Peppercanister and National Gallery of Ireland

If you were walking on Upper Mount Street Sunday afternoon before last and saw this mad woman standing at a doorstep with a sketchbook in one hand and a red pencil in the other, that was me.

I was on my way to the National Gallery for a sketching afternoon, but as I walked down Mount Street Upper, I turned back and I thought to myself "I've always wanted to draw the Peppercanister". So I did! Carpe Diem and all those good things. That street is fairly quiet on a Sunday, as most of the offices are closed, but there were enough people walking by or parking their cars that it was a safe spot - particularly if you stand at the top of the steps; nobody can come from behind you, unless they live in the house, but let's not think about that.

After finishing the Peppercanister, I made my way to the newly-refurbished National Gallery. I had a fair idea it would be busy. Plus the sun was shining by that stage, so I just sat outside and started drawing the façade. I knew my sketchbook's format would not allow me to draw the three arches of the centre section of the building. So I just started with one, moving from one section to the next, against all the rules of going from outside in and from larger to smaller shapes. That's the way my eye takes in a building, I guess. I can't comprehend the vastness or monumentality of it, so I just go for a striking detail, not thinking much of composition or finished product. All that matters is that I get so absorbed in the process, without a care in the world!

Sketches from Dublin Sketchers are here.