George Bellows

This afternoon I went to the exhibition George Bellows (1882-1925): Modern American Life at the Royal Academy. I was already familiar with the artist after I worked on a book about Bellows a few years ago when I was working as a designer at a book publishers, so it was interesting to see his work in person.

Bellows painted images of New York's urban life and landscapes and some of his most visceral pieces "record the clandestine, often brutal fights that were organised by private clubs in New York to circumvent a state ban on public boxing". I was really drawn to these paintings, with their expressive brushstrokes and dramatic lighting, and drew a sketch of "Stag at Sharkey's" (1909) - depicting a fight taking place at the Sharkey Athletic Club opposite Bellow's studio...

Bronze exhibition at the Royal Academy

Yesterday afternoon I went to see the Bronze exhibition at the Royal Academy. I must admit to not normally being too fussed about sculpture, but the show was interesting, especially the room where they explain the process of casting a bronze statue, as well as the different effects and results that it is possible to achieve with bronze.

While I was there I did a drawing of this bronze statue of Ganesh, which was created in South India during the late eleventh–early twelfth centuries.

Amelia's Magazine - David Mach's Silver Streak

Amelia's Magazine has reviewed the Royal Academy of Art's Summer Exhibition, featuring my illustration of David Mach's Silver Streak an imposing sculpture of a gorilla that is made entirely from coat hangers...



This was quite a challenge to draw, but I enjoyed the process and am happy with the final image. If you're in the London area, I'd recommend popping along to the Royal Academy and checking out the exhibition which is on until the 22 August...