Pen and Wash Portraits of Maldon High Street

I was born in Maldon (as was my dad), and I lived there until I was 18 so I feel a very strong bond with the place despite having lived away for 30 plus years.

 I decided to paint some of Maldon’s most beautiful buildings. 

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While I was taking reference photos I got the urge to paint all the façades from the old police station in West Square down to the Rose & Crown on the corner of Butt Lane. 

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Part of the loveliness of buildings comes from their relationship to their neighbours; that’s something we could also say about ourselves.

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That stretch of High Street was too long to fit onto one piece of paper so I divided it into eight sections and started making rough sketches. Then I challenged myself to finish all the paintings in a year and exhibit them at the Maeldune Heritage Centre, which is one of the buildings included in the series.


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And since I’ve painted these buildings I’ve notice that they’ve become more vibrant to me. I mean that when I walk or drive past them now, they seem brighter and more alive. It’s as if by getting to know all the little details of their faces I’ve made friends with them!

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The exhibition runs from 17th August to the 5th September 2023, do drop by if you can! There’s an low tech interactive element – please do some colouring in and share your High Street memories on the large black and white print in the centre of the gallery.

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Fine Art Prints

I’ve had some beautiful fine art prints made which capture the essence of the original paintings at half their size. Click here to buy prints.

The ink is lightfast, so it won’t deteriorate over time and the museum quality paper is Hahnemuhle William Turner 310gsm, which has a texture and weight similar to the watercolour paper on which I painted the originals.

Exhibition

Read about my summer exhibition at the Maeldune Heritage Centre here.

Mrs Salisbury’s

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Inspired by the deliciously beautiful photos on the Instagram feed of Mrs Salisbury’s Tea Room and Restaurant I decided to make an illustration. I do love to paint food…

…I also love to eat cake but alas I’ve still not had the chance to sample Mrs Salisbury’s delights – if they’re half as tasty as the look they’ll be well worth the wait. I can’t remember the last time I had a vol-au-vent.mrs salisbury's, afternoon tea, cake, sandwiches, tea time, vol-au-vent, cup of tea, tea pot, maldon, brights path, restaurant, food illustration, pen and wash, watercolour painting, drawing, border, detailThe home of Mrs Salisbury’s is a delightfully pink house on the corner of Bright’s Path and Maldon High Street and the stairs up from their front door are tiled in this lovely black and white pattern, so I wanted to incorporate that into the border design.cake stand, detail, mrs salisbury's, afternoon tea, cake, sandwiches, tea time, vol-au-vent, cup of tea, tea pot, maldon, brights path, restaurant, food illustration, pen and wash, watercolour painting, drawingmrs salisbury's, afternoon tea, cake, sandwiches, tea time, vol-au-vent, cup of tea, tea pot, maldon, brights path, restaurant, food illustration, pen and wash, watercolour painting, drawing, red velvet cake, victoria sponge, chocolate cake, detailmrs salisbury's, afternoon tea, macaron, tea time, cup of tea, tea pot, maldon, brights path, restaurant, food illustration, pen and wash, watercolour painting, drawing, heart cookie, scone, clotted cream mrs salisbury's, afternoon tea, tea time, strawberry, tea pot, maldon, brights path, restaurant, food illustration, pen and wash, watercolour painting, drawingmrs salisbury's, afternoon tea, tea time, vol-au-vent, maldon, brights path, restaurant, food illustration, pen and wash, watercolour painting, drawing, cup of tea, sandwiches