continue to mull it about in my mind as I go about my day’s tasks. I also have to work in the details of some of the faces so I guess it will be done when it’s done.

Being so close to putting my signature on it and declaring it finished, I am already thinking of the next painting which is a toss up between a vegetable store in Marrakesh and some Senegalese women; a painting I started in July which really needs to be finished cos I quite like it.

Have a super day my friends. Stay blessed, stay focused. 

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Lol I am still here! I had a minor wobble earlier this week when I felt I was losing momentum but I was determined to press on amidst a chorus of encouragement and support from friends, family and well wishers.

Sometimes it really does feel like I am running a race when I start off with heaps of energy and enthusiasm and then fall into a steady rhythm. If the course is a long one its not unusual to lose momentum but with the finish line in sight I am making a break for it.

This week I have been dealing with what I can only describe as an outbreak; as 2 out the 5 members of my household have succumbed to the winter vomiting bug so here I am playing nurse maid and home cleaner extraordinaire. The bug must be halted in its tracks as I have no time to be ill. I am a girl with a mission!

So here’s where we are so far. This weekend should see us comfortably over the finish line.

As usual stay blessed and stay focused!

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