Posts from the ‘Events’ category

Day four: 10 hours of sketching and stalking Snowdogs.

Additions to my kit: A tiny stool to sit on, more blue paint, new Aqua brushes.

I’m sketching the Snowdogs by the Sea to raise money for Martlets Hospice or the Brighton Housing Trust. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far.

snowdogs_0031

8:05am A stunning morning

snowdogs_0032

9:20am THE Snowdog

snowdogs_0033

10:30am Dudley you nearly broke me. Bitter winds blow my paints away.

snowdogs_0034

12:20pm Gizmo picks up some tricks at the skatepark.

snowdogs_0035

2:35pm Bella looks longingly at the fishing boats.

snowdogs_0036

3:35pm Process pup. The second time I’ve been filled with dread at the prospect of painting all those tiny shapes!

snowdogs_0037

5:30pm Glimpsed ‘Newshound’ between the commuters. Are we nearly there yet?

Many thanks to all the artists who gave their time to create these fabulous dogs. Please donate now! Only 8 dogs left …

My justgiving fund raising pages are: Martlets Hospice and the Brighton Housing Trust.

© Claire Moore and cmoorelife, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Claire Moore and cmoorelife with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Leave a comment

Day three: Nearly 10 hours of sketching and stalking Snowdogs.

Additions to my kit: An extra hat, another jumper and two pairs of gloves.

If you enjoy what you see, please make a donation to Martlets Hospice or the Brighton Housing Trust.

 

Splashhound, Unitarian Church

8:10am Paint doesn’t dry when it’s this cold!

 

Frank, Gloucester Road

9:10am Frank looks a bit stressed, due to the man just out of view, shouting into his mobile phone for a very, very long time.

Blot the dog, Churchill Square

10:00am Terrifying!

Neon Camo Snowdog of hope, Brighton & Hove High School

11:35am A tranquil spot.

Clifton, Montpellier Crescent

12:30pm SNOWDOG! SNOWDOG!

Marty, Hove Park

13:40pm Surely there can’t be any more?

Mod dog, Churchill Square

3:30pm A popular meeting place, so lots of ducking and diving to see this one.

Disco dog, Duke street

5:00pm Half a shandy and a packet of crisps with Disco Dog at dusk.

Many thanks to all the artists who gave their time to create these fabulous dogs. Please donate now! More to follow…

© Claire Moore and cmoorelife, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Claire Moore and cmoorelife with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Leave a comment

Day two: 9 hours of sketching and stalking Snowdogs.

For all my sketches, I’ve followed the urban sketcher manifesto, so there was no sneaking off to a warm café to touch up from photos. I’ve also put them straight down on the page in pen and wash, no pencil outlines or practice runs.

Feeling like the world needs a little love right now? A donation to a good cause, like Martlets Hospice or the Brighton Housing Trust, might help ease the pain.

Marty, East Street

8:50am They’ll never let you in to French connection dressed like that Horatio.

 

snowdogs_0014

9:30am Ryuichi Sakamoto’s, ‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence’ plays on an endless loop in my mind. It could be the cold, but for the first time I think this might be madness. I can’t feel my hands.

 

snowdogs_0015

10:20am Donatello staff eye me suspiciously, as they set out tables. I can’t feel my legs.

Roodle, Brighton Dome

10:55am Lurking silently in the corner in the cosy Dome porch, I learn that this is the dog most people want to steal. It really is fluffy.

Dave the dog, Floral clock

12:23pm Finally, a bench to sit on.

Max, Brighton and Hove Museum

13:30 A heavy night on the town for Max

 

Boomer, Big Beach Cafe

2:45pm Right here, right now.

Snowbrador

3:40pm The wind blows rust in my face.

Pebbles, Hove Promenade

4:20pm Thanks to the nice woman who encouraged me to post these sketches online

Flower, Brighton Bandstand

5:00pm Pedestrians step on me in the twilight.

Many thanks to all the artists who gave their time to create these fabulous dogs.

More to follow…

© Claire Moore and cmoorelife, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Claire Moore and cmoorelife with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Leave a comment
snowdogs_0001

8:15am It’s a doggy!

Thanks to Martlets Hospice and Wild in Art, you can’t walk down the street in Brighton and Hove at the moment, without the hearing excited shouts of SNOWDOG! SNOWDOG!’

After weeks of procrastination, the enthusiasm of the small people in my life, inspired me to commit to a long distance, urban sketchathon, to capture all 40-odd Snowdogs by the Sea before they go to their kennels on the 27th November.

