Posts Tagged: urban sketches

Eastwood House, Dunkeld. 27 July – 3 August

A privilege to stay at Eastwood House, Dunkeld for a week. It was the shooting lodge for Blair Castle, and is strung out along a river bank looking south over the Tay.

Eastwood 01-08-13We spent a week playing by the river and enjoying local tourist attractions from Osprey watching (I missed the highlight as I was trying to stop Innes singing in the bird hide: bad form apparently) to the Perth Show.

The house has been superbly, sensitively, renovated by Alex and Cat.

www.eastwoodhousedunkeld.com

Everything is beautifully chosen, whether it’s colour, art, or the degree of renovation. A small example is the chairs, so I drew a simple one every day.

Eastwood Chairs 01-08-13 no textThe house is also where Beatrix Potter wrote an illustrated letter about a little rabbit, and this was the basis of her subsequent books about Peter Rabbit and others. She could draw a bit and had a scientific mind, so a different career may have lain before her had she not been a woman. Science’s loss, illustrated children’s story’s gain.

She said: “It’s all the same, drawing, painting, modelling, the irresistible desire to copy any beautiful object that strikes the eye…”

Eastwood 30-07-13She wrote the letter in 1893. 120 years later, we occupied the same spaces she had, and passed a very pleasant family holiday.

A few days in Port de Soller 19-22 July 2013

We went to Port de Soller for a few days.

jet 2 to Mallorca 19 July 2013 Julie in Mallorca 19 July 2013    Palma and the terrace at night  Porto Soller Pool 20 July 2013 The pool at Porto Soller hotel

Torre de Ancora 20 July 2013Notes on the house opposite the terrace.

Port de Soller 20 July 2013Down in the port before dinner.

Lunch in Soller 21 July 2013Lunch in Soller

People by the Pool 21 July 2013People by the pool.

Port de Soller 21 July 2013The view across the bay.

Palma Airport 22 July 2013Going home.

Last week before holiday 14 July – 18 July

edinburgh 10k 14 July 2013Start with a 10k

Smithfield with HTA 16 July 2013

Sketching with HTA London at Smithfield.

last train 16 July 2013Last train to Bracknell.

 

 

 

 

 

Canongate Tolbooth 4th July 2013

Cycling round Edinburgh looking at new office space.  The parliament end of the old town is my current favourite location and this is local landmark the Tolbooth. It was apparently built in 1591 but could be much younger. Not much changes through the generations in this architecture lark.Canongate Tolbooth 4th July 2013

Talking about Private Rent over lunch in Manchester 26 June 2013

I gave a short presentation about our work for Fizzy and how to design for a business, as opposed to a building. SKMBT_C28413062714540

 

We’d assembled a good crowd, (there were three other speakers) so a good discussion ensued. It’s written up on HTA’s website:

www.hta.co.uk

 

Highland Show 22 June 2013

Looking at tractors and animals at the Highland Show.SKMBT_C28413062715241

Saltire Tour 20 – 21 June 2013

I had to miss the start of this to go to Manchester on the look out for a brilliant wee project.SKMBT_C28413062715231

Got up to Banchory in plenty time for dinner with the team and lively debate over a few drinks after (they asked us to put the lights out when we were done).

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It was mostly constructive, and set us up for the next day’s tour. Any notes are just my thoughts: the jury doesn’t meet until late July to decide who might win what.

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For me, every project was worth looking at and I’d have been proud of any of them.

Richard Murphy’s House Going Up 17 June 2013

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Richard Murphy is building his own house just a long the street from the office. Sketching it is like unravellng a little puzzle so I can’t imagine building it is all that straightforward.

Eileen’s Birthday 15 June 2013

SKMBT_C28413062715211Isla chatting to the ladies whilst the Smith sisters, Michael and Sandy chat down the other end of the table. Fraser and Innes are next to me. They are wearing pizza chef hats too.

Other people’s events No 2 14 June 2013

Italialive - 14 June 2013Italia Live. Being sold beautiful stuff by (apparently) passionate Italian folk in the pampered surroundings of the Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh.