Sketch of Thomas More Statue (15) Chelsea Marathon

This is number 15 of my Chelsea Marathon.

I have gone back to graphite, my trusty favourite medium.

Sketch of Thomas More Statue (15) Chelsea Marathon, 8" x 10", Graphite on paper

If interested in purchasing this piece, Please click HERE

I went to this beautiful well kept garden to sketch this very intriguing statue in black and gold around the Chelsea Embankment area.`

I have always found this statue interesting and I couldn't wait to actually add it to my collection in this current series!

The drawing almost done with the scene.

I'm really enjoying this marathon as it's giving me the opportunity to explore some of the scenes I have taken for granted around the Chelsea area.

SPECIAL QUOTE
"Statues are a great way to practice figure drawing.....they never move!"

Please feel free to comment, share and like with the social media buttons below.

The Playground Slide, Westfield Park (14) Chelsea Marathon

Here is number 14 of my current series of paintings and drawings of Chelsea.

This place is really familiar to me! I have taken my kids there many times to play and I normally pass through the Park everyday while walking from Chelsea World's End Health Centre to my Studio.

The Playground Slide, Westfield Park (14) Chelsea Marathon, Mixed Media on paper, 10" x 8"

I looked at it this week with the corner of my eye, especially at this particular slide and I thought it looked really interesting with the foliage in the background, so I got out to sketch it on coloured paper, somethiong different from my other drawings in this series of work.

I wanted it to have somewhat of a playful childlike feeling and I was happy with the finished piece.

Picture of the Scene

While drawing some students of a near by Primary School all came over to have look, they had just finished their STATS and were playing on the ground. One girl spotted me, was bold enough to ask a few questions and then she got all of her friends over to watch me draw, their teacher had to come to rescue after a while, as I couldn't see the subject due to their crowding.

I have used different shades of Oil Base Pencils, some washes with charcoal dust and graphite to execute this on pastel paper.

The drawing after completion

SPECIAL QUOTE
"Drawing is a first love for me, no mixing, no scrapping, no worries of paint stains....just the good old drawing with the good old pencil!"- Adebanji Alade

Feel free to like, comment and share with the social media buttons below

Enchanting Nocturne Reflections, Albert Bridge (13) Chelsea Marathon

This is Number 13 on Friday!!!!

Well this is the well known and remarkable Albert Bridge at night!

Enchanting Nocturne Reflections, Albert Bridge (13) Chelsea Marathon, 10" x 8", Oil on Board

I have painted this nocturne twice at night before and I bet the shall be more because the place is just so beautiful at night!

My strokes in this one were really bold, I worked in pure alla prima to capture the essence of the scene.

I can never tell what gets people loving this bridge but it is one of my favourites!

SPECIAL QUOTE
"The night is a wonderful time to capture in paint, everything is about tone and temperature"-Adebanji Alade

Feel free to like, comment or share with social media buttons below.

Awakening Statue, Roper's Garden (12) Chelsea Marathon, 10" x 8", Oil board

This is number 12 of my current series of paintings and drawings of the Chelsea area.

Awakening Statue, Roper's Garden (12) Chelsea Marathon, 10" x 8", Oil board

I visited this garden once or twice in the past and I always thought this was a great place to relax.

But this time around I wasn't going to miss out including it in my Chelsea Marathon!

That's the business taking place in full speed!

I went there on a nice spring evening with my plein-air gearocycle and just got down to painting it!

It was a great day as I also sang while I painted!

Reference pic of the scene, I should have taken it when the light was booming!

But before long the clouds changed and the rains were warning of its arrival, so I had to stop and get going.

The whole set up of my "plein-air gearocycle"

SPECIAL QUOTE
"The scene does not to be painted EXACTLY how it is! One has to have an inborn editor which takes and adds to the scene to give it the right visual appeal."-Adebanji Alade

Feel free to comment, like and share with social media buttons below.

Break-time, The Chelsea Brasserie (11) Chelsea Marathon, 8" x 10", Oil on board

Break-time, The Chelsea Brasserie (11) Chelsea Marathon, 8" x 10", Oil on board

This is number 11 of my current series of my favourite spots in Chelsea.

 I call it the Chelsea Marathon, as it ongoing and really an endurance race of producing 60 drawings and paintings in a short space of time.

I have chosen The Chelsea Brasserie along Kings Road, Sloane Square because of the beauty of the shadows! I really love to discover and unravel the mystery of what happens in shadow areas of urban scenes and this was a great opportunity to do just that.

I was really out to capture the abstract pattern of this scene, as I always believe once the abstract pattern works the whole painting works well as  great design.

