Urban Exploration - Kings Cross Central Development - London

 I'll be spending a few days in London in January. One of the things I always do when I'm there is explore an area that I don't know very well, usually with my good friend Geoff. This year we will be visiting the King's Cross Central Development just north of the King's Cross and St. Pancras railway stations. 

When we first explored this area several years ago we knew that it was was part of a major re-development plan which would bring drastic changes. At that time the area was a wasteland: elevated rail lines on rusting steel supports ran over old brick arches which housed all kinds of abandoned spaces. Large empty warehouses and the Victorian gasometer No 8 loomed over the overgrown sections of the Regents Canal in which we spotted turtles. The area was very edgy.

Here are some of my photos and sketches from that first visit. I'm looking forward to seeing how things look now. Stay posted.

New Painting

Pier 64 No 3. 36" x 48". Collage, mixed media and oil on wood panel.

After the disruption of moving home I finally got back into my studio and have been able to focus on a commission piece for a local client. As soon as I started mixing colors all the stress of the previous month just melted away! 
The painting is one of a series on which I am working based on an old pier on the West side of Manhattan which I drew and photographed several years ago. The pier is now gone, replaced by a waterside park.

Drawing in a Dust Storm

For the past couple of weeks I have been unable to spend much time in my studio due to an unexpected, but wonderful, home re-location. My only creative outlet, in between packing and cleaning, was personalizing birthday cards for family members - a glue stick and pair of scissors were my friends! 
This made me think a lot about how art-making is so essential to my sense of well-being, and about the times in the past that drawing has helped me to engage with the world around me.

Seven years ago I went to Burning Man for the first time and I was very anxious about whether I would enjoy being in the desert with thousands of strangers for a week. With the help of a skilled and resourceful friend I built myself an Art Cart - essentially a box containing all my equipment for drawing which could be pulled around by bicycle. This gave me way of being there on my own terms.

Here are some old photos of me being so absorbed in my drawing that I didn't notice an approaching dust storm:

I have been missing that feeling of total absorption and I am very excited about being in the studio again next week. More postings of current work to come!