As I write the sun is actually shining brightly outside my window – it is so warm and lovely. After a very wet winter I feel a little like a Moomin awakening from winter hibernation!. I loved those books, the illustrations especially.

Yesterday I finished printing a new wood engraving – St Nicolas Church, Newbury, Berkshire. The engraving is on boxwood and is 10x15cm.

Having grown up in a small village a few miles outside Newbury I have known this church for a long time. It is a very attractive building and gives a little hint to the Newbury of old. There has been a church on this site since Norman times. However, this present parish church was rebuilt in the sixteen century in the architectural style of the late Perpendicular period. Apparently, this church - like so many - was restored by the Victorians, but fortunately they didn’t meddle too much with the main structure.

This is the third church that I have engraved in wood - St Mary’s, Thatcham and St Lawrence Church, Hungerford being the other two. I find there is something very special about trying to engrave an image of these hundreds of year old churches onto pieces of boxwood that are themselves very, very old.

I will be exhibiting this wood engraving, along with many others, at the Reading Contemporary Art Fair in late April (see events page for details). This is only my second art fair and I am really looking forward to it.