In 1897 Alfred Sisley spent a summer in Penarth, painting the cliffs, the Bristol Channel and the ships in the Roads — the only Welsh paintings by a leading Impressionist. Where he lived, what he wrote in his letters, his Cardiff wedding, and how to walk his views today.
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A Penarth to Lavernock walk along the Wales Coast Path: the Penarth Clifftop Walk, sea views towards Flat Holm and Steep Holm, Jurassic cliffs and a Welsh dinosaur, Lavernock Battery, a tiny church, and the spot where Marconi's first radio message crossed open water in 1897.
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A walk around Cosmeston Lakes Country Park near Penarth, through reeds, woodland and a reconstructed medieval village, with a detour into what archaeologists learned from thousands of broken pots.
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Thirteen of my favourite places to sketch in Penarth, with sea views, parks, local streets, practical places to sit, and nearby shelter from the rain.
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A walk from Alexandra Park and the cliff top down to Penarth Pier and along Penarth Esplanade towards Italian Gardens, with the Pavilion, beach, swimmers, Waverley paddle steamer, local history, cafes and sketchbook notes.
Read moreWhat to bring to an outdoor sketching meetup in Penarth: simple sketching materials, coloured pencils, watercolour, warm layers, and cafe rain plans.
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A sketchbook walk through Victoria Square in Penarth, with old trees, All Saints Church, wartime history, community life, filming locations, and a pencil tree sketch from the square.
Read moreA sketchbook walk through Italian Gardens in Penarth, with sea views, palms, flowers, coffee on rainy days, and drawings from a small garden by the Bristol Channel.
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A walk through Alexandra Park Penarth with sketches, tree drawings, blossom, the pond, and a few odd corners that keep turning into Welsh landscape art.
Read moreFlowering hawthorn in May, spring hedgerows in Wales, and the annoying truth that white blossom is almost never white when you try to paint it.
Read moreA three-day Wales sketchbook vlog visiting Aberdulais, Carreg Cennen Castle, the National Showcaves Centre for Wales, Dinefwr, the National Botanic Garden of Wales, and Llandeilo.
Read moreWinter in Wales makes colour less useful for a while, so these graphite sketches look at weight, distance, bare trees, and the greys between.
Read moreA short video note about spring in Wales, new artwork, Welsh landscape inspiration, and the colours that return to the studio after winter.
Read moreFrom a loose first sketch to a finished oil pastel drawing: colour decisions, texture, and the small changes that happen while the picture is still arguing back.
Read moreOil pastel drawings from short Welsh trips: roadsides, landscape stops, sketchbook fragments, and a few things that later followed me back into the studio.
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For a long time, my flat in Penarth had a few windows facing east, towards the channel. I could see a slice of esplanade, a black line of railings, and the long grey shape of Penarth Pier walking out into the Bristol Channel. I painted that view a lot for 3 years. Mostly sitting inside and looking out. Sometimes from the beach, looking up at the pier. Once even from Alexandra Park, but I couldn’t see the pier itself from there, only a small piece of sea.
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