One Sketch #159) Swansea Quaker Meeting House

A slabby, concrete nightmare
just always
Looks so wrong.
I hope the meeting house
Will still
Be there when it's gone.

Swansea is just so handy for urban sketching. Last year, when I made my 100 sketches of Port Talbot (to see the accompanying blog, click on this link 100 Faces of Port Talbot ) I did pretty much exhaust my local town as a source of inspiration. So when I have a few hours for sketching, I'm just as likely to drive into Swansea, park the car, and go off exploring. What struck me about this in particular is the contrast between the Quaker Meeting House - which looks like it could be late Victorian/Edwardian, and the horrible 1970s concrete block next to it.

One Sketch #158) (Wednesday 29th August) Quadrant Coffee House Swansea

I don't like booze
Although this may seem odd
To me, a cuppa coffee
That's drink of the Gods.

Out urban sketching in Swansea, and I noticed that this interesting building - formerly a pub called the Quadrant Gate , is now a coffee house. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't like alcohol but I like pubs - after all, pubs are where quizzes take place. However, I can't hide the fact that I do think that another coffee house is something to be celebrated.

One Sketch #157 Fortune Teller

Who resists the siren call
Of tarot cards
And crystal ball
Look into her eyes, you fool
She tells you nothing
But conceals all.

Now, when I think of the word sketch I tend to think of a drawing, made in pencil, pen or charcoal, for instance. But you can sketch in many other media, acrylic paint included, and so that's why I felt justified in calling this response to a Sketching Every Day prompt a sketch. It's weeks since I last used acrylic paints, and I thoroughly enjoyed executing this one. For me, it was a lightning fast job, taking about 90 inutes

One Sketch #156) Dali Mixture

Forgive me, but I feel
Much love for the surreal.

Oh dear, terrible verse, whose one saving feature is its brevity. Another prompt from Sketching Every Day, where we were offered surrealism. When I think of surrealism I often think of Salvador Dali. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I loved the old narcissist and all his works.

One Sketch #155) The End of the Rainbow

At the end of the rainbow
Light unravels
And drops from the skies
As music

Right, this was another prompt from Sketching Every Day. I had the idea of the rainbow arching out of the mouth of a brass instrument, like a trumpet or tuba. Then suddenly that became a saxophone, and I thought it might be more fun to go with a fictional player. Well, the only fictional saxophone player who came to mind was Zoot, from the Muppets. I'll be honest, I was never really a huge fan of the Muppets but I did think Zoot was rather cool - and many, many blokes my age liked Waldorf and Stadler, the two hecklers, and I liked them as well.

One Sketch #154) 1908 London Electrobus

No noise
No smoke
No fumes
No mess.
What else?
No chance.

Just started reading a very interesting book about the London Electrobus fraud of the early 20th century - did not even know that my home town ever had electric buses, let alone before the First World War.

One Sketch #153) Madrid 'Titchy ' Bus

First time I saw it
I questioned my eyes
- It's still a great bus
Never mind the size

This is based on a photo I took in Madrid. I was bowled over by these little buses. They're like a ormal bus where they've cut out the middle section of it, and welded the two ends back together. In my head I christened them - El Titchibus. Great for crowded city streets, though.