If you enjoy these sketches, please make a donation to Martlets Hospice or the Brighton Housing Trust – it’s cold out there.

 

Smiley, St George's Church

8:50am Just before the café door obscured the view…

Seagulls of the south, Seafront/Bristol Court West

10:00am A quiet moment

Bow wow, Brighton Marina

11:00am Didn’t know what time it was my face was odd odd odd…

Snowman and the Snowdog sand sculpture, Marina Square, Brighton Marina

11:45am Pit stop

Brighton Rock (Rocco,) Brighton Marina New Boardwalk

12:30pm Too darn hot!

Bone China, Brighton Marina, New Boardwalk

1:00pm GET DOWN FROM THERE NOW!

 

Patch - the unfinished quilt, Seafront/opposite New Steine

2:00pm The sight of this filled me with dread

Under the sea, Sea life centre

3:00pm Small people dressed as witches, staring silently at you are unnerving

GRRace, Brighton Pier entrance

4:00pm Crimes against music on the pier

Palace pup, Brighton Pier

5:00pm No… get down … NOW!

 

Lola, Theatre Royal

9:00pm Using my palette from memory in the dark

Many thanks to all the artists who gave their time to create these fabulous dogs. Donate now! More to follow…

 

© Claire Moore and cmoorelife, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Claire Moore and cmoorelife with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Leave a comment

Dukes at Komedia

Every weekend in May hundreds of houses, studios and venues open their doors for the Artists Open Houses festival. This free event has grown from modest beginnings 20 years back, to be one of the biggest in the country.

There is a vast, amount of work on display, providing a rare opportunity to shun mass production and stock up on something unique. You also get to waft through other peoples houses admiring the décor, gardens and in my case, lust after beautiful studio spaces.

Arches

This year I have some work on display at the fantastic Bailey and Alexander gallery in the new Arches on the seafront, opposite the West Pier. Number ‘1’ on the central trail. The arches have been renovated and now contain some great little boutique shops. Here’s what they used to look like, boarded up and unused, pre-demolition, on a misty Winters day.

Leave a comment
Whitstable Old Neptune

The Old Neptune pub, Whitstable

Why? Because it’s the finest place on the North Kent coast. Although, I will admit it’s the only place I’ve ever been to on the North Kent coast.

When I set out with the intention of sketching in Broadstairs, somewhere on the M2 I fell into a deep trance. I heard a ghostly rattle of oyster shells, the distant creek of beach hut doors, then a faint aroma of dead fish, and knew… Broadstairs would have to wait.

Whitstable oysters

Mounds of empty Oyster shells rise out of the mist. Known as cultch, they are put back in the estuary, providing an ideal surface for the baby oysters to attach themselves to, helping to form new oyster reefs.

I last visited Whitstable about 10 years ago, arriving in a sleepy little fishing town and waking up to the mania of the Whitstable Oyster festival. The town has lots of hidden nooks and crannies, and some of the best bits are easy to miss, so use a map.

The sea looked so inviting on that trip, so I bought a hideous yellow speedo swimming costume from a bargain bin, only to find that the sea was ankle deep, even half a mile out.

Whitstable beach

Whitstable. Bring your own swimwear.

2015-04-13 Whitstable acrylic

The cement factory. Something completely different. With beach huts.

To learn more about Whitstable, read Sarah Waters’ novel ‘Tipping the Velvet,’ there’s only a brief mention, but you may learn something new.

The Oyster festival is on between 25th and 31st July 2015.

Leave a comment

Today was a perfect day for Brighton’s ninth World Naked Bike ride. It’s a peaceful protest against car culture and oil dependency. Naked Bike ride Old Steine

Naked Bike ride Level

Those brave enough to, bare as much as they dare, to demonstrate the power and vulnerability of cyclists.

If you are feeling shy... wear a mask!

If you are feeling shy… wear a mask!

The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. Everyone seemed to be having a fantastic time, particularly those in the fountain at the Old Steine!

 

1 Comment

DalekThe Modelworld exhibition hit the Brighton Center last weekend. So many tiny things in such a huge space.

Lego

Man or model?

Crash in the main hall

Thankfully the Daleks were there to bring things down to earth.

Michael Tuckers amazing buildings are made from ordinary stuff like cereal boxes and Weetabix. Every miniscule tile on the roof is made from an individual square of paper.

Michael Tuckers amazing buildings are made from ordinary stuff like cereal boxes and Weetabix. Every miniscule tile on the roof is made from an individual square of paper.

1 Comment