I tried to be a lot looser in my approach here as I didn't start with any initial drawing, I  just went straight into painting very bold and loose abstract shapes. So I used the technique called, "outside-in"-(where I start with bold strokes from the main outside shapes and end up details on the inside) instead of my normal "inside-out" where I work on the shapes from the inside, finishing up on the outside.

I hope you are enjoying this marathon, this is the way I see Chelsea, the place where I went to art school and have had my studio for about 10 years. I'll be taking on drawings, watercolours and sketches too.....stay tuned.

SPECIAL QUOTE
"The first impression you get when you encounter a scene is what really matters! Are you able to capture that?! At the end of the painting, that should be the main thing you ask yourself as a painter. If you are able to answer in the affirmative, the battle has been won!"-Adebanji Alade

Feel free to share, like or comment with the social media buttons below.

Afternoon light, PAUL, Kings Road (10) Chelsea Marathon, 10" x 8", Oil on Board

This is number 10, of my current series of paintings and drawings of Chelsea. This is one of my favorite spots! The French Family Bakery Paul

  Afternoon light, PAUL, Kings Road (10) Chelsea Marathon, 10" x 8", Oil on Board

 To purchase this painting please click HERE

I just love the whole effect of light and shade on the scene and the fact that it is situated at the corner of a street makes it really interesting to paint.

I couldn't resist adding a figure and creating a mysterious effect in the shop window which is completely drenched in shade!

This was completed indoors, as this view was seen from above while on a Bus 22 journey along Kings Road.

SPECIAL QUOTE
"Shadows and Light make any painting or drawing come to life, but what makes the difference is how the painter is able to make an interesting abstract design out of the whole value pattern."-Adebanji Alade

Please feel free to share, like or comment with the social media buttons below.

Afternoon Light, Sloane Square from Above (9) Chelsea Marathon

Here is number 9 of my current series of paintings and drawings of Chelsea.

It's Sloane Square from above under some intense afternoon light!

Afternoon Light, Sloane Square from Above (9) Chelsea Marathon, 10" x 8", Oil on board

If interested in purchasing this painting please click HERE

This one was painted all indoors, I got the view shot from a Bus 11 while journeying around the Square.

I am always interested in getting different views of Sloane Square, as I really love painting the place. One of my interests in this piece was the contrasting effect of the warm red bricks of the main building against the cool sky and cool tones on the wide expanse of road.

Here I have showed how I go about this and the initial sketch before paint is applied.

The Sketch stage of the Sloane Square painting

SPECIAL QUOTE
Being able to capture the feeling of an outdoor piece indoor is purely emotional, to do this you must have had a real good connection with the scene outdoors in the first place. If not, the work will lack the vitality and spark of a freshly painted plein air piece"- Adebanji Alade

Please feel free to comment, like or share with the social media buttons below

Heatherley's School of Fine Art (8) Chelsea Marathon, 10" x 8", Graphite on paper

This is number 8, of my current series of drawings and paintings of Chelsea, they are all 10" x 8" in size.

I chose this because this was school that changed my perception of art! Great Tutors and a fantastic environment to study with amazing students all willing to reach their aspirations!

Heatherley's School of Fine Art (8) Chelsea Marathon, 10" x 8", Graphite on paper

 To purchase this drawing, please click HERE

I sketched this from the corner of Burnaby Street and the light kept changing on a windy Saturday morning.

Just when I had finished the drawing

I  have always loved architecture and this was another opportunity to enjoy the effect of light and shade on Architecture. I love what light does on buildings at different times of the day!

SPECIAL QUOTE
" I don't get bogged down with perspective, I never have, if there's something that makes me enjoy drawing outdoors, it's just the scratching of the graphite on paper and the mark making!"- Adebanji Alade

Stones at Westfield Park (7) Chelsea Marathon, 10" x 8", Oil on board

This was a scene I couldn't resist painting.

It's number 7 in the current series of the Chelsea Marathon!

Stones at Westfield Park, 10" x 8", Oil on board

 To Purchase this painting please click HERE

I had nursed the feeling for a while but this time it wasn't going to last!

Adebanji painting at Westfield Park, Chelsea

I am happy I went to do it because it really got it off my chest, which is what happens to me when I finally get to do a painting of a place that I have always longed to do.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

I was very much inspired by the stones and the lavender coloured tree! I just found a way of making the whole thing work in one piece.

Hopefully I'll do the drawing of this scene too!

SPECIAL QUOTE
"The paintings are a spontaneous response to the day as it unfolds and are usually completed alla prima in a couple of hours- on site or in the studio."- Julian Merrow-Smith

Boats Along Chelsea Moorings (6) Chelsea Marathon

Here's number 6!

The boats along Chelsea Moorings.

I am using my beloved medium, which is graphite here!

