David Maddrell

Strong architectural subjects for the latest pastels. First up is “Market Place Tower, Peel”. A strong composition of light and shade, taughtly strung with a web of telephone wires, all to the backdrop of an intense blue sky zapping the white wash to the max!

Next is the “Deco Cafe at Mooragh Park, Ramsey”. This star of a building is sited next to the boating lake. Strong early morning sunlight setting off the juxtaposed curve and straight / round and square dynamic of this Deco design. Pristine contrast again the order of the day.
These paintings can be seen at the Courtyard Gallery as part of their “Courtyard Artists’ Summer Show”. The exhibition details are :-

“Courtyard Artists’ Summer Show”

15th of June to the 8th of July.

Courtyard Gallery, Tynwald Mills, St Johns.
Tel: 01624 801108 (1-5pm)

Prints of these pastels are available.

“Market Place Tower Peel”
image size – 25 x 26cm (9.8 x 10.2″)

“Deco Cafe Mooragh Park, Ramsey”
image size – 26 x 33cm (10.2 x 13.1″)

Prints are:-

* Limited edition of 1/10. Numbered and signed in pencil by artist.
* Artist emboss/chop stamped on border.
* Pigment ink on archival, acid free German etching paper.
* A3+ paper size.
* Price £65 + P&P – (£1 local IoM, £2 UK, £6 RoW.)

The print is gently rolled to post in a tough, plastic capped postal tube, 4″ dia. To order please contact.

Two photos above showing a recently commissioned 3′ x 2′ stained glass panel under construction. These images are at the leading up stage. The cutline pattern can be seen beneath the glass. The design was created entirely in photoshop using collage techniques. The cutline pattern is scaled up from the design. It is annotated with the number, colour and type of glass for each specific position.

The photo on the left shows the panel growing at approx. 45 degrees from the bottom left corner using the L shaped edging batons to work up against. Traditionally horse shoe nails are used to temporarily hold the panel together while under construction. In this case modern glazing tacks have been substituted.

The lead is called ‘came’ and comes in an ‘I’ section; the vertical called the ‘heart’ and horizontals known as the leaves. The leaves are gently lifted using a lead knife or a wooden/plastic fid to accept the glass, which fits snug up to the heart of the came.

These photos show before and after the work hardening/straightening of the lead. The came arrives from the supplier, all twisted and buckled due to coiling, a method of space saving for transit. This is a shock if your unfamiliar with the recovery achievable. The came looks unusable.

One end of the lead is placed in the grip of a special lead vice and the twists are unraveled. Gripping the lead in pliers, it is stretched. This miraculously straightens and work hardens the lead making it easier to handle. See straightened lead in photo on the right.

The above photos show the panel with its joints soldered and a tray of tools.

A printout of the design for quick reference can be seen in the tray along with glazing tacks, brass bristled brush and a tallow candle. Each joint is cleaned with the brass brush and then fluxed with tallow. A 100w soldering iron is used to dab melt blowpipe solder onto each joint. The leaves are then lifted and puttying up is done to consolidate the glazing. Leaves are smoothed down, excess putty removed and then the panel is flipped to allow the same process on the back.

Apart from the metal frame support the panel is complete. The re-bar is held in place by copper wire twist tags soldered into place at an existing joint point.

The photo below shows the finished panel installed in the window reveal, awaiting final fixing. A single sheet of float glass will be installed to sound and condensation proof from utility area beyond.

Eagle Eyes was a type of Action Man I had as a kid. Only got the head left now. Body missing in action. Eagle Eyes got his name from his ability to scan the horizon with those big blue eyes by moving a lever from side to side in a slot at the back of the head. Takes me back to grappling hooks made from hair pins and string used to scale the fireguard. Ace! As mentioned I have still got the head and a wooly jumper (Action Man size) made by me Mum (x). The picture and post seems to be a little tribute to the survival of children’s artifacts/toys through the battles of childhood and beyond to the Elysian Fields of grown up treasures… Bliss!

Eagle Eyes prints are:-

* Limited edition of 1/10. Numbered and signed in pencil by artist.
* Artist emboss/chop stamped on border.
* Pigment ink on archival, acid free German etching paper.
* A3+ Image size 29.7×36.4 cm 11.7×14.3″
* Price £65 + P&P – (£1 local IoM, £2 UK, £6 RoW.)

