Unknown Sculpture, Canary Wharf, London

(Unknown) Sculpture, Canary Wharf, London  © Peter Gander 2012

I’ve had my eye on drawing this one for a while as I pass it daily from CanaryWharf Pier. Sadly I couldn’t find a nearby plaque with the sculptor’s name, so I can’t be terribly informative. But it’s quite a raw-looking piece, with cut angles from the sculptors’ knife visible all over, like it’s just been made from a huge block of clay. This faceted look translates well to cross-hatching with the biro in small chunks of light and shade. Drawn at West India Avenue, Canary Wharf, London. Bic biro on card and digital colour.

Canary Wharf DLR (Canada Square)

Canary Wharf DLR  © Peter Gander 2012

I went out Tuesday lunchtime to draw and paint this lovely arched DLR station entrance near Mackenzie Walk but once again rain stopped play. Not only that but I realised I was using a non-waterproof pen, (even if it was an ad agency icon, the lauded Sign Pen). Thus it wouldn’t have been any good for watercolouring anyway, even if it hadn’t rained! Thus I brought it back, albeit bespattered with a few raindrops visible here, and scanned it as a black and white (greyscale) image only. Today I finally got round to adding layers of colour digitally, using a limited and muted palette as it was a grey, overcast day. Choosing to drop in colour in a very cut-out fashion on transparent layers, it has a kind of block printing appeal. I was careful not to try and colour in everything too, so it maintained its sketchy freshness. Pentel Sign Pen and digital colour.

‘Couple on seat’ bronze by Lynn Chadwick 2000. Canary Wharf, London.

‘Couple on seat’ bronze sculpture by Lynn Chadwick 2000.  Sketch © Peter Gander 2012

Strong winds again today but dry at least. Right outside the Ogilvy office is this bronze by Lynn Chadwick. I was surprised to see the date of 2000, having presumed it was a 1970s piece, similar to the Henry Moore abstracted figures that I used to see around Harlow, Essex when I was younger. A ring of tiered seating surrounds this and a fountain, so I had a comfortable sketching position. Drawn with a soft (7B) pencil, the paper’s tooth was rather too rough for any subtle variations of tone, but the wash of  sepia over the top helped with that. Dry pigment on the brush dragged upwards (left figure) lent an appropriately rough texture in places. Winsor and Newton watercolour on 210gsm Khadi (Indian handmade) ‘rough’ paper pad.

London lunchtime sketch: Sasso Cosmico, Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, London

Sasso Cosmico, Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, London  © Peter Gander 2012

A grey day in London. Raining, in fact, so nowhere to sit down and sketch but would have sketched this standing up anyway, for the best viewpoint of this dynamic view down to the famous Canary Wharf tower. In the foreground is a sculpture entitled ‘Sasso Cosmico’, by Do Vassilakis-Konig (bronze and steel) 2007. This view will be familiar with commuters like me who get the Thames Clipper boat into the wharf. The very fine rain added an interesting dotty texture to the painting, visible in the sky especially. The woman pushing the pram, lower left, circled the small park continuously for as long as I was there, a good 40 mins! Staedtler Permanent Pen and Winsor & Newton watercolour on 130gsm cartridge paper (the latter was too thin/non-absorbent for such a well-soaked job really).

London lunchtime sketch: Knocker White, West India Quay, London

‘Knocker White’  © Peter Gander 2012

A windy lunchtime today, had to batten down my own hatches with bulldog-clipped pages held down to stop them blowing around in the wind. A few spots of rain too but nothing really threatening. I am currently freelancing in the Docklands area of East London so thought a boat would make a good inaugural sketch for this area. The rust-coloured autumn leaves floating in the water were a good match to the tug’s warm orange paintwork. This little tug sits just outside the Museum of London Docklands and here’s the official history: 

KNOCKER WHITE is a traditional Thames tug, built in 1924 by T. van Duivendijk, Lekkerkerk, Netherlands as CAIRNROCK, for Harrisons Lighterage Company, London. She was traditionally steam-powered. She later passed into the ownership of W. E. White & Sons, Rotherhithe, and in 1960 was renamed with the nickname of one of the White family. She was converted to diesel power with the installation of Petters engines, and alterations were made to both the funnel and wheelhouse. In November 1982, she was sold for scrap, and parts of her engines were removed. In 1984, after a 60 year working life, she was reprieved and became part of the Museum of London Docklands. Source: Paul Brown, Historic Ships The Survivors (Amberley, 2010), updated Feb 2011.