Boats Along Chelsea Moorings, 10" x 8", Graphite on Paper

 To purchase this drawing please click HERE

I had to get down there to capture these lovely boats and the reflections on a nice cool evening.

Adebanji sitting down and enjoying the whole process of drawing the scene

Sitting down and getting really deep into the drawing is phenomenal  for me! I just love it!

The drawing held up against the scene

I will still do more paintings of scene, as I just love it!

My graphite Sketching kit and the drawing

The Full materials I have used here are a Daler Rowney Artist's Sketchbook, 10.4 x 8.3 inches, 150gms. Graphite, Oil base pencil, Chunky graphite, Carpenter's Pencil, Mechanical 0.7 HB pencil, Graphite dust and water.


SPECIAL QUOTE
"I feel very excited when I sketch. The blood's flowing. A benefit of sketching is you get the immediacy of the moment. You get there and do it right then and there. There is an immediacy that is crucial for the life of the sketches."- Albert Handell

Twin Trees, Maxwell Street (5) Chelsea Marathon

This the second drawing in the Chelsea Marathon series of paintings and drawings.

Twin Trees, Maxwell Street, 10" x 8", Graphite on Paper.

 To purchase this drawing, Please click HERE

I love drawing trees, it's a real way of discovery and my love for graphite really makes me enjoy it even more!

Adebanji, Just after the drawing of Twin Trees Maxwell Street.

I have always admired these trees when walking to my studio from Fulham Broadway, just between Fulham Road and Kings Road.

Picture of the scene where I drew the twin trees

 SPECIAL QUOTE
"If drawing doesn't appeal to you, just try it! Do it for just enjoying the process and nothing more! You'll notice something really interesting......"-Adebanji Alade

Morning Greys, Lots Road Pub and Dining Rooms (4) Chelsea Marathon

Here comes number 4!

 The Chelsea Marathon continues.

Morning Greys, Lots Road Pub and Dining Rooms, 10" x 8", Oil on board

 To purchase this painting please click HERE

This time I'm on Lots Road again and it's the lovely bend on Lots Road that caught my attention. I really love architecture and this one is just a typical example why.

Adebanji Alade painting Lots Road Pub and Dining Rooms

 Just the lovely curve and the broad sky around it on an early Saturday morning was just everything I needed to get me down there with my plein air gear!

SPECIAL QUOTE
"Things out of doors are very much of a  silhouette -Silhouettes and patterns are always vital whatever the conditions of light so long as we can see at all."-Charles Webster Hawthorne

That Evening Feeling, Lots Road Pumping Station (3) Chelsea Marathon

This is the third piece in the current series of paintings and drawings around Chelsea.



I have returned to the area around my studio which is around Lots Road.

That Evening Feeling, Lots Road Pumping Station, 8" x 10", Oil on Board

 To purchase this painting please click HERE

This is another view I can't believe I haven't painted for 10 years since being in this area.

Adebanji painting Evening Feeling, Lots Road Pumping Station

I just love the contrast of the warm red brick against the cool effects of the overall picture.

SPECIAL QUOTE
" If a particular place around where you live or work strikes a chord within your spirit, don't waste time, go out and paint it! If you don't, that place will haunt you all your life!"-Adebanji Alade

Morning Light Kings Road (2) Chelsea Marathon

This my second shot at the Chelsea Marathon.

Here I have used Graphite which is my best medium!

Morning Light, Kings Road, 8" x 10", Graphite on Paper.

To purchase this piece click HERE

I worked purely indoors for this one.

The ability to get the effects of sunlight with graphite lies wholly on the manipulation of tones to suit the scene. When using graphite in landscapes, the one thing missing is temperature. It's only based on tones and I really love tones.

Reference Picture for Morning Light Kings Road

The reference for this picture was taken from a Bus 11 while on the a journey along Kings Road.

SPECIAL QUOTE
"The works executed in the studio brings everything one has learned while drawing and painting outdoors.-Adebanji Alade

Morning Light, Lots Road Power Station (1) Chelsea Marathon

This is the first piece in the Chelsea Marathon.

Morning Light, Lots Road Power Station, Oil on board, 10" x 8" SOLD

 If Interested in purchasing this painting Click Here

I have been at my studio at Lots Road for almost 10 years and I haven't painted this scene. This is why this marathon comes in handy because it helps me to be able to take up some places that are nearby but never really explored with paint.

Adebanji painting the scene.

This building has been here for a while!  I really love the colours of the paint that has been stripped back from the construction works going on. I decided to capture the effect of the light in the morning as it pours out from behind.

This is the painting set up on Lots Road

SPECIAL QUOTE
"The process alone is worth the effort"- Scott Christensen