• Home
  • Gallery
    • Barhopping & Beer
    • Golf
    • Cards
    • Save Me Series
    • Urban Sketching
  • Commissions
  • Shop
  • About/Contact
    • CV
    • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Home
  • Gallery
    • Barhopping & Beer
    • Golf
    • Cards
    • Save Me Series
    • Urban Sketching
  • Commissions
  • Shop
  • About/Contact
    • CV
    • Subscribe to Newsletter
Search

London Heritage Awards

4/14/2025

 
I was honoured to be the recipient of a Local History Award last Wednesday, April 9th, at Museum London.  "This award is to acknowledge the significant contribution you have made to the awareness of local heritage architecture by means of your drawings, paintings and your publications."

The London Heritage Awards are presented annually by the Architectural Conservancy Ontario – London Region and Heritage London Foundation. This was the 18th annual. It was a great evening at Museum London! Thank you to the awards committee, volunteers, event sponsors, and all those who made the awards ceremony possible.

The London Free Press has highlighted some of the award winners here:
​ https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/18th-annual-london-heritage-awards-winners-unveiled. 

Historic London architecture - WHY, you ask? I moved to London in the 1980s. I have lived, worked, and walked in downtown London ever since. Walking is the best way to observe your surroundings. That's where my inspiration comes from. Simply, I like what I see, and I feel the need to capture it. I currently call Blackfriars/Petersville Heritage Conservation District home. I still walk every day and get inspired every day.

You can find some of my London-based artworks and art cards at the at SHOP Museum London. You can also find many of my art cards at Magpie's Collected Creations - Covent Garden Market.

Urban Sketchers - Dundas Street / LPL

3/15/2025

 
This morning was another Urban Sketchers London ON meetup. The rain and wet weather forced us inside, but we could still see Dundas Street from the front windows in the library. After I added colour, I wished I had left it as black and white.

​Back to architecture

3/2/2025

 
The finishing touches are complete on the beautiful and historic Brescia University College, which was founded in 1919 by the Ursuline Sisters. Canada’s last all-women’s university was fully integrated into Western University in May 2023.
Picture

Daily Sketch, No 8

10/9/2024

 
Today's sketch was quick and small. Done while someone was taking a video and talking to me. A whole new challenge for me...  I will provide more details about today's experience in the next few days. It's good to get out of your comfort zone! Back to my small sketchbook, using simple tools: pencil, eraser, micron pen, and water brush with India ink for the tone.
Picture
A very quick and simple Urban Sketch of 116 Dundas Street, London.

It takes years

7/12/2024

 
​Sometimes things just take time… a lot of time! Started January of 2020. Ended Summer of 2024. Four and a half years ago, I responded to a call to artist from LAC about a designing a medal for the Ontario Summer Games to be held in London ON.  I had never designed a medal before. I started with taking a walk by the river for some contemplation. 
Next up, was some research on medal designs through out the years. What did we do before the internet? The reading and observing other designs gives a bit of context and more confidence in what I think I can do and what I want to do.
Next up, sketch out some designs in my sketchbook.
Picture
​Next up, narrow down the ideas and execute a finished drawing. Submit. Wait. One of the hardest parts for me was the write up about my design. I know what I want to say, back getting the right words takes me more time than it should.  Because there was a short timeline, it was not much of a wait. They picked my design. That was early February 2020. Then, as we all know, everything shut down, due to the COVID-19. Everything was cancelled. Stay at home.
Fast forward four years, it’s now January 2024. The world is basically back to normal. A message comes from LAC, with the news that the Ontario summer games are ago here in London, and my design will be used for the medal.
Picture
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/meet-the-londoners-behind-the-2024-ontario-summer-games-medal-design-1.7253629 ​

STEPAC Juried Show 2024

5/7/2024

 
Picture
Invite and information for the "in view of the artist" Juried Exhibition at St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre
This juried exhibition showcases original two-dimensional works of art that celebrate the artist behind the work, what the artist saw and created, "in their view", real or imagined. This means anything goes.  