The print is gently rolled to post in a tough, plastic capped postal tube, 4″ dia.To order please contact.

The ghostly ‘Ice Diving Boots’ print now available.

The prints are:-

* Limited edition of 1/12. Numbered and signed in pencil by artist.

* Artist emboss/chop stamped on border.

* Pigment ink on archival, acid free German etching paper.

* A3+ Image size 29.7×39.6 cm 11.7×15.6 ”

* Price £65 + P&P – (£1 local IoM, £2 UK, £6 RoW.)

The print is gently rolled to post in a tough, plastic capped postal tube, 4″ dia. To order please contact.

The bleached out watercolour goes down a treat with the subject
matter of this still life.

An unusual set of boots to kick off with, especially as these diving.
boots weigh in at 18 Kg or a tad under 3 stone in old money.

This print is the first of ours available on the excellent Hahnemuhle acid
free, German etching paper, itself weighing in at a considerable
310 g/m2. Two heavy weights for the price of one!

The prints are:-

Limited edition of 1/12. Numbered and signed in pencil by artist.
Artist emboss/chop stamped on border.
Pigment ink on archival acid free German etching paper.
A3+ paper. Image size 29.7 x 34.9 cm, 11.6 x 13.7″
Price £65 + p&p
P&P – £1 local IoM, £2 UK, £6 RoW

The print is gently rolled to post in a tough, plastic capped postal tube, 4″ dia.
To order please contact.

• ‘Beech Trees, Montpellier’
• ‘Upstream, Montpellier’
• ‘Upper Glade, Montpellier’

The second copse from the tree pastels.
All from Montpellier this time (see previous post.)

• ‘River with Autumn Sunlight, Ballaglass.’
• ‘Curragh Tree by Stream, East Baldwin Valley.
• ‘Stream, Montpellier’

All the above are pastel paintings.
I use the pure pigment of Unison Pastels.
Great range of natural colours, ideal for landscape work.
Will post ‘River, Streams and Trees 2’ soon…
all from Montpellier, which is on the West Baldwin road, Isle of Man.

A few works in progress, photographic, digital collage, drawing / watercolour. A small haul of the seas bounty, if a little booty-centric! Potentially all could be worked into expansive mixed media pieces and may be available as prints. A watercolour of the diving boots will be a feature of another post and a ghostly ice version too, so keep a weather eye open for that.

‘ A little piece of Manx history. Glass from the lantern that shone from the Calf of Man Lower Lighthouse, warning of the rocks below is incorporated into a wonderfully aesthetic document ready for framing.’

‘Calf of Man Lower Lighthouse’ limited edition prints available. Click on image to preview graphic layout to the print.

Main picture- ‘Calf of Man Lower Lighthouse’, built by Robert Stevenson in 1818, with ‘Chicken Rock Lighthouse’ in the Background.

Black and white interior view of lighthouse keepers’ sleeping quarters, Chicken Rock.

Detail depicting cast iron “dolphin” Handles from Calf lower light lantern.

Broken glass cullet was removed for weather proofing when restoration work was taking place. An actual piece of the glass from the lantern of the Calf of Man Lower Lighthouse is included with each print.

Details of the ‘Calf of Man Lower Lighthouse’ limited edition print:-

• Edition – 1/118
• Individually signed and numbered in pencil + embossed with artists stamp.
• A3+ archival matte print, archival inks.
• Image size – 270mm x 420mm
• Print comes mounted and shrink wrapped.
• Mount size – 420mm x 620mm

The piece of glass cullet is abraded to remove sharp edges and incorporated into cutaway window in the mount, below the print.

Price £65 + P&P if applicable. Please contact to contact.

Maffick Attack!

Mafeking is the name the English colonists gave to Mafikeng, a town in the dusty, sparesly populated northern Cape.
It’s name means literally ‘place of stones’.

Siege of Mafeking – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The Siege of Mafeking was the most famous British action in the Second Boer War. It took place at the town of Mafeking (now Mafikeng) in South Africa over a period of 217 days, from October 1899 to May 1900, and turned Robert Baden-Powell into a national hero. The lifting of the Siege of Mafeking was a decisive victory for the British and a crushing defeat for the Boers.

Mafeking Terrace photo from Ramsey, Isle of man. Strange routed effect for a street name sign.
Letters pressed into render and removed once set? Could be. Make an ace historical ref. print though.