Artwork Description:

Title: Derby Guildhall Autumn Sketch

This was painted in ink and watercolour sitting on one of the benches in Derby Market Place during a Draw Derby session where a group of us meet up every month to sketch and chat.  The loose style reflects the limitations of sitting outside in the cooler autumn weather but we were fortunate to have bright sunshine to light up the building and the fading leaves.  The building was still being restored at this time but all the scaffolding had been removed to expose the clock tower, the work to complete the market hall is due to finish in spring 2025.

Artist Bio:

Working quickly with a fountain pen, waterproof ink and watercolour, Tom captures views of cafes, city streets and rural views in an urban sketch style.  Some of these are worked into larger pictures back in the studio using pen and wash or oil.  Sometimes an image demands to be painted and battles a path via sketches and photographs to be released from just an idea to become a finished piece of work.

Tom has always been fascinated by our impact on the landscape and started sketching the urban environment of cafes, railway stations and airports while travelling for work.  Now Tom can often be found sketching and painting in and around Derby and enjoys chatting to onlookers about art techniques, the history of local buildings or where to find the best coffee and cake.