So pleased that these two artworks were juried into to show:
"Looking at the Four Story Walkup" (ink, WC, cotton thread) 9 1/4" x 9" c2024
and
​"
The Upper Two Floors" (ink, WC, cotton thread) 13 1/2" x 8 3/4" c2024
Artwork showing a stylized female figure and a red brick historic facade.
Artwork showing a stylized female figure and a yellow brick historic facade.

Urban Sketchers London on Rogers TV

4/6/2024

 
On  February 17, 2024, Urban Sketchers London met at The Market at Western Fair District for the 2nd sketch outing of 2024. Not only was this a great place to sketch, but host Jane Roy from "The Paint Box"  (which puts a spotlight on various aspects of the vibrant visual art community in the City of London)  joined us to film and interview the sketchers.

Here is the link to view the show:   The Paint Box - London (rogerstv.com)
Picture

Ink sketches

3/2/2024

 
The beauty of traditional pen and ink is in the power of simple lines. It's a simple process, using simple tools on a piece of paper. 
The downside... permanent ink is well, permanent. Sometimes you can correct a mistake, but sometimes it's impossible to correct it!
These sketches are drawn from photos, the reasons being:
  1. These buildings are gone - some burned down, some torn down (in the name of progress), some demolished (demolition by neglect). But they are not forgotten. So many memories for so many people in these buildings.
  2. It's cold in Ontario, Canada in January and I was working on these on a couple of cold days, with daytime temperatures  -12°C and feels like -20°C (translates to 10.4°F and feels like -4°F)
Micron 03 and 01 pens, white and black charcoal pencils, on grey 5 x 7 inch Stonehenge paper. I like the edges of the paper, so I plan to float mount these pieces. they will be for the "Within Walking Distance" show, with more details to come...

ONEweek100people 2024

2/8/2024

 

Spring is coming and so is the #ONEweek100people 2024 challenge!

Picture
So, just what is the #ONEweek100people challenge?

Taking inspiration from online challenges such as #Inktober, urban sketchers Marc Taro Holmes (Montreal, CA) and Liz Steel (Sydney, AUS) invite the world to join in with #OneWeek100People – every year in March!

This year: March 11 to 15, 2024

This will be my 3rd year participating and looking forward to it. Such great practice sketching people from life. Teaches you to sketch faster. Makes you focus on sketching people. It's surprising how easy it was to sketch 100 people last year.... well, I do work small and I usually sketch fast.
This year, my plan is to work larger (although I am always saying I should work larger, and don't!!), add some colour, and be more conscious of the composition on the pages.
By March, it should be warm enough to be outside sketching more, so I always look forward to that!
Stay tuned, I will be posting my sketches here and of course on my Social Media channels.


Square Foot Show

12/2/2023

 
​The 11th annual Square Foot Show At Westland Gallery in London.
Grand Opening Reception: Wednesday, December 6th, 3 – 9 pm.
Show runs: December 6, 2023 - December 30, 2023.
LONDON FREE PRESS | WESTLAND GALLERY

470 works of original works of art by 250 local artists hang in a beautiful mosaic from floor to ceiling.
This exhibition is a must-see for new and experienced collectors, artists, and art enthusiasts.

My entries: 
"Dundas Streetscape with Figure" (India ink & watercolour & Gouache, mounted on birch panel) 12” x 12”
" Figure and Ferns" (India ink & watercolour, mounted on birch panel) 12” x 12”
<<Previous

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    August 2018
    July 2018

    Categories

    All
    Architecture
    Award
    Beer
    Books
    Charcoal
    Commissions
    Country
    Creative Projects
    Custom Portraits
    Daily
    Exhibitions
    Figurative
    Golf
    Greeting Cards
    Illustration
    Pets
    Portrait
    Practice
    Sketchbook
    The Practice
    Urban Landscape
    Urban Sketchers

    RSS Feed

  | Gallery | Custom Artwork | About/Contact |

​​| An artist who does accounting | An artist who loves to golf | An artist who draws |
©2025 Radford Art. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Gallery
    • Barhopping & Beer
    • Golf
    • Cards
    • Save Me Series
    • Urban Sketching
  • Commissions
  • Shop
  • About/Contact
    • CV
    • Subscribe to Newsletter