Winsor & Newton watercolour (squirrel mop brush) on 210gsm rough Khadi (Indian handmade) pad (from Paperchase).

‘One for the pot’ (lobster)

‘One for the pot’  © Peter Gander 2012

A poor photo of this painting (at A3 or 42cm x 21cm it’s too large for my scanner), but hopefully you’ll get the gist. The outline was done with a jumbo bamboo dip pen and Ultramarine ink. Watercolour and ink on The Langton Prestige 300gsm rough paper. • SOLD

Sketched in the City: Tap East, Stratford City, London

Definitely half-full - a pint of Tap East’s finest London Extra.  © Peter Gander Oct 2012

TAP EAST
Finding a pub for a cheeky one near a train station when you’ve got a spare 20 minutes usually involves buying into a naff nationwide chain on the concourse. So imagine my wonderment at seeing not just a bar virtually at the top the escalator by the high-speed line home to Kent at Stratford International, but an in-house microbrewery too. Situated on the outside corner of the Great Eastern Market area of ‘Olympic-tastic’ Westfield shopping centre lies this hoppy haven, not only for opportunist commuters but unkeen ‘shopping halves’ too. It must be a tall order making a place like this feel as welcoming as your local back home when the place has glass walls and a shopping centre out front, but it’s been done well. When I visited tonight there were no less than ten unusual-suspect keg beers on (US beers, wheat beers, etc) and five closer-to-home ales on handpump. I opted for an amber ale, London Extra, (5.6%) sketched above, which was excellent. Apparently the guys running this place run Utobeer in Borough Market and The Rake pub. There’s also interesting grub like Bratwurst too and good ol’ pork pies if your pint gets lonely. Go have a gander - this ‘rail ale’s even worth missing a train for...
Indian ink (scratch/dip pen) and Winsor & Newton watercolour on 300gsm The Langton Grain Fin NOT watercolour paper. Original for sale (UK only) @ £50 inc P&P, email petergander(at)gmail.com

Keith’s wooden house

Keith’s wooden house  © Peter Gander 2012

Last month my old college friend Ben, my brother and myself took off on a circular cycling tour around Bordeaux. This is my brother’s friend Keith’s place, nestled in a huge woods. He built the place himself and was kind enough to put us up for the night. Not only were we treated to a huge chili con carne, but lashings of local red wine and Keith’s performances late into the night on slide guitar and spoons! Definitely our most raucous night of the entire trip. Thanks Keith - this painting’s winging its way to you as a ‘thank you’ ; ) Black Indian ink (via dip pen) and Winsor & Newton watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm NOT paper.

 

Detail

 

Red & green hen (• SOLD 13 Jan 2013)

Red and green hen  © Peter Gander 2012

A random hen for the show (it can’t all be about fish, fishermen and that maritime stuff). A big puddle of plain water was laid down for this in the shape of the body and pigment dropped into that puddle once only the sheen of water remained. (You need to use big, bold water-loaded squirrel mops for this). The result, rather like a photographer’s experience in the darkroom, is a joy, watching the colours blend, dominate and develop in front of your eyes. Minor leg and head details/caption were added with a dip pen and ultramarine ink. The downy feathers of the hen’s rear was achieved beyond the puddle area, dragging out the pigment eastwards with a dry squirrel brush, across untouched paper. It’s best, again for simplicity’s sake, to stick to just a couple of colours when experimenting like this. Winsor & Newton watercolour on Two Rivers handmade paper (rough). • SOLD 13 Jan 2013

Whitstable fish market gull  © Peter Gander 2012

Another current exhibition piece and again using a ‘Pierre Noir’ pencil/watercolour. I had used a 7B graphite pencil but it was still looking weak, thus the more graphic treatment. A big dry squirrel mop brush also ensured a similar simplicity of stroke in the watercolour work.

Whitstable harbour

Whitstable harbour  © Peter Gander 2012

A new painting for my current show at The Horsebridge Arts & Community Centre, the harbour itself only a minute’s walk from the gallery. A simplified and graphic interpretation, it sums up the spirit of the harbour which still has a working fishing role to play. The show goes on until next Tuesday 9th October 2012 in Gallery 2. Drawn in (appropriately) a ‘Pierre Noir’ pencil which gives a very punchy line which works well with large, strong and simple compositions. Winsor & Newton watercolour with Pierre Noir pencil on The Langton 300 gsm rough grain fin paper, (with a touch of wax for foreground texture).